Konnie Huq celebrates the IM service's 10th anniversary

Windows Live Messenger, the instant messaging service formerly known as MSN Messenger, celebrates its 10th anniversary today. In just a decade the service has racked up more than 330 million users, and is now available in over 50 different languages.

Many of these users are now using the service in work as a less formal and more instant alternative to sending emails or making phone calls. Here at Speed we use IM to share files, speak to colleagues and clients, and keep in touch when working from home. It’s a really handy tool – it’s especially useful when you’re sat on a long conference call and someone on your pod has offered to make tea!

Mark West from the Windows Live Messenger team said: “Whether it’s used in business, friendship or romance, Instant Messaging has swept the nation to become an essential part of day to day life. This is a real milestone for Windows Live Messenger and we’re very excited to see what the next 10 years has in store.”

Commenting on how the IM service has changed the way workers communicate, John Cunningham from ntl:Telewest Business said: “Email had already started to change people’s communication expectations ten years ago and IM really tapped into the desire for instantaneous conversation, regardless of their location. Now that more than 330 million people are using Windows Live Messenger, a lot of those people are employing it as a tool to communicate and collaborate with colleagues. This has led to companies changing their view that IM is purely a social too, and many now realise that it an effective way for staff to communicate quickly and remain in touch regardless of their location.”