Messenger, Spaces Focus on Advertisers

MSN Messenger 7.0, the latest version of Microsoft’s instant messaging (IM) client for consumers, and MSN Spaces, a Web logging (“blogging”) service, launched in Apr. 2005. Microsoft used the launch not only to demonstrate new features added since the beta versions of each service but also to show how advertisers can integrate their brands into the services. This introduction is part of a larger effort to convince advertisers that MSN sponsorships can be as effective as TV or print advertising at establishing brand awareness-an important initiative, given that advertising has supplanted subscriptions as MSN’s primary source of revenue.

Messenger: More Interactivity, Advertising

MSN Messenger 7.0 includes new features and improvements, such as the following:

Better video chat. Users with a Logitech Web camera can engage in full-screen video and audio chat with a single click. Previous versions supported only a small video window, and users had to establish the audio and video portions of their chats separately.