Come July 22nd, 2009, Microsoft's instant messaging client will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Now labeled Windows Live Messenger, and having been transitioned under the Windows Live brand, the application was known as MSN Messenger at launch, in the past millennium. The latest migration suffered by the IM client was to the Windows Live Essentials package of applications, designed to be an extension of the Windows client into the Cloud. With Windows 7, neither Messenger nor the photo viewer or email client are components of the operating system. Microsoft released Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009), the latest iteration of the IM client, to web at the start of January 2009. In February, the company offered an upgrade for the client, delivering improvements for the previous version.

“Wow, who would have thought that it has been almost 10 years since Messenger was launched. Windows Live Messenger (called MSN Messenger back then) was released to the public on a warm, sunny Seattle day on July 22nd, 1999,” revealed a member of the Windows Live team. “With more than 330 million active users every month, Windows Live Messenger has grown quite a bit over the last 10 years! But for a 10-year celebration it’s not all about the numbers – even more important is how Messenger has enabled friendships, changed lives, or just brought a lot of fun to a quick chat with a good friend or family member.”

This is precisely why Microsoft has started inviting Windows Live Messenger users to share their story with the company. “What was your funniest, most unexpected or most emotional moment with Messenger?” the Windows Live team member asked, giving a clue as to the kind of stories that the software giant is looking for. The Redmond company explained that the best user stories involving Windows Live Messenger would be shared with the public.

“Of course we will do that anonymously, only mentioning your first name and home country (and maybe a related picture if you decide to add one). If you want to share your story and let others participate in your special moment with Messenger, please send your short story in English to “IloveMessenger at live.com” by June 28th. Please add your first name and home country – you can also add a related photo if you like. We will share the best stories during the month of July on the Windows Live Messenger blog,” the Windows Live team representative added.

Windows Live Messenger 9.0 (2009) version 14.0.8064.0206 is available for download via this link.