Microsoft Pulls the Plug on Free Office Live Domains
By Carol Tice Edited by Dan Bova
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Chat boards are rumbling and grumbling with the news that Microsoft is going to make customers who signed up for free custom domains with Office Live Small Business start paying $14.95 a year as of Oct. 1. This despite the fact that its site still encourages small business owners to "Get a free web site and more." But few have bothered to ask Microsoft what's up. Turns out it's not quite as sweeping of a change as you might think.
I put in a call to Microsoft PR firm Waggener Edstrom inPortland, Ore., and got some background. Turns out many custom sitesubscribers already pay the $14.95 fee. It's just customers who signedup before Feb. 12, 2008 who ever got the free custom deal.
Small business owners can still get a free fourth-level domain at OfficeLive, such as http://yourbusiness.web.officelive.com, which is theoffer the Office Live site is touting. But if you want Microsoft tohost your www.yourbusiness.com site, you pay the fee.
In all, under $15 a year for hosting a custom site is still dirt cheap. Many of Microsoft's hosting services are still free.But when you've been promised something free and there's no caveat thatit's a limited-time offer, I think the expectation is that it's going tostay free.
What do you think of Microsoft's move?
