Windows Live Messenger Celebrates 10th Anniversary Today

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 22 Jul 2009

The Microsoft developed instant messaging (IM) client Windows Live Messenger today, the 22nd of July, celebrates is 10th anniversary and congratulations are in order. In the decade the IM client has been around, even though ten years ago it was called MSN Messenger and not Windows Live Messenger, it has managed to grab a total of 330 million users, making it the most widely used IM service in the world – or at least that is what Microsoft says.

The team behind Windows Live Messenger, announced that to celebrate this joyous occasion it does not care about trivial facts like the fact that the 1.6 billion Windows Live Messenger sessions translate into a row of single-page letters that if stacked up on top of each other they would reach the moon I a day. No, the Windows Live Messenger team announced it wants to hear your stories, your tales on how the IM client influenced your life.

So far three stories have been release to the public. In chronologic order, they are:
- The story of Clem in Canada, who managed to mix up his Windows Live Messenger Windows and IM the girl he was trying to impress instead of a good friend (read the story here).
- The story of Cindy in China who describes how Windows Live Messenger can be used to get your significant other to marry you (read the story here).
- And the story of Lenin from Ecuador, who fell in love with the IM client and would not change it for the world (read the story here).

Now the Windows Live Messenger shares Amanda’s story about love, long distance love:

My name is Amanda and I live in Ohio. My Windows Live Messenger story starts in January of 2004.

I met a guy on a website and we swapped Windows Live Messenger screen names. Using chat and voice chat we talked for over 40 hours in just 4 days! It was the perfect way to stay in touch especially since I was in Ohio and he was in Den Haag Holland. The phone bill would have been insane without the messenger!

We talked each day using Windows Live Messenger and finally met face to face in April 2004 and we immediately got engaged. When he had to return to Holland we continued to keep in touch almost strictly using Windows Live and Hotmail.

In September 2004 he moved from Holland to Ohio so we could get married. I'll never forget how excited and happy I was when he told me he was finally going to move! It was the best day in both of our lives at that point!

We got married on November 20th, 2004 and had a daughter Prudence February 7th, 2006. This year we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary and none of it wouldn't have been possible without the connection we made thanks to Windows Live Messenger!

We easily logged thousands of hours of chat, voice chat, and webcam between the time we met online and the time we were finally together!

Over 6000 miles separated us but the distance didn't seem quite so big when we could see and hear each other every day.


If you want to get Windows Live Messenger, a download location is available here.


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