The Role of Windows Live Spaces in Business

Windows Live Spaces is a new social networking front provided by MSN and Hotmail--Microsoft. Associated with Windows Live ID's, users of Windows Live Messenger, formally known as MSN Messenger, and Hotmail users already have access to these accounts. The problem is, many of them don't know it. The network size may be large in terms of users of Microsoft products, but few people actually make use of the Windows Live Space they have.

Similar to MySpace and Facebook, users have their own profile where they can add photos, blog posts, and lists. There are modules users can add, which are similar to the applications used on MySpace and Facebook. Users have control over their layout, but personalization is definitely limited in comparison.

With websites like MySpace and Facebook, there does not seem to be much point in paying attention to the Windows Live Space account, and this could be a major reason why the audience is much smaller.

While business owners and internet marketers are able to make profiles here--hopes of gaining a consumer base like with other social networks should not be counted on. The fact is many people do not spend time here, so the people businesses may reach out to are more limited here. This could mean even more targeted traffic, but the likelihood of the issue is business owners will have a smaller audience to reach out to, an even smaller targeted audience, and likely no return on investment of time spent.

While business owners could connect with consumers, connect with related businesses, and conduct research with the other social networking sites, it seems less likely for it to work well using this network.

Honestly, there does not seem to be too many benefits to a business use for this network. Yes, it is nice for personal social networking reasons, but it doesn't seem to offer much for business at all. It's not a bad idea per se, though it seems more time could be vested in other places and yield higher results.

Does this mean it is a bad idea for your business? If your entire consumer base runs on Windows Live Messenger, then obviously it will work better for you than those who have a consumer base not using the service. The bottom line is the decision needs to be based on the specifics of your business. Use your best judgement, and if you see it is not working well, move on to something else entirely.