As if you needed another reason to be online more than you probably already are, this week Microsoft presented new online services that turns its Windows Live site into a social network. New features include updated photo sharing, e-mail and instant messaging capabilities. Microsoft will also integrate activities from other companies into the site through new Windows Live profiles and a news feed. These companies and Web 2.0 services include Flickr photo-sharing, LinkedIn Corp., Photobucket Inc., Twitter and WordPress.org.

So will Windows Live be a threat for Facebook? (The same way Facebook replaced MySpace and MySpace squashed Friendster. Is anyone even on Friendster anymore?) Perhaps.

Frederic Lardinois, a blogger at Read Write Web, noted that while Microsoft is not calling Windows Live a direct competitor to other social networks, it presents a “formidable challenge” to those sites.”Overall, it seems that Live Profiles and the new Windows Live home page will tie Microsoft’s Live Services together into a very comprehensive social network,” Lardinois said. “While it doesn’t have widgets that let you poke your friends, it does have a broad set of applications like photos, spaces, contacts, groups, calendar and events that can all be integrated into your Live Profile.-computerworld.com“

Microsoft will have the improved Windows Live available to customers in the U.S. over the coming weeks and globally in 54 countries by early next year.

All this online networking can be overwhelming and somewhat isolating ( if I am going to get “poked”, I kinda want to really get poked-know what I’m saying?). But social networking can also be a great way to promote social action (as takepart.com has proven). Want to learn more about using social networking sites to promote your cause or organization? takepart and check out this article on idealware.org. Idealware provides candid Consumer-Reports-style reviews and articles about software and sites of interest to nonprofits.