Windows Live Spaces

Microsoft’s Live Spaces confounded our expectations and wins this Group Test, despite the fact that it’s really aimed at individuals wanting to stamp their mark on the internet. It can be easily adapted to promote a group or team though, as long as you’re looking for something that gives the group leader total control.

The initial configuration screen that greets you after creating an account can appear confusing at first, but after choosing a theme and selecting which page elements should be displayed, everything can be simply dragged and dropped into the desired position. Standard elements include a blog and photo gallery with commenting facilities, as well as a variety of custom lists. However, it is possible to further customise your Space by adding elements such as feeds and ‘gadgets’, which can take the form of anything from weather forecasts and videos to horoscopes and stock quotes. To prevent unwanted visitors, it is possible to limit visibility to a particular group of contacts. Being a Microsoft product, there is the added benefit of integration with the popular Live Messenger.

The downside is that there’s no way for other people to contribute directly to the page except by leaving comments to your posts, but if you’re the leader of a small group, wanting to create a simple, highly attractive focal point with a minimum of fuss, this is a useful tool for the job.

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