I'm currently in Orlando, Florida speaking later this morning at the VSLive conference on the Windows Live Platform for developers in back to back sessions titled Modern Web Development from Mashups to IM-Based Bots. The updated abstract for the dual session is below: 
 
This session will go into details with demos on what the Windows Live Platform platform is and how it relates to developers. Details will also include how to developers and business can monetize using the various Windows Live services as well as add value to existing web, desktop, and device applications. There will be many demos showing how various Windows Live API services can be used together to create useful mashups. The demos will include API services and developer SDKs using services such as Messenger, Search, Virtual Earth (VE), Windows Live Local, as well as previews to possible future APIs such as Contacts, Calendar, and Mail. The Virtual Earth development part of this presentation includes includes SOAP and JavaScript APIs providing render, map navigation, geo-coding, proximity searching and routing features. The VE code demos will demonstrate how to get started with adding maps and GIS features to your applications including best practices and solution tips. Attendees will gain a solid understanding of the Virtual Earth platform with the skills and samples to get quickly get started. There will also be details included for our new developer-centric Windows Live Platform web site and a preview into what new services and developer offerings are coming in the future for the platform. The first half of this dual session will focus on Search APIs, Search Macros and Virtual Earth. The second half will include demos of the APIs for Messenger, Gadgets for live.com, and mashups using Windows Live services. 
 
Some related team blogs with additional information on these topics include MSN Search Team Blog, Virtual Earth Developer Blog, Windows Live ID Team Blog, Windows Live Messenger Team Blog.
 
Refer to Katie Blanch's Blog for developers creating .NET based Add-ins to the Windows Live Messenger client. Katie just started her new blog, see her recent detailed post All About Messenger Add-ins. Katie is also here in Orlando at VSLive and will be involved in the demos for Messenger Add-ins in the dual Windows Live Platform session here.
 
Check out Via Virtual Earth created and hosted by Dr. Neil Roodyn and friends/partners, be sure to review their Gallery of Virtual Earth mashups.

WebCast: MSN Search APIs: Building Web Search into Your Applications - Find out how to harness the power of Web Search in your applications. This webcast provides an overview of the MSN Web Search application programming interfaces (APIs). We also demonstrate how to use these APIs to create applications that help users search for information on the Web.
 
Refer to http://msdn.com/live for additional information and downloads on these topics.