The MSN Spaces Ghetto

I’ve been puttering around a few MSN Spaces Blogs, and I have to say — MSN Spaces just doesn’t get it . . . 

Why would any blogger use a site that: A) edits/censors what you can post; and 2) uses the same monopoly tactics Microsoft is so (in)famous for in their approach?

First, there’s stuff like this:

I cannot tell what the photo was, but the rest of the site is pretty innocuous. (I’m waiting to hear what from the blogger as to what the offending pornography was).

I guess that’s why they call it MSN Spaces, and not Your Spaces.

Then, there’s the requirement for posting a comment that

"You must sign in using a Microsoft .NET Passport to publish a comment to this website.  Don’t have a Passport? Get one today"

What the net result of that stricture is that no one but MSN Spaces clients posts comments! MSN Spaces is a Ghetto of only its on kind, and no free wheeling "cross blogging" taking  palce. Indeed, all of the comments — not most, but all — are form other MSN Spaces users.

Somehow, one doesn’t quite imagine that the Borg will make for a particularly good blog host.

If they want to be a ghetto, that’s up to them — but its also why I have decided NOT TO LINK to any MSN Spaces blogs . . .

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UPDATE:  June 17, 2005  6:10am

The blogger who posted the offending photo responds:   

i replaced the offending picture with the one that you saw
and blogged (the pic is text that says "the picture that used to be
here was deemed to be pornographic in nature by msn and has been
removed").  i put that one there as a bit of satire..  to follow up on
that, a friend modified the original offending pic with this:

http://spaces.msn.com/members/peabody/Blog/cns!1pJCVUf4BCFyG39kVip_XfcA!1842.entry

it’s funny how it works in spaces..  you can have all sorts of explicit
content until someone hits that "report abuse" button and then they
come down on you hard.  never mind that my blog was about experiences
in spain and the culture there..

The original picture had nudity, and that’s what got it banned. 

Which does nothing to answer the question of content editing and communtiy standards "approval." If a large part of blogging’s attraction  is the lack of a formal editor, who wants big brother looking over their shoulder?

There’s lots of choices in blogging software, typepad, blogger, radioland. I couldn’t be bothered with the restrictions and regulations of MSN Spaces.

Prediction: Without the advantage of using its OS monopoly (or its Productivity software monopoly) to leverage its sales ansd marketing, combined with onerous user policies, MSN Spaces remains a minor player in the blogosphere .  . .