Microsoft has rolled out a new addition to its Windows Live stable: Windows Live Events. Live Events is a complement to Windows Live Spaces, Microsoft’s Facebook alternative. Here are some screen shots of how the new Events service, due to be rolled out over the next few days, will look and work.
\r\n\r\nFirst up is a screen shot of the Windows Live Event page looks like.
Windows Live Spaces users can use Live Events to create an event, by designating a time and place; choosing a template design; and embedding a map, if applicable.
Users may then select a subset of users to invite to an event from various list subsets, including their centralized Live Contacts list; Windows Live Messenger contact list; and/or Spaces Friends list. Ultimately, Microsoft is expected to use the still-announced Windows Live Groups service to allow users to invite certain categories/subgroups to an event.
With its Events service, Microsoft is more focused on the “tail” of an event than the “head” of it, officials said. After an event is over, users can share photos and stories about a particular event using the service.
Windows Live SkyDrive, Microsoft’s cloud-storage service, also got a refresh this week. Live SkyDrive is now integrated directly with Live Events. Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Live Calendar is expected to be similarly integrated later this year when it finally debuts.
Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 30 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008). She also is the cohost of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT network.
