Microsoft Office Live is out of beta.
Microsoft Office Live isn’t what it sounds like. It’s not like Google documents & Spreadsheets. It is a way to create an online presence. The Basics version is free.
Microsoft Office Live Basics
- Use Internet Explorer to register for the account and manage it
- a free domain, you must use a credit card to secure your domain, no charge is actually made though
- 500 MB of web space
- customize the look of the site using the themes and templates provided
- minimal webstats
I’ve created a site to mess around with, but haven’t really dug into it yet. I chose the domain searchablewebsites.com to test out the basics.
There isn’t a way to modify the overal page markup. You have to upgrade to one of the paid levels to get that functionality. You can upload graphics. When I started, it told me I needed to download a tool to help me upload them, so I haven’t tried it out yet.
It’s rare that you get anything for free. As a webmaster, I’d rather pay for more features through a normal webhosting service like 1and1 or Lunarpages. I think of it as free parking on a domain I might want to use in the future.