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Keep in touch with friends and family using a space on Windows Live

Don't want to fill up the inboxes of your friends and family with e-mail messages about what you've been doing? Want to write your holiday newsletter all year long? Now you can share your thoughts, photos, family updates, and more, in one place so the people you know are just a mouse click away from finding out the latest.

Create your space

To create a space, you'll need a Windows Live ID. If you have a Hotmail or MSN e-mail address, you already have a Windows Live ID.

  1. Go to Windows Live Spaces at http://spaces.live.com.

  2. Sign in with your Windows Live ID.

    If you need a Windows Live ID, click Sign up to create one.

  3. Click Create your space.

That's it! Your space is now created and will display the default design and content. (Visitors to your space don't see the Welcome to your space module.)

A space with the default design and content When you first create a space, it is displayed with the default design and content

Personalize the web address for your space

To make it simple for you and others to remember your web address, you can personalize your web address. For example, if you chose clarkmolly, then the web address for your space would be http://clarkmolly.spaces.live.com.

  1. In the Welcome to your space module, click Choose web address.

  2. Type a web address, find out if it's available, and then click Save.

    Note

    Note

    Once you save your web address, you can't change it.

Write a blog entry

A blog is your online journal. Blog entries are about what you want to say or share with others: what you did on your vacation, rants and raves, love poems, anything at all. It doesn't matter where your inspiration comes from, just tap into it and let your keyboard do the rest.

  1. In the Welcome to your space module, click Add blog entry.

  2. Enter the title and the content of your blog entry.

  3. If you want to change the format of your blog entry, use the available formatting tools to make the changes you want.

    Writing a blog entry You can write blog entries and share them with your friends and family

  4. Click Publish entry.

    Your space displays with your blog entry in the middle of the main page.

Tip

Tip

By default, your newest blog entry is listed first.

Share photos

Publishing photos on Windows Live lets the people in your life see what you've been up to lately. Share pictures of your family, your vacation, or your new hobbies and passions. To learn more about publishing online photo albums, read Share your photos with friends and family.

Add a video

Videos are everywhere on the web. You don't want your space to feel left out, do you? Just add the video module to your space, and then you can embed any video from a website that hosts them (for example, YouTube or Google Video). But please, respect the creative efforts and intellectual property of others, and don't embed unauthorized material; it's a violation of the law and the Microsoft service agreement users must follow.

  1. Click the Customize menu, and then click Add modules.

  2. Under Photos, music, and video, next to Video, click Add.

    Adding a video moduleYou can add a video module to your space

  3. Click Close tab.

  4. Click Save.

  5. In a separate browser window, open a website that hosts videos, find a video that you want to add, and then copy the embed code for it.

  6. Switch back to the browser window where your space is open. In the video module, click Edit.

  7. Under Paste video embed codes here, click inside the box, and then paste (press Ctrl+V) the embed code for the video.

  8. Click Publish.

Tip

Tip

You can also embed videos in a blog post. When you're writing your post, click Embed videos, and then paste the embed code in the text box.

Make a list

Maybe you want to share the time and location for upcoming soccer games, your favorite restaurants, or books you've read. Whatever it is, you can keep all of them in a list. There are a few specialized lists designed for books, music, movies, and blogs to make it easy to get started and minimize the work that you need to do.

  1. In the Welcome to your space module, click Add a list.

  2. Select a list type.

  3. In the Title text box, enter the name of the list.

  4. If you want to include a brief explanation about the list, enter it in the Description text box.

  5. Click Save.

    The list is created and you can begin adding individual items to it.

  6. Enter the items in your list separated by a line break. You can add details, such as descriptions later.

  7. Click Next.

  8. To reorder your list, use the Order numbers to put the items in the order you prefer, and then click Save.

    Reordering a book list You can change how a list appears in your space by reordering it

  9. To return to the main page of your space, click the name of your space (it appears after your name, below the list title).

Customize your space

To learn more about customizing the design, layout, and modules on your space, read Your space, your style: Personalizing your Windows Live space.

Invite people

The simplest way to let your friends and family know about your space is to add them to your network on Windows Live. Then, when you go to your home page, http://home.live.com , you'll see the latest updates from the people on your profile and your Messenger contacts.

  1. In the Welcome to your space module, click Invite friends.

  2. In the What's your name dialog, review, and if needed, update your name, and then click Save.

  3. You can add the contacts you have on Windows Live, and other social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, or enter the e-mail addresses of your friends and family, then click the arrow.

  4. You can include a message to recipients, add them to a category, to Windows Live Messenger, and show them on your profile page.

  5. Click Send invitation.

    Your friends and family will receive a network invitation letting them know that you've added them to your network. After they click Accept in the invitation, they will appear on your space and your profile page, and you will appear on theirs (until they accept, they will appear with "Invited" under their profile picture).

Set permissions

Your space can be as private or as public as you want. By using permissions, you can control who can see your space.

  1. In the Welcome to your space module, click Change permissions.

  2. On the Permissions page, specify who can view your space: Everyone (public), My network, or specific categories of contacts or people.

    If you don't want anyone else to see your space, click Clear these settings.

  3. Click Save. To return to your space, click View your space.

    Tip

    Tip

    If someone tries to view your space and they don't have permission, they can request access via e-mail.

A space with a blog, a book list, and the start of a friends list You can create a blog, lists, and invite friends to view your space

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