ComScore Internet Usage Survey Shows Microsoft “On Top”

Justin Kerr — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:29:09 -0600

A recent ComScore survey on Internet usage is reporting that Microsoft might not be leading the way in search, but in terms of total hours spend online, it has a commanding lead over its competition. The survey, which measured a whopping 27 billion hours of Internet usage by Web users aged 15 or older is an increase of nearly 24% over the year prior, and of those studied, over 3.9 billion hours were spent using Microsoft services. Google came in a not so close second place with around 2.5 billion hours.

The big winner in the Microsoft portfolio might surprise you however, with about 70 percent of the usage being attributed to Windows Live Messenger. Of course, this number measures time spent “online” and not just those “actively engaged” with the service, but it certainly shows the popularity of Microsoft’s instant messenger. Google’s numbers are pretty typical explain analysts, since they make it their business using search to try and get you “in and out” as quickly as possible. The most successful Google property continues to be YouTube with nearly 1.2 billion hours logged watching video.

Yahoo placed third with 1.7 billion hours, and Facebook commanded a respectable fourth place with 1.4 billion hours. The individual rankings may have been a bit of a shock, but the trend showing “Internet usage on the rise” certainly isn’t. Did any of these results surprise you? Let us know what you think.

Minimise-Me Helps Windows Live Messenger Users Create Personalized Emoticons

Mark Edward Soper — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:08:15 -0500

Jealous of Dr. Evil's Mini-Me? Worried about running out of Hot Pockets if you had a miniaturized version of yourself? Stop worrying - you can now create your very own 2D "mini-me" for free with Minimise-Me.

Available at the MSN UK website (which explains the spelling), Minimise-Me offers two ways to spice up your Windows Live Messenger experience: you can create your own customized emoticon or character (that's my version of me at the start of this article), or you can choose from emoticons modeled after celebrities (see the story at the WinVista Club website for examples).

After you create your character or choose a celebrity lookalike, you download it to your system. A 300KB install program runs, and after it finishes, your customized character appears in your WLM dialog.

If the ability to create your own "mini-me" isn't enough to get you to try Windows Live Messenger, check out our recent overview of IM clients.

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ComScore Internet Usage Survey Shows Microsoft “On Top”

Minimise-Me Helps Windows Live Messenger Users Create Personalized Emoticons