Microsoft Office Live

Microsoft Office Live is out of beta.

Microsoft Office Live isn’t what it sounds like. It’s not like Google documents & Spreadsheets. It is a way to create an online presence. The Basics version is free.

Microsoft Office Live Basics

  • Use Internet Explorer to register for the account and manage it
  • a free domain, you must use a credit card to secure your domain, no charge is actually made though
  • 500 MB of web space
  • customize the look of the site using the themes and templates provided
  • minimal webstats

I’ve created a site to mess around with, but haven’t really dug into it yet. I chose the domain searchablewebsites.com to test out the basics.

There isn’t a way to modify the overal page markup. You have to upgrade to one of the paid levels to get that functionality. You can upload graphics. When I started, it told me I needed to download a tool to help me upload them, so I haven’t tried it out yet.

It’s rare that you get anything for free. As a webmaster, I’d rather pay for more features through a normal webhosting service like 1and1 or Lunarpages. I think of it as free parking on a domain I might want to use in the future.