In one of the most significant social moves from the Redmond giant, Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and other Live services will include features that make it possible for users to maintain and share notifications across their network of online contacts. What is more interesting is that the services will support notifications from third party web applications too ( e.g. Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, iLike, Yelp, WordPress Blogs among others).
An excerpt from SearchEngineJournal:
The new Microsoft Live Service portal would bring together Windows Live Messenger which is by far one of Microsoft’s most popular web service and infused them with both new and refurbished old online services such as an upgraded Hotmail, Windows Live Group, photo gallery, toolbar, calendar and many more.
All companies with major web properties have been announcing social features to better service and retain their users. Google had announced its single profile for all services which is a step towards greater integration across its umbrella of services. Yahoo had announced its Y!OS initiative to make social data accessible across services.
But real integration means you can have access to your networks from any service. This is where the absence integration with FaceBook and MySpace for the Microsoft initiative matters. But it is hoped that those nitty gritties will be resolved in due course.