Windows Live Betas

If you are anything like me, you run beta software.  The lure of new features always outweighs the fear of problems.  Truth to tell, I've had catastrophic results only once in the last 20 years or so. 

I know this will sound like the party line, but the new Live betas out are very cool. 

I first got into them because my 8 year old daughter came home from school asking for an email account.  Her friend at school wanted to be her email pen pal.  I had been putting off figuring out how to give my children safe access to the Internet for some time, but her request put it on the front burner.  I did a search and found the Windows Live OneCare Family Safety Beta.  I set up hotmail accounts for my daughter and her twin brother and locked down their PCs with the tool.  Now, whenever they surf the web, if they click a link that is suspect, they will be presented with a screen that allows them to ask me or their mother for permission to see the site.  As parents, we will get an email letting us check out the site and either allow access or deny it.  The tool also requires all new additions to IM or email contacts to go through the same parental approval.  If you don't have kids, this probably sounds big brotherish, but trust me, cyberspace + your kids = scary if you're not careful.

Also, I am posting more to my blog now because Windows Live Writer Beta makes is so simple and easy.  With one tool, I can write and post to any of my blogs.  I can be on a site in IE and click a button to bring up the tool to blog about it.  Great for lazy bloggers.

The other betas are cool as well, but these two resonated with me the most.  The Live team is doing great things!

Windows Live Services