Microsoft Outlook makes friends with MySpace

A beta version of the MySpace for Outlook connector lets users keep tabs on their social-networking buddies from within the corporate e-mail and calendar program.

(Credit: CNET)

If you use both Outlook and MySpace, you are part of an interesting demographic. But you are also in luck.

Microsoft and MySpace said on Wednesday that they are ready with the beta version of a tool that lets Outlook users see their MySpace connections within the e-mail and calendaring program. A new "social connector" feature for Outlook lets users connect to social networks, including MySpace, LinkedIn, and soon Facebook, too.

In a blog posting, Microsoft said the connector for MySpace is now ready.

"MySpace for Outlook enables you to view activity updates for friends and colleagues in the People Pane, synchronize your MySpace contact list to your Outlook contacts, and get one-click access to profiles," Outlook program manager Michael Affronti said in the blog.

The MySpace connector works with Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, and Outlook 2010. A beta of the connector for LinkedIn was made available last month. The connector for Facebook is due sometime in the first half of this year.

[sharinlea]

If outlook is trying to survive by linking up with social networking, they are definitely going about it the wrong way...

[cbscowards]

Yeah, leave it to MS to pick MySpace over Facebook or Linked-in (which corporations might be more amenable to).

[lennie22]

@ cbscowards
from the article: "LinkedIn was made available last month"
please read and comprehend

[topgunb2]

trying to survive??? what's the corporate alternative which has more than 2 % market?

[tm_anon]

@topgunb2

By linking with social networks, they're not going corporate with this, they're trying to go home user.

OS X has more 2% of the home user market and Linux has more than 1% world wide. What cbscowards was saying is that, while this is aimed at home users (even they've moved past myspace), including facebook support first would have made corporations look at Outlook with more interest than Myspace support allows.

[ColinABQ]

That "interesting demographic" (very diplomatic, by the way) had better be really, really large and lucrative. Otherwise, this is the sort of thing that just weakens the brand (further) in the business/enterprise market space. Yes, it's a plug-in that probably won't be distributed with the core office suite, but the mere fact that Microsoft is doing this may be sending a bad message to the "not so interesting demographic," the core Office suite market.

In other words, I think that this is ridiculous. It's like putting a "Yugo Compatible!" sticker on a Rolls Royce.

[Seaspray0]

Yea it's like saying, "Pardon Me. Do you have any plain yellow mustard?"

[lennie22]

you guys are ridiculous.

the reason for the connectors it not just to see what your friends are up to, it's also to have all your contacts from different web entities in one searchable place.

the connectors also show you email thread with that contact, which I think it cool

[BtmnHatesRbn]

What's MySpace? Everybody I know went to Twitter and Facebook.

[tm_anon]

This has been part of my browser for the past 2 years. Using Flock means you're already connected without going to a separate application or even a separate web page. Facebook is already tightly integrated (including Facebook IM), Myspace is integrated, Twitter, Youtube, Digg.

Adding notifications for Myspace and Facebook can already be added to Pidgin (IM client for anyone who doesn't know). Updates come via email (making it easy to simply add your social networking email account to your client). Adding a twitter feed reader gives more consistent updates with those streams.

About the only site listed Outlook would be more useful with is LinkedIn. Of course, LinkedIn isn't used as widely at home.

[agriffith96]

Is Myspace still around?

[jader3rd]

Why can't Outlook be friends with Windows Live Spaces?