Microsoft to Add Facebook, Social Networking to Outlook

Microsoft is still a juggernaut in the world of personal computing, despite the perception that somehow the company has lost touch with the masses. The vast majority of the world still runs on Windows - and probably will for many years to come. But with the emergence of Google, Apple, Facebook and others, Microsoft has been made to look like the angry old man trying to return soup in a deli.

But now Microsoft seems ready to join those whom it has been unable to beat. Microsoft is going to incorporate Facebook and other social networking plug-ins into its new Outlook Social Connector, which is already in beta testing.

In addition to Facebook, it is believed that LinkedIn, MySpace and other social networking and file-sharing sites may become part of Microsoft's Outlook expansion. With many business and personal users still tied firmly to Outlook as their primary means of efficient and retrievable communication, it only makes sense that Microsoft open its software to incorporate the things that people are currently infatuated with.

The fact that Microsoft has managed to maintain its operating system dominance in the face of such radical changes to the way people communicate and access information is impressive. Clearly, Outlook is working for most people and they have chosen to stick with it. Now, Microsoft is simply going to make that decision much easier.

Source: http://goo.gl/g4CQJ