Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4 No More Taglines, Better Communications

Microsoft’s next-generation email service will do away with as much inbox clutter as possible. In addition to blocking 5.5 billion spam messages every day, and introducing new features such as Sweep to help customers filter out unwanted emails, the Redmond company has announced new optimization measures designed to divert less of the users’ attention away from the actual email. In this regard, Brian Hall, general manager for Windows Live, revealed that Microsoft would be removing taglines and also kick communications up a notch in Windows Live Wave 4.

Taglines were initially used by Microsoft in order to advertise its free email service. They implied bits of text included at the bottom of every message carrying various pieces of information for end users. Additional email providers beyond Microsoft also adopted taglines as a way of promoting their service, or additional offerings. As of Windows Live Hotmail Wave 4, users will no longer see taglines from Microsoft.

“As Hotmail evolved over the years, so did taglines, taking on the additional role of educating people about new features & services in Hotmail and other related products. They proved to be effective, with nearly 2 million taglines clicked per month,” Hall stated. “But alas, most people don’t really like taglines in their email. Email is personal, and taglines can distract from your message, or make it look less professional. While taglines did drive awareness and clicks, we respect your inbox, and we are taking them out in the upcoming Hotmail release.”

The Redmond company is also committed to reducing the amount of email it sends its own customers, as well as optimizing the messages that it does send. This will be valid for customers in the US, and it will involve a couple of aspects.

“Don’t open our email? We’ll stop sending it. If you aren’t engaging with our email, our goal is to stop sending it to you, except in the cases of critical account updates or service notifications where we don’t want you to be surprised. We’re also making our opt-out options more prominent,” Hall added. “More relevant email. Targeted email improves your experience by keeping you up-to-date on the upgrades, changes, products, and services you use. So we’re improving the relevancy of the email we send by taking into account which services you’re using and what you have or haven’t clicked in the past.”