Today we released several new features for Windows Azure through the Windows Azure Tools and SDK.  (Use the direct link while the release propagates) We look forward to discussing these new Windows Azure features, in detail, at PDC '09. This release add support for Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 and VWD Express 2010 Beta 2. What's new for the November re.. more »

In past SEM 101 articles, we've talked about the importance of inbound links to successful ranking (see "Links: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - ). We've already discussed many issues surrounding them, but we haven't done a dedicated post on how to be successful at link building from a search engine's perspective. Let's finally address that .. more »

I have never been one to wake up the morning after Thanksgiving to go and wait in a line at the mall for those crazy holiday shopping deals. As much as I have thought about it, the idea of sitting outside at 2AM in the freezing cold still trying to wake up from my Thanksgiving dinner food coma never really sounded that pleasing. Well things have .. more »

Theres been some buzz today based on a by Nicholas D. Kristof at the New York Times suggesting that Bing filters results for searches conducted outside of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) using Simplified Chinese characters for their query. over the summer, we did fix a bug in web search that addressed this issue. There are some queries that .. more »

I am sitting here in the office wondering why the hallways are so quiet and it dawns on me.Stefan is not here. Which means two things, I can work without listening to him rock out to early 90s greatest hits and that he is not here for me to film him for #FTF. So sadly all you get today is a short post from me. Which is actually not all that bad .. more »

Thank you for participating in the webinar yesterday and for providing your feedback . We heard from you that the content was great and we look forward to bringing more content for topics that you have asked for. Those who registered but could not make the Webinar- we missed having you and answering your questions. Nevertheless we are making the .. more »

(Editor's note: This post from Robert Firth continues an ongoing series of posts from college students offering advice on how to use Office Live Workspace and other Microsoft software and services for their classroom work.) . It's so useful. Were currently using it in my software engineering class to collaborate on a group project. But let me tell .. more »

Great news. All the new features we about last week are live for 100% of our users. Many of you may have seen them over the past few days as the ramp progressed, but now everyone can take full advantage of the great work the team has done in this fall wave for Bing. I wanted to point that out because recently, to my complete surprise, I was told .. more »

The Bing Maps China site just released some huge updates to their site. Following the release to Bing Maps (Bing Maps Gets An Overhaul…And, Some New Features) and Bing Maps UK (Released: Bing Maps UK), the Bing Maps China site has updated much of their data, added tons of new data and added a few new features. Check out the list: Yellow Page.. more »

European Environment AgencyLast year, I blogged about The European Environmental Agencys partnership with Microsoft which resulted in a (then) Virtual Earth web site that monitors the bath water around Europe, (see: Eye on Earth Water Watch (and Virtual Earth) project is back and now using the Bing Maps Silverlight Control , a new UI and addition .. more »

With just 38 days left until Christmas, Im sure Im one of many who is frantically making shopping lists, planning trips to the mall, and researching the hottest toys and deals for the season. (Please visit the site to view this media) continues to welcome new retailers to make it easier for all of us to get our shopping done, including Macys, and .. more »

For folks dealing with email overload , the BPOS offering from Microsoft offers a great solution that helps.Communication and collaboration through technology adds value to a work force by enabling people to work together more effectively. A more collaborative business is critical to greater success. Technology does not replace people, but rather .. more »

Did you hear the news? Bing was recently upgraded with another set of exciting end-user features. Instead of reciting the long list of changes here, I'll just point you to the blog post in the Bing Search blog titled, " Bing's Next Chapter Begins Today ." The Bing engineering team has been focused on improving the already cool features that have .. more »

The Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC) kicks off tomorrow and Bing Maps will have some fun, yet informative events going on. First off, if you’re at PDC you should follow the @BingMaps handle on Twitter for up to the minute information about what’s going on at the show. Plus, Bing Maps is running a Twitter contest throughout PDC... more »

Phishing what it is, and how it relates to your webmail credentials Recently, the webmail industry experienced what was believed to be a phishing incident where several thousands of credentials from Gmail, Yahoo and Hotmail accounts were exposed For those who are wondering exactly what phishing is, and how it relates to general spam: is a .. more »

Hi everyone. I wanted to provide you with advance notice that we are planning for a brief downtime on the Office Live Workspace and Office Live Small Business Community sites on Sunday, Nov. 15. The downtime will last only 30 minutes, and is scheduled to happen between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Pacific time. The downtime is occurring in order to perform .. more »

Holy Twilight-mania! I attempted to look for information on Twilight and there are, well, hundreds if not thousands of Twilight sites out there, I found myself buried in a torrent of Twilight hysteria. I mean, I have heard about this phe-nom but did not truly, culturally, philosophically understand it until today. So in the midst of my Twilight .. more »

The sun is out in the PNW and you know what that means? No? Ok, I dont either. But is it Friday, which means it is time for another Fridays With Stefan and Free T-Shirt Friday. Find the best related query to this week's theme and send it to us on twitter at @bing and include the hash-tag #FTF. Last weeks winners of #FTF and the free copy of W.. more »

With the impending release of the much anticipated teen vampire romance, , a blood-sucking fun application for you to also take a virtual tour not just for location context, but also because of the native integration with media elements like video and audio. In fact, the Bing Maps Silverlight control interactive SDK has samples on how to overlay .. more »

Join us on Thursday, 11/19/2009, at 1:00 PM Pacific time, when Jenna Lyday will present the first in a series of webinars about migrating your directory and e-mail information from your current environment to the standard edition of Microsoft Online Services. Jenna is a Program Manager with Microsoft Online Services, specializing in Exchange and .. more »