Microsoft Office Live
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Version: Official Release
Date: Sunday, November 26, 2006
User Rating: 9.5    your rating12345678910
Size: N/A
Download: Click Here
Description: Microsoft's new tool for helping small business owners get up and running with a Web site quickly and affordably
Platforms: All platforms - requires a cookie-enabled Web browser
Company: Microsoft Corp. - About Microsoft Office Live
Status: Free (ad-supported) basic service. Commercial service plans ranging from $19.95/month to $39.95/month also available.

If yours is among the 50 percent of small businesses that don't yet have a Web presence, Microsoft wants you. It wants you so badly, in fact, it's willing to register your domain name and host your Website for free. Plus, it'll throw in Web-based design tools and templates so you can build your site, as well as business-class e-mail (meaning name@yourbusiness.com, not some unprofessional-looking Hotmail account) for up to 25 people.

Is there a catch? Sure: The Redmond giant is hoping you'll like its Microsoft Office Live online services suite so much that you'll decide to upgrade to one of its paid monthly service plans. But that's not the worst thing in the world. Once you get comfortable with the ASP (application service provider) model for your Website and e-mail, the other services Office Live offers will probably seem pretty appealing.