17 October
2006 Chatmag News.
MSN has announced
the closing of their live chat rooms, and the live chat feature in MSN
Groups.
This closing follows
the closing of the user created chat rooms in Yahoo! Chat in June of 2005.
According to the
MSN Site:
"IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Chat Service will
no longer be offered on or after October 16th, 2006. We appreciate your
use of the service and apologize for any inconvenience.
If you wish to
use alternative Windows Live communication services, we recommend the following
Windows Live services:
* Windows Live Spaces
* Windows Live Messenger
* Windows Live Mail Beta
For a list of
all Windows Live Services, please visit http://ideas.live.com"
No reason was
given for the closing, although a number of unmoderated chat networks have
shut their doors in response to the hysteria over Internet chat room predators.
The television
program Dateline NBC and their series "To Catch A Predator" has fueled
the current controversy regarding Internet chat, and the prevelance of
predators. Citing figures not drawn from any reputable study, Dateline
NBC has provoked a reaction to this emotional issue.
In recent months,
Dateline NBC and their partners, Perverted-Justice.com have been questioned
by journalist scholars and legal experts for their flaunting of standards
of both journalism and the legal system.
Both MSN and Yahoo!
Chat had been approached with the notion of installing moderators/monitors,
with no response, leaving the chat rooms open to all, without protections
for the law abiding chatters. MSN and Yahoo! Chat failed to realize that
in order to operate a decent safe chat environment, proactive steps must
be taken, including filtering, and the installation of moderators/monitors.
Chatmag will retain
the MSN Groups listings in the Directory, with the notation that no live
chat is available.
--Chatmag News--
External Link:
MSN
Groups Editorial. Live Chat Closed.
