It took just three minutes to get a blog set up and running on the new MSN Spaces blog service launched in beta by Microsoft last night. I thought I’d try it out to see what it’s like.
I think this will have huge appeal to anyone who uses Hotmail, MSN and all other such Microsoft offerings because it’s so easy and seamless. Just log in with your Passport account. Create your blog. Start posting. While it lacks lots of things more seasoned bloggers are used to, it will be perfect for anyone who’s just starting out. 10 megs of storage space. RSS feeds. Trackbacks. Commenting. That’s not a bad start. And it’s free.
See the video demo at Channel 9 for a critical run through, and the 30-minute interview with Michael Connolly, group program manager, and Jim Horne, the product unit manager at Microsoft, done by Robert Scoble (and see Robert’s own critiques).
It’s clearly a consumer-oriented service, with its features for showing photo albums and music lists, but no matter. If the kids who sign up for it talk to their parents about it, that’ll make my job a lot easier when I then talk to the parents in their work mode about business blogging. Hopefully that will lessen the likelihood that the first comment they make will be “What’s a blog?”
Full marks to Microsoft – this service will undoubtedly get lots of launch publicity thus helping create greater awareness of blogging.
Oh, by the way, I’ve called my MSN Spaces blog Hobson’s Choice.
Easy trackback
Easy trackback