How Does Microsoft Messenger Work

1. How Does Microsoft Team Work
2. How Does Microsoft Messenger Work From Home
3. How Does Microsoft Word Work
4. How Does Microsoft Messenger Works

Microsoft recently discontinued Windows Live Messenger in favour of Skype, meaning many of us no longer have access to chat logs or the familiarity of MSN. Now, there is a way to bring it back. MSN Messenger (colloquially known as simply MSN), later rebranded as Windows Live Messenger, was a cross-platform instant messaging client developed by Microsoft. It connected to the Microsoft Messenger service while also having (as of the final version) compatibility with Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook Messenger. Somehow I do not have windows live messenger on my computer. I may have deleted it long ago. But I need to disable the extremely annoying Windows Live sign-in page that has suddenly started popping-up every time I try to open my MSN email. I don't think I want to totally disable Windows Live since I would apparently lose all of my email contacts.

In these difficult times, we've made a number of our coronavirus articles free for all readers. To get all of HBR's content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter.

'I'll Slack you.' In workplaces around the world, the name of the popular online messaging system has become a verb, just like Google. Slack has been enthusiastically integrated into the day-to-day functions of legacy corporations and burgeoning startups: The company claims that, in 2019, it hosted 10+ million daily users. It has competitors, too, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

The benefits of these tools have quickly become obvious. Even in the early 2000s, researchers noted how instant messaging helped to decrease needless, back-and-forth phone calls and alleviate miscommunications. And instant messaging trounces email by offering immediate and clearer resolution to business concerns that may have lingered unnoticed in inboxes.

There's just one problem: We're still figuring out how to properly, and professionally, communicate via IM. These systems can create communication silos, where teams who are highly integrated in one platform are unable to collaborate with departments rooted in another. Ease of communication also breeds distraction and informality, where instant messaging becomes a natural conduit to share non-work related information, including details, sometimes inappropriate, of workers' personal lives. And it's no surprise that IM has created legal snafus for organizations; instant messages discussing potential litigation can, ironically, be used in those lawsuits.

None of these issues are insurmountable. But they remain a struggle, which indicates that companies haven't quite cracked how to design and implement policies that properly guide and govern workplace instant messaging.

How a given workplace chooses to use IM, if at all, is up to them, but with Slack and Teams becoming the norm within most organizations, here are some suggested best practices.

1. Adopt the tools your employees are already using.

Popular instant messaging dates back to the early 2000s, and Slack, in particular, has been gaining traction for years. Rather than starting from scratch with a workplace IM system, companies should build upon what employees already know and like. This includes identifying which ones people are currently using; selecting one that is both popular and suited to your organization; modifying it to fit your needs; creating policies for appropriate use, archiving, and safekeeping; educating managers on use and risk factors; training HR reps; and regularly readdressing processes and procedures to improve.

For example, at a small tech startup, many team members may already use Facebook Messenger as a means of socializing, both on and offsite. That platform itself doesn't have to become the official IM standard for the company, but it can be integrated into a larger messaging system.

2. Embrace all kinds of instant messaging – but set ground rules.

Slack and Teams can be distracting, especially when they're used as an online employee repository for GIFs, jokes, and debates over sports games and TV plot lines. They can also be unintended outlets for bullying, abuse, and harassment, where group messages are shared about a coworker's outfit, mannerisms, or sex life, despite that colleague sitting only two desks away.

But there are benefits to workers messaging about non-business topics, too. These digital interactions create camaraderie, and people are less likely to leave their jobs when they have friends at the office. Liking your colleagues has also shown to increase engagement by 700%.

To reap the social benefits of these tools, while minimizing the risks of employee distraction or diminished mental health, organizations should clearly define expectations for personal messaging. These should be immediately designed and delivered to current staff and introduced to new hires during onboarding. They should also be carefully reiterated over time. And HR teams should be trained on protocols for addressing complaints and concerns.

3. Respect work/life balance.

Instant messaging systems allows us to reach out to colleagues, reports, and bosses at any time — in a way that might seem more urgent than email. Unless the communication is extremely time-sensitive, resist this urge. Most messages can easily wait until the next business day.

You might justify the behavior by saying that the issue is top of mind for you, you don't want to forget, and you don't expect the recipient to respond right away. But the person who is pinged might project a sense of urgency onto the message and feel obligated to get back to you, even if it cuts into their own personal time.

One way for an organization to get around this is by encouraging people to sign off IM tools and to respect others' out-of-office status messages. Explain to everyone that any requests made to colleagues should come with information about when answers are needed, and that most conversations should happen during the workday and kept short and to the point.

4. Promote face-to-face communication, too.

Digital messages aren't always easy to interpret. A boss who says, 'I think you can do better' in person can be either motivational or discouraging, depending on whether the comment is delivered with a smile or disapproving glare, with outstretched hands or closed arms. If you get the same message on Slack, it's harder to read — unless you regularly interact with that manager in person.

So, even if your workplace is mostly remote, it's important to ensure that some sort of face-to-face communication happens: one-on-one meetings, teams and department get-togethers, onsite introductions and seminars. How to install parallel apps. Even video conference calls can help.

And, even as you encourage online socializing, make sure it happens in the real world, too; consider company picnics, social lunches, and community volunteer days.

If you follow these protocols, any IM platform will remain a beneficial workplace tool rather than a nuisance.

If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider subscribing to HBR. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources.

Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger Service,^[1].NET Messenger Service and Windows Live Messenger Service) was an instant messaging and presence system developed by Microsoft in 1999 for use with its MSN Messenger software. It was used by instant messaging clients including Windows 8, Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft Messenger for Mac, Outlook.com and Xbox Live. Third-party clients also connected to the service. It communicated using the Microsoft Notification Protocol, a proprietary instant messaging protocol. The service allowed anyone with a Microsoft account to sign in and communicate in real time with other people who were signed in as well.

On 11 January 2013 Microsoft announced that they were retiring the existing Messenger service globally (except for mainland China where Messenger will continue to be available) and replacing it with Skype.^[1]

In April 2013, Microsoft merged the service into Skype network; existing users were able to sign into Skype with their existing accounts and access their contact list. As part of the merger, Skype instant messaging functionality is now running on the backbone of the former Messenger service.^[1]

Background[edit]

Despite multiple name changes to the service and its client software over the years, the Messenger service is often referred to colloquially as 'MSN', due to the history of MSN Messenger. The service itself was known as MSN Messenger Service from 1999 to 2001,^[1] at which time, Microsoft changed its name to .NET Messenger Service and began offering clients that no longer carried the 'MSN' name, such as the Windows Messenger client included with Windows XP, which was originally intended to be a streamlined version of MSN Messenger, free of advertisements and integrated into Windows.^[1]

Nevertheless, the company continued to offer more upgrades to MSN Messenger until the end of 2005, when all previous versions of MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger were superseded by a new program, Windows Live Messenger, as part of Microsoft's launch of its Windows Live online services.^[1]

For several years, the official name for the service remained .NET Messenger Service, as indicated on its official network status web page,^[2] though Microsoft rarely used the name to promote the service. Because the main client used to access the service became known as Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft started referring to the entire service as the Windows Live Messenger Service in its support documentation in the mid-2000s.^[3]

The service can integrate with the Windowsoperating system, automatically and simultaneously signing into the network as the user logs into their Windows account. Organizations can also integrate their Microsoft Office Communications Server and Active Directory with the service. In December 2011, Microsoft released an XMPP interface to the Messenger service.^[4]

As part of a larger effort to rebrand many of its Windows Live services, Microsoft began referring to the service as simply Messenger in 2012.^[5]

Software[edit]

Official clients[edit]

Microsoft offered the following instant messaging clients that connected to the Messenger service:

• Windows 8, includes a built-in Messaging client
• Windows Live Messenger, for users of Windows 7 and previous versions
  • MSN Messenger was the former name of the client from 1999 to 2006
  • Windows Messenger is a scaled-down client that was included with Windows XP in 2001
• Microsoft Messenger for Mac, for users of Mac OS X
• Outlook.com includes web browser-based functionality for instant messaging
  • Hotmail, the predecessor to Outlook.com, includes similar functionality for Messenger
  • Windows Live Web Messenger was a web-based program for use through Internet Explorer
  • MSN Web Messenger was the former name of the web-based client
• Xbox Live includes access to the Messenger service from within the Xbox Dashboard
• Messenger on Windows Phone includes access to the Messenger service from within a phone running Windows Phone^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for iPhone and iPod Touch includes access to the Messenger service from within an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad^[6]
• Messenger Play! includes access to the Messenger service from within an Android phone or tablet^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for Nokia includes access to the Messenger service from within a Nokia phone^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry includes access to the Messenger service from within a BlackBerry^[6]

Third-party clients[edit]

Additionally, these third-party clients and others were able to access the Messenger service:

• Adium (Mac OS X, GPL)
• aMSN (multi-platform, GPL)
• Ayttm (multi-platform, GPL)
• BitlBee (Windows and Unix-like, GPL)
• CenterIM (cross-platform, GPL)
• emesene (multi-platform, GPL)
• Empathy (Linux GNOME, GPL)
• eBuddy (Web-based and mobile)
• Fire (Mac OS X, GPL)
• XMPP (any client supporting XMPP protocol can use transports to connect to the Messenger service)
• Kopete (Linux KDE, GPL)
• Meebo (Web-based)
• Meetro (multi-platform, proprietary)
• Miranda IM (Windows, GPL)
• Pidgin (formerly Gaim) (multi-platform, GPL)
• tmsnc (multi-platform, text based)
• Trillian (multi-platform, Web, proprietary)
• Yahoo! Messenger (multi-platform, proprietary)

If our content helps you to contend with coronavirus and other challenges, please consider subscribing to HBR. A subscription purchase is the best way to support the creation of these resources.

Messenger (formerly MSN Messenger Service,^[1].NET Messenger Service and Windows Live Messenger Service) was an instant messaging and presence system developed by Microsoft in 1999 for use with its MSN Messenger software. It was used by instant messaging clients including Windows 8, Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft Messenger for Mac, Outlook.com and Xbox Live. Third-party clients also connected to the service. It communicated using the Microsoft Notification Protocol, a proprietary instant messaging protocol. The service allowed anyone with a Microsoft account to sign in and communicate in real time with other people who were signed in as well.

On 11 January 2013 Microsoft announced that they were retiring the existing Messenger service globally (except for mainland China where Messenger will continue to be available) and replacing it with Skype.^[1]

In April 2013, Microsoft merged the service into Skype network; existing users were able to sign into Skype with their existing accounts and access their contact list. As part of the merger, Skype instant messaging functionality is now running on the backbone of the former Messenger service.^[1]

Background[edit]

Despite multiple name changes to the service and its client software over the years, the Messenger service is often referred to colloquially as 'MSN', due to the history of MSN Messenger. The service itself was known as MSN Messenger Service from 1999 to 2001,^[1] at which time, Microsoft changed its name to .NET Messenger Service and began offering clients that no longer carried the 'MSN' name, such as the Windows Messenger client included with Windows XP, which was originally intended to be a streamlined version of MSN Messenger, free of advertisements and integrated into Windows.^[1]

Nevertheless, the company continued to offer more upgrades to MSN Messenger until the end of 2005, when all previous versions of MSN Messenger and Windows Messenger were superseded by a new program, Windows Live Messenger, as part of Microsoft's launch of its Windows Live online services.^[1]

For several years, the official name for the service remained .NET Messenger Service, as indicated on its official network status web page,^[2] though Microsoft rarely used the name to promote the service. Because the main client used to access the service became known as Windows Live Messenger, Microsoft started referring to the entire service as the Windows Live Messenger Service in its support documentation in the mid-2000s.^[3]

The service can integrate with the Windowsoperating system, automatically and simultaneously signing into the network as the user logs into their Windows account. Organizations can also integrate their Microsoft Office Communications Server and Active Directory with the service. In December 2011, Microsoft released an XMPP interface to the Messenger service.^[4]

As part of a larger effort to rebrand many of its Windows Live services, Microsoft began referring to the service as simply Messenger in 2012.^[5]

Software[edit]

Official clients[edit]

Microsoft offered the following instant messaging clients that connected to the Messenger service:

• Windows 8, includes a built-in Messaging client
• Windows Live Messenger, for users of Windows 7 and previous versions
  • MSN Messenger was the former name of the client from 1999 to 2006
  • Windows Messenger is a scaled-down client that was included with Windows XP in 2001
• Microsoft Messenger for Mac, for users of Mac OS X
• Outlook.com includes web browser-based functionality for instant messaging
  • Hotmail, the predecessor to Outlook.com, includes similar functionality for Messenger
  • Windows Live Web Messenger was a web-based program for use through Internet Explorer
  • MSN Web Messenger was the former name of the web-based client
• Xbox Live includes access to the Messenger service from within the Xbox Dashboard
• Messenger on Windows Phone includes access to the Messenger service from within a phone running Windows Phone^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for iPhone and iPod Touch includes access to the Messenger service from within an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad^[6]
• Messenger Play! includes access to the Messenger service from within an Android phone or tablet^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for Nokia includes access to the Messenger service from within a Nokia phone^[6]
• Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry includes access to the Messenger service from within a BlackBerry^[6]

Third-party clients[edit]

Additionally, these third-party clients and others were able to access the Messenger service:

• Adium (Mac OS X, GPL)
• aMSN (multi-platform, GPL)
• Ayttm (multi-platform, GPL)
• BitlBee (Windows and Unix-like, GPL)
• CenterIM (cross-platform, GPL)
• emesene (multi-platform, GPL)
• Empathy (Linux GNOME, GPL)
• eBuddy (Web-based and mobile)
• Fire (Mac OS X, GPL)
• XMPP (any client supporting XMPP protocol can use transports to connect to the Messenger service)
• Kopete (Linux KDE, GPL)
• Meebo (Web-based)
• Meetro (multi-platform, proprietary)
• Miranda IM (Windows, GPL)
• Pidgin (formerly Gaim) (multi-platform, GPL)
• tmsnc (multi-platform, text based)
• Trillian (multi-platform, Web, proprietary)
• Yahoo! Messenger (multi-platform, proprietary)

Criticism[edit]

Microsoft Messenger has been criticized^{[by whom?]} for the use of the Microsoft Notification Protocol, which does not provide any encryption. This makes wiretapping personal conversations in Messenger possible if someone intercepts the communication, which is easy in unencrypted public Wi-Fi networks.^{[citation needed]}

How Does Microsoft Team Work

See also[edit]

How Does Microsoft Messenger Work From Home

References[edit]

How Does Microsoft Word Work

1. ^ ^abcdefMicrosoft Launches MSN Messenger Service
2. ^Check the Microsoft .NET Messenger Service status
3. ^Microsoft Help and Support: Important changes to Windows Live Messenger
4. ^'Anyone can build a Messenger client—with open standards access via XMPP'. Windowsteamblog.com. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
5. ^Messenger service status
6. ^ ^abcdeGet Messenger on your smartphone—it's easy and it's free! Retrieved 7 September 2012

How Does Microsoft Messenger Works

External links[edit]