In the past few posts we’ve mentioned the new profile that we’re shipping in our upcoming release, but today’s the day that we give you the full scoop!

Profiles will be the center of Windows Live

Your profile will be the place for people to see what is going on with you, to communicate with you, and to see the content you are sharing. It’s also your way to express yourself. You can choose from a variety of themes, share what you’re doing online (both on Windows Live and on other websites) in your what’s new feed, and get to all of of the things you’ve posted on Windows Live – your photos, files, space, and profile details. If you want to add someone to your network or communicate with them, either through private messages or by posting a note for everyone to see, the profile will be the best place to do it.

Your profile will use the existing information you’ve filled out for your space’s profile – there’s no need to re-enter anything. So if you’ve already added a profile picture, interests, a self description, or any other profile information it will still be there.

Let’s talk about the different parts of your profile:

• The top of the profile will highlight your theme, profile picture, name, status message, occupation, and location. Many of the new Windows Live themes (like the one shown below) will be dynamic, reflecting the time of the day and the weather in your current location. You can see that it’s kind of cloudy and gloomy in Seattle right now, but it’s not raining!
  
• In the left hand column there will be links to the content that you’ve shared, including photos, files, and your space.
• Beneath that will be the profile details you’ve shared, including your self-summary, interests, birthday, and contact information. Don’t worry, you decide who gets to see this information. In fact, you decide who has permission to see your stuff in Windows Live, from photos, to your space, to your favorite music.
• Under the profile details will be the list of web activities you’ve added to your profile. If you use another website, like Flickr, Pandora, or Twitter, you can add it to your Windows Live profile. Every time you make an update on one of those other sites it’ll show up in your what’s new feed. It’s a great way to share all of the things you do online in one place.
  
• Speaking of what’s new, your recent activity will be front and center on the profile page. Your friends can quickly catch up on what you’ve been up to, and all you need to do is just keep doing the things you normally do online. You can see below that Joe has added a favorite book, uploaded a Word document, shared some photos, and left some comments on photos and blog posts in the past few weeks:
  
• The profile will be a great place to get in touch and communicate with people. You’ll be able to send an e-mail or private message from a persons profile, or post a note on their profile if you want your friends to see what you’ve said:
  
• At the top of the right-hand column of your profile there will be a list of the people in that your network. When someone visits your profile they’ll see a list of the people you both know:
  
• Finally, there will be a special section where you can show the world, or just your friends, the books, music, and movies you really care about, called favorite things:
  

We’re really excited about the new profile, as well as the rest of Windows Live, and we can’t wait to release it to the world. Let us know what you think in the comments.

- The Windows Live team