Subscribe to our RSS Feeds

Welcome to Home of Microsoft Updates and News!

Do you want all updates from Microsoft, MSN, and Windows? this is your blog. We gathered all posts from original sources for you in one place!

WE’RE MOVING!

No Comments »

Hey folks, we know we’ve been a bit wordless here, though we’re about to get bustling again. To rigging up for a arriving brand brand brand new releases, we’re relocating over to stick upon a hermit as well as sister blogs during windowsteamblog.com. So, this blog upon dev.live.com is starting to be retired.

From right away on, we can locate us here. Angus Logan has only published his initial post in a brand brand brand new home. Check it out—and don’t dont think about to allow to a brand brand brand new feed whilst you’re there!

Windows Live Services June 16th 2010

NEW MEMBER INTRODUCTION

No Comments »

Roudi 

Time for introductions! Clubhouse Community, greatfully encounter Roudi. He is an ex-Imagine Cup aspirant which we met during my time in Cairo as good as is SUPER ardent about a energy of Microsoft technology.  He is intensely associating as good as we am certain he will be a good item to a Clubhouse community.

Roudi was kind sufficient to answer a couple of questions so which we can all get to know him a tiny better.

Tell me a tiny bit about yourself. Where do we live? Where do we work? Etc.

Hello. My name is Roudi Hamzeh. we am from Lebanon, a tiny nation located in a Middle East of Asia. we graduated from a American University of Science as good as Technology with a BS in Computer Science as good as Computer Communication as good as Engineering. we am right away completing my Master’s grade in Computer Science as good as Marketing. we right away work during Microsoft as a Microsoft Student Partner Lead as good as an Assistant Captain for a Imagine Cup 2010 Software Design Competition. My stream pursuit during Microsoft allows me to do utterly a bit. Typically, we go to universities as good as benefaction about Microsoft technologies as good as programs similar to Windows 7 – Windows Live –Imagine Cup Competition – Student 2 Business – DreamSpark – Visual Studio 2010 – Silverlight – WPF – Expression Studio – SQL Server as good as most more. we unequivocally similar to my work since we similar to to bond with people as good as sense a approach they indeed feel about technology.

What done we wish to stick upon a Clubhouse?

Clubhouse… Great place to share, sense as good as explore. I’m vehement to bond with professionals as good as enthusiasts as good as listen to about their practice with technology.

What is your a one elite underline of Windows Live? How do we make make use of of it?

I would have elite if we asked my slightest a one elite underline in Windows Live. This total height or make use of is unequivocally good as good as combines fun with professionalism! we make make use of of Sky Drive to upload my files. we already combined multiform groups for Microsoft Student Partners where they can plead as good as share information. we combined a blog in Spaces (roudihamzeh.spaces.live.com). All a facilities in Windows Live assistance me synchronize my work as good as Making My Life Easier. Oh, we can’t dont think about Movie Maker, Windows Live Messenger, Writer as good as a rest of a Windows Live Essentials.

What is your a one elite underline of Windows 7? Why?

When we privately speak about Windows 7, we confess which it is my a one elite OS Microsoft has created. Windows 7 has altered a approach a Personal Computer works, creation things some-more simplified. My laptop is not as irritating as it once was. It takes reduction time to boot. we can simply entrance a large files which we have upon my PC. As we pronounced in my initial Clubhouse posts about windows 7, we have a outrageous volume of files upon my laptop as good as we frequency could find these files when we indispensable them. But now, simply write a name which we recollect about any record or printed matter in a poke bar, as good as there it is; really quick opening which satisfies my needs.

You participated in a Imagine Cup previously; discuss it us a tiny bit about a module as good as your knowledge with it.

I participated in a Local foe in Lebanon as good as won a 1st place, giving me a possibility to contest in a Worldwide Finals in Egypt. My plan was called Service to Survive, where we could trade products as good as services but regulating money. My complement was radically a pattern which searches all a products which we need as good as posted upon S2S as good as review it with alternative products to trade against. The shipping costs have been lonesome by a donors as good as United Nations. And if we need to go over a thought of competing, we would gladly speak about how Imagine Cup became an journey which combined most friends to my hit list from over 83 countries around a world. Can we suppose this? One Event, One World, Unlimited Possibilities…

Now we am aiding a students who have been participating in Imagine Cup 2010 as a Software Design Assistant Captain.

Please assistance me in welcoming Roudi Hamzeh to a Clubhouse community. I’m certain he will feel right during home.

Cheers,
Matt

Windows Community Clubhouse March 19th 2010

INTRODUCTIONS

No Comments »
Windows Live Tags: clubhouse,introduction,story

 

Blog Post 

Clubhouse Community!

Nice to encounter we all! My name is Matt Bernardy as well as we am gratified to contend which we will be your brand brand new Community Manager. we know which Marcus was desired by we all as well as we have the little large boots to fill, though we am vehement to get started.

So who am we anyway? Wow! Where to start? we adore skiing. I’m abnormally tall. we suffer traveling. we adore reading. My the one preferred tone is blue. we am the bit of an adrenaline junky. But many importantly, we adore record as well as the gigantic possibilities it represents.

It might come as the warn to we which we didn’t regularly have this opinion. As the have the difference of fact, it was the year we outlayed operative upon Microsoft’s Imagine Cup which non-stop my eyes. After graduating from the University of Washington, we began operative upon the Imagine Cup as the Competition Manager/Digital Marketing Consultant. The Imagine Cup is the premiere record foe for students around the world. Competitors have been approaching to emanate record solutions which assistance compromise the “toughest problems confronting the universe today.” Finalists experience in dual online rounds prior to they transport to the Worldwide Finals, which have been hold in the opposite city each year. we was advantageous sufficient to attend the eventuality final year in Cairo, Egypt in sequence to blog the event.

In the shade of the Great Pyramids of Giza, we was surrounded by the brightest up-and-coming minds in the record industry, all requesting their creativity as well as bent to rise solutions to the little of the World’s many formidable problems. we was amazed. Then, as we mostly do when we am amazed, we proposed thinking…  If record could assistance compromise the complaint as outrageous as universe hunger, we gamble there have been thousands of ways people request it to have their each day lives easier. A couple of reduced months later, we was offering the on all sides which will concede me to try this thought each singular day. Funny how things work out.  

As your Community Manager, we will be aiding the complete village in the query to find brand brand new as well as engaging ways of requesting Microsoft technology. But, as the Clubhouse newbie as well as deputy of the people, we need to know what we think. What do we similar to about the Clubhouse? What do we not like? What hurdles do we enjoy? What tips do we have for me? What do we wish to know about me?

Don’t be shy. My Twitter hoop is @mattbernardy. If we do not make use of Twitter, post the criticism as well as we will respond. we demeanour brazen to conference what we think!

Again, good to encounter we all!

Cheers,
Matt

Windows Community Clubhouse February 8th 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR & CLUBHOUSE UPDATES

No Comments »
Happy New Year!
 
Welcome to 2010 in a Clubhouse — my name is Ali, as well as we worked upon a same group as Marcus prior to he left Windows. We all skip him — though we have good headlines for a members! We’ve got a brand brand new Community Manager fasten a team, his name is Matt, as well as he’ll be starting upon Monday, Jan 25. You can demeanour out for key from him unequivocally shortly upon this blog.
 
In a meantime, a little of we might have had difficulty signing in to a Clubhouse recently. We are operative as well as probable to finalise a issue. If you’re peaceful to help, we’d unequivocally conclude your await - a web pattern group could make use of a palm difficulty sharpened as well as describing a sign-in issue. Please hit me during club_house@live.com if you’d be peaceful to verbalise to a single of a designers 1-on-1.
 
Thanks again for ancillary Windows — seeking brazen to a good brand brand new year in a Clubhouse!
 
Ali
Windows Community Clubhouse January 21st 2010

HEALTH AND FITNESS ADVERTISERS: PREPARING YOUR ADCENTER CAMPAIGNS FOR PEAK SEASONALITY

No Comments »

We all know which Jan is seasonality rise for weight detriment as good as aptness advertisers, though did we know which final year, there were twice as many clicks in Jan as there were in December? Also, the opportunities don't stop when Jan is over: clicks in February, March, as good as Apr still about 35% larger than the rest of the year[1]. Optimizing for the New Year's fortitude searchers doesn't usually compensate off in January; it's critical via the complete initial quarter!

To show off opening after the holidays, here's the weight detriment as good as aptness optimization check list:

1. Start Now! The many critical tip is to begin optimizing right now. If we wait for until Jan 1 to refurbish your poke campaigns, afterwards you'll be personification catch-up for the rest of the rise season. Optimizing early pays off!

2. Secure Top Position: Beginning in January, some-more foe upon weight detriment as good as aptness keywords equates to we need to bid some-more aggressively to say the same position upon the formula page. Advertisers can see CPCs enlarge anywhere from 20% to 100% (or more) depending upon their goals, budgets, as good as bids. If we begin augmenting your bids before the Jan 1 rush, you'll save income after by office building certain opening history.

3. Include Promotions in Ad Copy: If your association is charity any special rebates or incentives to assistance constraint resolution-makers, be certain the graduation is reflected in your poke ads. Not usually do special deals pull in intensity consumers, though they additionally strengthen the report searchers might have seen upon TV or upon your website. Ad copy which includes numbers, specific cost points, and/or promotions mostly receives the aloft CTR than those which don't.

4. Watch your Brand: If we own the purebred trademark, check Bing mostly to have certain your competitors have been not behest upon your copyright keywords. Find some-more report about acceptable uses of copyright terms as good as contention any issues we see to Microsoft Support.

5. Utilize the Content Network: If we wish even some-more traffic, have certain you're opted in to Content ads. Microsoft has the outrageous form of reward partner sites which have been rarely applicable to weight detriment searchers, together with MSN Health, iVillage.com, as good as Rodale. Since weight detriment is top-of-mind for many people during as good as after the holidays, right away is the good time to constraint searches as they're browsing the Microsoft network of sites. Content trade is mostly reduction costly than poke trade and, when used effectively, can perform usually as well. To strech the right audience, begin by behest upon your high-volume poke keywords similar to 'diet', 'health', as good as 'weight loss' as good as enhance your keywords from there.

If we have any questions or comments greatfully revisit the Community Forum as good as keep up with brand new posts by apropos the air blower upon Facebook or by following us upon Twitter.


[1] Based upon adCenter interpretation from Dec 2008 - Mar 2009 for the representation of illness advertisers

Microsoft AdCenter December 7th 2009

PRESENTATION ON MICROSOFT ADPLATFORM OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPERS

No Comments »

Eric Totherow, a height preacher in a module government group, talked to developers during PDC about a adCenter API, Bing APIs, as well as a opportunities for developers in a promotion as well as edition business. The display is most appropriate noticed in full-screen resolution.  Click a FullScreenButton symbol upon a player to open full-screen.

(Please revisit a site to perspective this media)

Microsoft AdCenter December 4th 2009

PAID SEARCH BID CONCEPTS AND STRATEGIES (PART 4)

No Comments »

In Part 1 of this series, we cited "An Empirical Study of Search Engine Advertising Effectiveness" which concludes which acclimatisation rates have been prosaic opposite positions for sure engines. Taking this investigate in to account, we should not establish bids by a upon all sides they will crop up upon a page, though rsther than a volume of income we have been means to outlay per click as good as sojourn profitable.

Every keyword in your comment will expostulate users to a opposite selling knowledge as good as therefore, expostulate a opposite sale amount. Managing your keywords to a sales volume will assistance your association outlay your poke dollars some-more good as good as expostulate some-more essential orders.

One e.g. of this behest plan would be:

Sales Per Click*Advertising to Sales = Bid [SPC*A/S=Bid]

Capture 

In a list upon top of we've run a keywords by this formula, putting 75% of sales behind in to promotion (A/S). You should work with your monetary dialect to figure out what A/S commission will be many essential for your account. Sales per Click is distributed by receiving income widely separated by clicks.

These brand new bids will lift good behaving keywords in to aloft positions, giving them some-more prominence as good as giving we a event to expostulate some-more orders. At a same time, keywords which have been spending as well most will be lowered to a some-more cost-effective level.

Based upon a interpretation we embrace in your account, we should set up reports for 3 opposite time durations (typically: 7, 14, as good as thirty days) to investigate keywords. By seeking during opposite time durations we will be means to improved comment for seasonality as good as new trends. This will additionally forestall a peculiarity keyword which has had a bad week from being pushed down for as well long.

One downside to this character of behest is it does not take sales margins in to account. If we have been means to lift in margin-level interpretation per keyword, we can take this plan a single step serve as good as regulate your bids formed upon a profitability of any keyword.

Microsoft AdCenter December 4th 2009

A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S OUTAGE

No Comments »

Bing.com was down in between about 6:30 as well as 7:00 PM Pacific Time upon December 3, 2009. During this time, users were possibly incompetent to get to the site, or their queries were returning deficient formula page.

The means of the outage was the pattern shift during the little inner contrast which had hapless as well as unintended consequences.

As shortly as the emanate was detected, the shift was rolled back, which caused the site to lapse to normal behavior. Unfortunately the showing as well as rollback took about half an hour, as well as during which time users were incompetent to make use of bing.com.

We essay to say the tall customary of operational value during Bing. We have been using the post mortem to find out how the program as well as processes need to be softened to forestall anything similar to this from function again.

Satya Nadella
Senior Vice President, Online Services Division

Windows Live Search December 4th 2009

WHY ADVERTISERS GOBBLED UP XBOX LIVE THIS THANKSGIVING

No Comments »

First there was Black Friday, afterwards cyber Monday, as well as a not long ago combined Green Tuesday.  But after regulating in to my harried ad operations physical education instructor upon my approach out a doorway for a new Thanksgiving holiday, I'm wondering if you should supplement "Gamer Thursday" to a legal legal legal legal legal legal holiday sell lexicon.

"Thank God it's Wednesday," remarked Jason Stott, a aforementioned manager, clenching a square of cold pizza.  "Only 4 some-more operative days until Monday."   Jason was usually half-joking–he as well as a rest of a group in a Advertising Business Group were busier than ever scheming campaigns to run upon a Thanksgiving weekend.  In fact, you saw a scarcely 200% enlarge in a series of campaigns regulating upon Xbox LIVE as well as alternative Entertainment as well as Devices ad properties over a same duration final year, as well as an roughly 20% enlarge for a month of Nov alone.

The spike in campaigns is partial of an altogether direction toward on-line shopping, which was up 35% this Black Friday (traditional sell sales ticked up only 5%).  But it reflects something else as well:  which advertisers have been starting where a shoppers are–in a vital room.  Over a Thanksgiving holiday, family groups as well as friends have been roughly as expected to accumulate around a TV to fool around Madden NFL upon their Xbox as they have been to watch a football diversion upon network or wire TV.    (And, with a series of Xbox consoles which will breeze up underneath a legal legal legal legal legal legal holiday tree, a assembly will go upon to grow by a New Year.)

What's additionally opposite about this year is a sort as well as extent of brands which have been regulating a height during a legal legal legal legal legal legal holiday sales cycle.  In alternative words, it's not only games as well as movies.  Old Navy is a good example.  Their Gobble Palooza debate ran upon Xbox LIVE in a lead up to a large Thanksgiving selling week end as shoppers went seeking for legal legal legal legal legal legal holiday bargains. Like alternative large brands, together with Wal-Mart, Old Navy is integrating a party ad products in to a incomparable media buy, a single of which includes normal TV, digital as well as at-retail components.   Around rise selling events, you have been additionally saying some-more as well as some-more brands book shorter, really targeted debate flights upon Xbox LIVE as a approach to strech a core 18-34 demographic as well as assistance expostulate sales.

Shopping by your Xbox is zero new; members avidly squeeze avatar wear, videos as well as games from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, though it's transparent which selling around console is flourishing as well as expanding in a little flattering cold ways.  I'm vehement to see if a direction continues in between right away as well as Christmas. 

Or should you call it Xbox-mas?

Microsoft AdCenter December 3rd 2009

THE LATEST ON MOBILE AD-TRACKING WITH ATLAS

No Comments »

For a initial post-Thanksgiving post, you lay down with Adam Cane, Atlas Sales Engineer, to speak turkey about a mobile offering.

Describe a mobile promotion marketplace today.

Mobile promotion now is to a little grade suggestive of a early days of Internet Advertising; there isn't nonetheless an agreed-upon customary for tracking conversions, as well as so click-through rate a first success metric.

In addition, mobile promotion budgets have been flattering tiny these days, though which will shift in time as promotion continues to intersect opposite mediums: TV, phone, as well as internet.

What specific changes do you see function in a subsequent 1-3 years?

As mobile promotion budgets grow, advertisers will direct improved tracking as well as standards. The MMA (Mobile Marketing Association - radically a IAB for Mobile) has expelled ad-serving standards as it relates to ad distance as well as record distance - though has nonetheless to residence what those in a mobile commercial operation consider of as "the acclimatisation conundrum:" How can advertisers fairly as well as equally lane conversions stemming from mobile campaigns; both post-view as well as post-click?

Why is which a problem?

Mobile technologies as well as vendors have typically resorted to server-side cookie record to steadfastly lane users as well as record conversions, distinct many internet advertisers, who can make use of browser-side cookies. However, many mobile vendors gold their technologies with networks, which equates to which there's genuine direct for an unprejudiced celebration to lane conversions.

So, is there an Atlas solution?

Yes. We're operative to safeguard which Atlas can suggest a same unprejudiced 3rd-party tracking in Mobile as you do now with internet advertising. Atlas is now contrast with multiform mobile vendors to "retro-fit" Atlas web browser tracking onto mobile-served campaigns - thorough of conversions. This will concede agencies as well as advertisers to conduct their mobile campaigns a same approach they do online, in further to receiving value of Atlas' singular product offerings similar to rendezvous mapping.

For some-more report about how Atlas can lane mobile campaigns, greatfully contact your Atlas representative.

Microsoft AdCenter December 3rd 2009