Editing MSN (section)

=== Rebranding of services ===
{{Main|Windows Live}}
Many of [[List of services by MSN|MSN's services]] were reorganized in 2005 and 2006 under a new brand name that Microsoft championed at the time, Windows Live. This move was part of Microsoft's strategy to improve its online offerings using the [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] brand name. The company also overhauled its online [[software]] and services due to increasing competition from rivals such as Yahoo! and [[Google]]. The new name was introduced one service at a time. The group of Windows Live services used [[Web 2.0]] technology to offer features and functionality through a web browser that were traditionally only available through dedicated software programs.

Some of the MSN services affected by the rebranding included [[MSN Hotmail]], which became [[Windows Live Hotmail]] (now [[Outlook.com]]); [[MSN Messenger]], which became [[Windows Live Messenger]] (later integrated into [[Skype]]); [[MSN Search]], which became [[Live Search]] (now known as Bing); [[MSN Virtual Earth]], which became [[Live Search Maps]] (now [[Bing Maps]]); [[MSN Spaces]], which became [[Windows Live Spaces]]; [[MSN Alerts]], which became [[Windows Live Alerts]]; and [[MSN Groups]], which became [[Windows Live Groups]]. Some other services, such as [[MSN Direct]], remained a part of the MSN family without transitioning to Windows Live.

Following the launch of Windows Live, the MSN brand took on a different focus. MSN became primarily an online content provider of news, entertainment, and common interest topics through its web portal, MSN.com, while Windows Live provided most of Microsoft's online software and services. In 2012, Microsoft began to phase out the Windows Live brand, referring to each service separately by its individual brand name without any "Windows" prefix or association.<ref name="windowslivedone">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/02/cloud-services-for-windows-8-and-windows-phone-windows-live-reimagined.aspx |title=Cloud services for Windows 8 and Windows Phone: Windows Live, reimagined |publisher=[[MSDN]] |date=May 2, 2012 |access-date=July 21, 2014}}</ref>