Could real and Live mommies everywhere breathe life into the company's social networking offerings?

Sep 12, 2007 10:28 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is right on track with the evolution of Windows Live. The Redmond company recently introduced the Windows Live unified installer along with a collection of new betas for Windows Live Messenger 8.5, Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live Mail. Additionally, the Windows Live Home Page got overhauled, and the Live Search will move to version 2.0 as of September 26. But if you think that Microsoft is done growing the suite of services and products bundled under the Windows Live brand, you are sadly mistaken. And the introduction of a brand new social networking hotspot comes to illustrate this point. Now Microsoft has a place where it can go crying to its mommy.

The Real Live Moms website is nothing more than another initiative designed to grab a niche of audience. "At Real Live Moms, moms can learn how easy and fun it is to set up their own Windows Live space and share baby photos and videos with family and friends, write a blog, create lists of their favorite things, and more! Moms can also get ideas by viewing other moms' spaces and see how many amazing things they can do with a personal website. And with Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger, moms can stay connected to their friends, family, and other moms", revealed Chris Keating Windows Live Product manager.

The truth of the matter is that Microsoft's venture into the territory of social networking with Windows Live Spaces has failed to gather a crowd the size of MySpace for example. But the Redmond company is apparently not even close to throwing down the towel. And while milking the Windows Live brand for all it's worth - and together with MSM it's worth some 90 million visitors per month - Real Live Moms is a crack at getting Windows Live Spaces off the ground.

"Here are just some of the things moms (and other people) can do on Real Live Moms: find local parks (for the kids) and day spas (for mom) using Live Search Maps; earn how to easily share photos; read helpful parenting tips; design and print free mom business cards; find fun mom-centric gadgets to add to your space. So if you're a mom, visit Real Live Moms and try Spaces, Hotmail, and Messenger. And if you're not a mom, tell your own mom and the rest of the moms in your life about it. It's a great way to share interests, experiences, and encouragement with friends, family, and other moms," Keating added.