ME and Ophelia

MICROSOFT LAUNCHES FREE BLOG SERVICE
Cross-language blog translation and links

Jim Moore says the quiet launch of Microsoft's free blogging service Spaces.msn.com, is the start of something very big.

I've just spent an hour trying to start up a new blog and leave a comment over at Spaces.msn.com but couldn't get beyond the registration. I thought I'd completed it all OK but ended back at square one because my password wasn't recognised for login. Got fed up and gave up, and wanted to come back here and share.

Microsoft always seem to make things too complicated. Their registration process and ploughing through the rules and regulations are drag. Can't help being wary of Microsoft offering something for free: what's the catch, loads of spam and banner or pop up ads? Signing up with Blogger is a breeze. Takes a minute and flows real reasy.

English blogger Hazy is a whizz at trying new stuff. Here's pinging Hazy to wish her a happy birthday and ask her when she gets back to her computer, if she can please set up a free msn space and post a review on what she thinks of it, so I can share it here. [Note to Hazy: if you manage to set up an msn blog, please can you link a post at the new blog to me here so I can check if the link shows up at Technorati. Thanks. Hope you have a great birthday and good luck for next week.]

If any readers here set up a new msn blog, please let me know in the comments or by email so I can look it up and link to it in a post here. Commentary on the experience of setting up and using an msn blog would be appreciated. And it would be interesting to know how the translating feature works, especially re blogs typed in Chinese, Japanese and Indian.
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UPDATE: I've just received a comment at this post from Hazy. [Thanks Hazy: see, I had a hunch there'd be a catch]:

"Hi Ingrid. Just checking in here and read your post about MSN Spaces. I'm just going to look now but thought you might be interested in this post about the service:

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/02/msn_spaces_soylent_g.html

It seems that anything you publish in the blog would end up with Microsoft as the copyright holders - so beware!"

UPDATE: Jim has posted a review of the msn blogs. Note his RSS 2.0 feed source is http://spaces.msn.com/members/strategy/feed.rss.  Jim says he intends to develop the blog into a place to discuss strategic thinking, strategy making and the use of ecological concepts in strategy. I'll go visit it now.

UPDATE: Jim's new blog is called Strategy. I've tried to leave a comment to wish him well but found there's a sign up involved, which was off putting and didn't work for me after I'd registered.

UPDATE: A photo has just appeared at Jim's new blog. Heh. Love the "green" amphibian theme too. Over the past few months, I've been thinking green too (politically). I'm getting seriously disillusioned with politics. Democracy is being eroded. Some friends feel the same way. For me, a new ethical and green World Order seems the way to go, which is why I started my Zone of Peace and b-ethical categories. Hopefully, lots of Jim's future posts will land in those categories. I'm convinced women will play a huge leading role in the New World Order. It may not become a reality in my lifetime, but it's the one big thing that has never been tried. What does the world have to lose? Men sure are making a mess of it and the environment.

UPDATE: The new msn blogs do show up in Technorati. Sorry I was not able to leave a comment at Jim's new blog to wish him well. I've tried the login several times and even changed the password. I'm probably doing something wrong because someone has managed to leave a comment.

HELLO JIM


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INDIAN BLOG MELA

Many bloggers are being so productive right now, I can't keep up with all the great posts and comments. I've spent the past few days posting at Sudan Watch (see sidebar here) and not had a chance to check out the links at nominations for the Bharateeya Blog Mela via Madhu's ChaiTeaLatte.