The (MSN), collection of World Wide Web sites operated by Microsoft Corporation that provide news, information, entertainment, and electronic mail (see e-mail) to users of personal computers. MSN also acts as an online service by providing Internet access on a subscription basis to customers, who connect to the service over telephone lines or cable television lines.
Sites within MSN include MSNBC, an Internet news service operated by Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and various channels that offer information on financial markets and personal finances, services for digital photography, and a variety of information about automobiles. Other sites on MSN include Encarta Encyclopedia, which is published by Microsoft; Slate, an online magazine about news, politics, and culture; and Hotmail, which offers free Web-based e-mail. Some MSN sites provide their content free of charge. Other MSN sites charge users a subscription fee for access to premium content.
Microsoft launched the Microsoft Network in 1995, when it included a link to the service within its Windows 95 operating system software (see Windows). Although MSN attracted more than a half-million subscribers in the first several months of operation, its subscription base did not match that of the other online services.
In December 1995 MSN abandoned its strategy of requiring specialized software and allowed users to access its content on the World Wide Web.
By the end of its first year of operation, MSN had about 1.6 million subscribers, surpassing Prodigy in numbers of subscribers but still behind America Online (AOL).
In October 1996 Microsoft launched a radically redesigned version of MSN that more closely resembled television programming. The revamped MSN featured “channels” that focused on news, entertainment, travel, young adults, and teens. In 1998, however, Microsoft retreated from this strategy by eliminating most of its entertainment programming.
MSN began producing more information-oriented and transaction-related Web sites and offered more of its content for free. By 2002 the MSN free site was offered internationally in many languages and surpassed the audience of AOL and other Internet portals. However, as an Internet subscription access service, MSN still trailed AOL by a wide margin.
In October 2002 MSN released a major redesign of its site known as MSN 8. The new site featured stronger controls enabling parents to protect their children from undesirable Web sites and e-mail solicitations. It also offered premium services, such as Microsoft’s Money, Picture It!, and the deluxe edition of Encarta Encyclopedia.
No comments:
Post a Comment