At some point late this afternoon while checking my code in at work, Windows Live Messenger popped up asking if I wanted to upgrade to “Windows Live Messenger 2011”. At first I was quite taken aback - and then the same creeping dream that reminds me Christmas is only 6 weeks away reminded me that 2011 isn’t far away either.
I clicked “Install”.
I’ve been aware that Microsoft have been toying with the “Live” website for a while - it wasn’t until I installed Messenger 2011 that the full scale of what they’re up to became obvious. Messenger is no longer a simple instant messaging client; it’s a full on social networking portal - hooking into Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, and any number of other social services (Twitter is conspicuous by it’s absence).
Rather than flick between any number of portals to see what your friends have been up to, you can connect them all the Windows Live Messenger, and it will show you what everybody is up to. Clever stuff.
While messing around with the client, I finally decided to kill my old Hotmail user account, and almost fell off my chair when I discovered my real name was available. I really did fall off my chair when I tried the same thing at Yahoo a few minutes later.
An invitation to procrastinate with me…
If you use either Hotmail, MSN, Windows Live, or Yahoo Messenger, you can now add me for endless chit-chat at any time of day via the following account names;
jonathan.beckett@live.co.uk
jonathan.beckett@yahoo.co.uk
If you use Google Mail, and therefore use “Google Talk”, the Google account will reach me (in truth, all the email anybody sends to me ends up in the Google account)…
jonathan.beckett@gmail.com
Repercussions…
The only real pain with moving Microsoft Live, or Yahoo accounts is the necessity of telling old friends you have moved. In some ways I’m embracing this move too though; it’s affording the opportunity to catch up with people I have not spoken with since the days of MSN Messenger, and Yahoo 360…