I was tagging some photos in Windows Live Photo Gallery just now, and I found a mystery person in my backyard…..

Windows Live Photo Gallery is a wonderful program. It is available individually or as part of the Windows Live Essentials Suite of programs.

Windows Live Photo Gallery recognizes faces. When you look at a family photo, the faces of your family members will have a square around them and are all ready for you to tag them with their name.

Does it surprise you that Windows Live Photo Gallery recognizes faces? Would you like some proof? Below is a picture of my cockatiel, Penny, with my good boy dog, Belty (wearing his neckerchief) off to the side. I was tagging pictures of my pet birds because I’m writing a blog about my parakeets. Once they are tagged, I’ll be able to find them easily.

Here is what Windows Live Photo Gallery looks like:

Look at the bottom corner, near the end of Penny’s tail. There is a face outlined by Windows Live Photo Gallery! In addition, in the top right corner of the screen, I am invited to “Identify” the person found:

This is an optical illusion that resembles a face well enough that Windows Live Photo Gallery recognized it as a face.

It was caused by pictures of the stones around my goldfish pond and my park bench, and the railing from my patio cover. The end of the handle of my park bench forms the eye, gravel forms the nose, and my garden hose forms the mouth. I think this Mystery Person looks a little like the Statue of Liberty.

The program recognizes faces in a picture, and puts squares around them so you can identify them with Tags.

When you click on one of the outlined faces, the Tag Someone menu pops up. The Tags you used most recently will be at the top. If it is a new person, start typing the name in the blank. The words “Add New Person” will appear. Click on that to add the new person to your list of tags.

Once the face is tagged, the Tag will fly up when you hover over the face:

I most often use photo tags to identify pictures of my many pets. The program does not recognize anything except human faces, but you can still tag them. Click on “Tag Someone” and you can draw a square around their face. The “Tag Someone” box will fly up and you can pick a name on the list or write in a new one as before.

The People Tags look the same whether Windows Live Photo Gallery finds the faces or you outline them yourself, as for profile views or for pets.

Once everybody in your picture is tagged, the people will be listed in alphabetical order in the top right corner of Photo Gallery:

As you hover your curser over the names, the tags will show and the faces will be outlined. This way, it is really easy to see who is in a picture, and where they are!

My good boy Belty does not show up very well in this picture, but I still want to tag all the pictures that he is in.

In addition to “People Tags” there is also “Descriptive Tags” and “Caption”. These work very much the same as the “People Tags”.

Tagging is just one reason why you should give Windows Live Photo Gallery a try! There are many more wonderful features, and it is a very straightforward and simple program to use.

X

I hear a lot about “peer pressure”. That’s when a group of kids supposedly gets each other to do the wrong thing. I am one of the lucky ones. I had no problem with peer pressure …. I was in the marching band with the other dweebs.

The kids I hung around with were the other kids in the marching band. There were a couple of popular kids – our sousaphone player was on the football team, but mostly, we were social outcasts.

I don’t even recall being asked to do things that were not appropriate. At school, I never got into drugs, sex, drinking, skipping school, or any of the myriad things that happen due to “peer pressure”.

During the time I saved by not going to parties and getting in trouble, I did my homework and watched old movies on TV.

So, what did being in the band do for me besides making me a social outcast? It got me a hubby!

As a grownup, I joined the community band. Years later, the man I was to marry walked in. The first time I saw him walk into the band room, my heart skipped a beat. One of those love at first sight things.

He played trumpet, I played clarinet, but somehow the brass kisser and the reed sucker got together.

My anniversary is coming up soon, so I just thought I’d mention how we met for no apparent reason.

If you are reading this sweetie, I love you very much.

X

My hubby is watching the University of Oklahoma play a game of football with the University of Texas. This is the once a year, Red River Rivalry, and it is a very big deal (if you ask my husband)

Ever wonder what a game of football looks like to somebody who has never heard of football?

Here’s Andy Griffith telling his story: “What is was was football:”

My hubby has wanted a new refrigerator for years. It finally made it to the top of our priority list. So, a few days ago, my hubby went all over town shopping for the best deal, which he found at Best Buy. (I stayed home with my sick self)

I was born with the “Thrifty Gene”. I have always looked for the best bargain. I always find ways to save money. My hubby has been a good student. He went in and asked where the scratch and dents were, telling them that he was in the mood to buy a refrigerator if the price was low enough.

He finally settled on the display model of exactly what he wanted, a side by side. Since it was the display model, they charged him the “out of box” price, giving a dandy discount.

My hubby came home and told me about his conquest with great pride. He has found that saving money is more fun than spending money, and you get more stuff in the long run.

So, anyway, this morning our refrigerator was delivered. My hubby went on the Best Buy site to read more info about it. What in the heck? It is on Sale for less than we paid??

I am still the best one in the house as far as getting the best price (I embarrass my hubby), so I called and waited on hold and finally got the manager. After a while. he finally agreed to match the sale price, plus give the open box price discount on top of the sale price. We thought that was fair. Not too shabby.

But, here’s another funny part. The butter door cover is missing. So, my hubby is going to try to get them to order a new butter door. If they say “No”, then he will tell them to come and get the refrigerator we have  and to bring one with a butter door.

Saving money is fun!

X

I have to pick a “Category” for this. I choose Hobbies. Tee hee.

I applied with Google Wave months ago, when the first information came out about it. I have never heard back from them. The Google Wave page just says;

Your Google Account has not yet been activated for Google Wave.

Here’s what the Google Wave page says:

I have a Google account. Why can't I sign in to Google Wave?

Even though you have a Gmail or a Google account, you must be invited to Google Wave in order to sign in. If you haven't been invited by a friend, you won't be able to use the service at this time.

If you have been invited, but you aren't able to sign in, make sure you follow the link in the email invitation the first time you want to access the service. You must use your unique URL the first time you sign in to Google Wave.

Google Wave is currently available in a limited preview release. Sign up to receive updates about Google Wave's availability. If you are a Google Apps administrator and you are interested in using it on your domain, express your interest here.

If any of my Windows Live Network friends has been accepted and wants to give me an invitation, that would be dandy, and much appreciated. I’m excited to take Google Wave on a test drive.

PM me for my Google email address.

Thank you,

X

Fed up with Spam in Windows Live Space? Me Too!
“Windows Live Spam Central Reporting Service”

Oh, no, here goes X again, talking crazy about her faith. Oh, well, she’s a nice enough person in spite of this craziness. Oh, heck, what is she ranting about this time:

Most of what people talk about when they mention proof of evolution are minor variations within the species of animals: different sized beaks on finches, different colors of moths, speaking of the examples I was taught in school. But, these minor variations are then used to prove that major changes can and did happen.

It is a proven fact that there can be many variations within a species of animal. These minor changes are made from losing information as I will explain below.

In order for these changes to happen: invertebrates to fish to amphibians to reptiles to mammals and birds, information has to be added.

Here is the creationist explanation for the proven minor differences within animals:

God created the basic “generic” types of animals, for instance bear, cat, and dog, with genes for every possible variation. That is because the animals have to survive in all the different places in the world.

As the animals spread out, different groups of animals settled in different climate and geological zones. With all the various genes, some of the animals were going to survive in every condition on earth. The ones best able to survive the conditions are the ones that were able to pass down those genes.

As time goes by, there are isolated gene populations in all the various ecological niches. As the gene pool can only reproduce with others in the same isolated gene  pool, a “family resemblance” starts to appear.

Of the generic God-designed dog type of animal, for instance, the different groups with the family resemblance are given different names: wolves, coyotes, dingoes, jackals, foxes, etc. And, within each of those groups, even smaller groups are named for even smaller differences: Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Red Wolf (Canis rufus), for instance.

As I said, many will call this evolution. But, evolution is said to add information. For a dinosaur to become a bird, it has to add genetic  information to make wings, at the very least.

The domestic dog is just one variation of the generic God-designed dog type of animal. They, too, end up in isolated populations. The AKC, American Kennel Club, for instance, lists hundreds of “breeds” of dogs. These breeds of dogs are in very small isolated groups: They only reproduce with others inside that same gene pool or they will become a mixed breed.

If all the dog breeds were let loose, and allowed to breed with each other, they would start to look like the wild types of dogs: wolves, coyotes, dingoes, jackals, foxes, etc.

So, there are hundreds of different dog breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. They are all very different from each other. Is that evolution? No. Like I said, “evolution” has to add information. In reality, the small isolated populations of dog breeds have lost information.

Take the West Highland White Terrier, for instance.

Westies have lost the information to be any color except white. In addition, they have lost the information to be any size except small. No new information was added, information was lost.

All of the proven differences within types of animals are evidence of lost information not added information.

These minor variations within types of animals are due to lost information. These minor variations can not be used to prove the major changes from invertebrates to fish to amphibians to reptiles to mammals and birds. Those major changes would require that information be added.

I know that most of you do not believe this, and I understand. I respect your right to believe as you wish. I am just telling you what I believe.

(If anybody made it this far down, Click Here.)

X

Got Spam?

Windows Live Spam Central Reporting Service

I had a really bad scare yesterday just before I posted this comment in my blog: How do you explain to a good dog why you can't give him a doggie goodie any more?

@Everybody: Help please - Belty is wandering around in circles and staring into space. Please pray, send good thoughts, send hope - whatever is proper in your personal philosophy of life, Belty and I could use them. I am afraid. I have had dogs act like this before they die before. I am not ready to let Belty go. Thank you. X

It turned out none of my friends were on Live at that moment. But, I could still ask God for help personally:

I switched my TV input from PC to my cable TV and put on the Contemporary Christian Music channel and began to pray and God sent me just the right song to help me. The first song was a song that I had never heard before, but it was the exact right song I needed right then.

“Oh, X, you don’t really believe that God cares about little things like that, do you?” I believe in miracles of all sizes.

God sent me just the right song to help me. I listened to that song over and over and over and over on my cable. I prayed and cried and prayed and cried and prayed and cried and hugged my boy.

I must have listened to that song continuously for a half hour.

The song was about not having any control over what has happened or what is going to happen. All we have is “right now”, so, all you can do is appreciate this moment.

Belty was better in a few hours. But that is not the point. Belty, and all living thing, is going to die when God says he is going to die. I can’t change it. But, I can pray for comfort so that I can accept it.

So, about an hour after I posted that prayer request on my blog comments, I posted this comment:

@Everybody: After I wrote the comment below, I turned on a Christian music station on my cable TV. The first song that played was sent by God to me, in my humble opinion. I have been worrying about Belty so much, that I've been missing the "right now". Check out this song:
Grooveshark.com: Miracle of the Moment

I bought this song to put on my iPod. Here is the Amazon.com link if you want to buy it after hearing it, like I did:

Miracle Of The Moment
[MP3 Download], Price: $0.99
From the album This Moment
By: Steven Curtis Chapman

Lyrics:

It's time for letting go
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine

And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything

Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

And He has given us a treasure called “right now”

And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart

And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go

And listen to your heartbeat

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now (here and now)
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle
Of the moment

I’m pretty open (though I hope not pushy) about my faith in God as creator of the heavens, the earth, and all living things. I get called out on it a lot. Just yesterday, out of the blue in the comments of my Snopes.com post, my faith was criticized.

What if the people who think I’m nuts are right? What if I’m wrong, and there is no God?

Would the rest of my life be wasted because I praise God every day?

Would the rest of my life be wasted because I think I’m a special creation in the eyes of God?

Would the rest of my life be wasted because I think I  have a personal God who loves me, who I can talk to when things are all going wrong?

Would the rest of my life be wasted because I believe that God can send me a special song when I need it?

If you think I’m deluded and worship a God who does not exist, I don’t mind a bit.

X

Jen just asked about my good boy Belty in my “Why do Dogs have Eyebrows” blog. As I answered, it was hard not to make it a long post, so I decided to make a blog entry out of the answer:

I recently posted about about Belty: My dog, Belty’s kidneys are shutting down … and I am broken hearted…

As I said in that post, Belty has to eat “special” food, and nothing else. Before we noticed he did not feel good, he has always gotten doggie goodies, lots of doggie goodies.

I am home all the time due to my health and I hang out with all my pets all day. A special event in my dogs’ day is when I go to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, or grab lunch. For years and years, Mom being in a kitchen was a situation rife with possibilities.

My good boy dog Belty has always licked his doggie lips and looked at me as if to say: “Mom? Isn’t there anything else you think you should do while you are in the kitchen?”

Belty has always been good at suckering Mom out of a doggie goodie. He would sit up pretty for it, and then a very happy boy dog would run down the hall like a speeding bullet. Nicki, my other dog, gets goodies too, but they are not such a thrill to her. Food is food in her mind. She does not know a goodie is special.

So, anyway, now Belty’s kidneys are shutting down, and we are trying to keep him feeling as best as he can. Before the vet found out what was wrong with him, Belty had started to throw up all the time, or did not eat at all, and always had diarrhea. Now, with the “special” food, he does not have those problems.

His kidneys were making his digestive system all messed up. So, now, Belty can’t have anything except the “special” food or he will get sick again, and might get so sick that he dies.

Edited to add this paragraph: Belty says that the special food is nasty tasting. It also smells awful, in my opinion. He would not eat it for the first two days. But, the vet said that eventually he would HAVE to eat it, and he did. But, he still says it is nasty tasting.

The vet very specifically said that Belty can’t have doggie goodies ever again. They could kill him. To make it fair, we don’t give Nicki doggie goodies, either, but she does not mind. It was never something special to her. They are only special, very very special, to Belty.

Before I started writing this blog entry, I went into the kitchen to get a second cup of coffee. As always, Belty jumped off of Daddy’s chair and followed me in.

How do you explain to a good dog why you can't give him a doggie goodie any more?

I wish I knew.

X

My other dog, Nicki, has not gotten much press in my blog lately. But, today is her day.

Nicki is a scared little girl. Scared of everything. In fact, when Rufus, our parrot pictured in my banner, hears her name, he goes "Yipe!!".

The one thing special about Nicki is that she has cute brown eyebrows. We tell her that the last two things that God said when he designed her was "Doink Doink". That is the sound of eyebrows being put on a dog, in case you don't know. God speaks things into existence the Bible says.

I am teased about my faith in God as creator (as if it bothers me). I am an equal opportunity believer, though. For the first over 40 years of my life, I believed that the universe and everything in it was just a random act. The second half of my life is going to be spent giving glory to God as creator of the heavens, the earth, and everything in it (including dog eyebrows).

There is no need for a dog to have eyebrows. She has no advantage at getting food, getting a mate, and being safe from predators by having brown eyebrows.

Nicki has eyebrows for one reason, the reason God decided on. Nicki has eyebrows because they make her look cute.

Doink doink!

X

Currently, an E Ticket is a ticket that is ordered and paid for online. You don't have the official "ticket" in your hand. It is an "E-lectronic ticket".

An E ticket used to be something else:

At Disneyland when I was a kid (I was born a couple of years before it was built) you got a book of tickets for the rides. The A tickets were for the baby rides like Dumbo that only went around and around while you sat in a fiberglass elephant.

There were also B, C and D tickets for gradually more fun rides. There was also a special ticket for "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" so you didn't have to use one of your ride tickets to watch an audio-animatronic Abe Lincoln give a speech.

But, the best ticket of all was the E ticket. This was for the best rides at Disneyland. The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain were E ticket rides.

Later on, Disneyland switched to a one price for all rides admission fee, and the ticket books were no more. Only us old timers would remember what an E ticket was.

It became a figure of speech somewhere down the line. If you went someplace and had a great time, you would say that it was an E ticket ride.

Now, if I say E ticket, whippersnappers think I'm talking about something else.

Boo hoo. Time marches on, and I have lost one of my favorite figures of speech.

X

I get a lot of email. I have to sift through a bunch of garbage to see if there is anything worth reading.

There are a whole bunch of emails going around that demand to be forwarded to everybody you know. STOP!

Most of these fascinating stories, pictures, history, virus warnings, news articles, etc, are fake. http://www.snopes.com/ does a fantastic job of researching all the new (and old) emails going around.

Here's what to do. Copy one line or a few words that are unique about this story and put it in a search engine. More likely than not, Snopes.com will be near the top.

I got an email today telling everybody about a new virus. Well here is the page that says it is a hoax:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/invitation.asp

Snopes.com says whether it is true or false. It it is true, just copy the Snopes url and paste it at the top of the email and forward it along. Your friends will thank you for the confirmation that it is true.

But, if it is false, please do not forward it.

Thank you,

X

President of the Committee to Keep Fake Stuff out of my Email Inbox Already!

I've mentioned before about my boy dog, Belty, whose kidneys are shutting. down. I've been spending as much time as I can with my good boy. Since neither one of us is very healthy, our quality time is mainly snuggling in the lazy boy chair or in the bed.

It rained very hard last night, and Belty came romping in at bedtime, feeling pretty good for a change, after being in the rain. We have a doggie door, so our dogs can go in and out all day and night as they see fit.

Sitting around in the house with sick Mom must be pretty boring. Going outside on a rainy night must have been a nice change of scenery. Plus, there are mice that hang out in the plants around our goldfish pond.

Mice are fun to try to catch! He is too good of a boy to really catch a mouse, though. He just likes the chase, if he is feeling good that day...

He is used to little, quickly moving things. He has never touched one of my birds, and I have all sizes from teensy lovebird to Rufus, our parrot. Candy, my lovebird will jump right on Belty's head, back, butt or feet, and he will just look at me as if to say: "Mom, get this off of me!"

But, he would not hurt anything. He has been my good boy for more than 10 years. I know my boy...

So, anyway, I was in bed doing a Sudoku, and in comes Belty after being in the rain, and he jumps into my lap.

So, what are you going to do? The room is cold, the dog is wet. Decisions decisions... Well, you cuddle him, of course!

I mentioned a few blogs ago about the Dear Abby or Ann Landers letter from a woman long ago. Women were complaining about their hubby's snoring. She had said that she wished her husband was alive so she could hear him snore. That one letter years ago helps me put a lot of things into perspective...

I'm going to have plenty of time after Belty's kidneys totally shut down to sleep in a warm, dry bed.

First things first.

Love is cuddling a cold, wet dog in your bed....

X

Monty Python's "The Argument Clinic":

Jen just posted an interesting blog entry. It reminded me of Carol Burnett, who has the same talent.

I was reminded of this clip of Tim Conway telling a story about an elephant. This is an outtake from a television show, and there is a teensy bit of potty mouth at the end.

It is pretty long, but it is about the same all the way through. You won’t miss much if you just watch part of it.

People who know who Tim Conway is will appreciate this. For those who don’t know, Tim Conway would always get the cast cracked up. This was one of the best times.

X

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In the USA, Smokey Bear is the symbol for preventing forest fires. Smokey Bear says “Only you can prevent forest fires”.

Here in Windows Live Town, only you can keep our community clean:

The Windows Live Administration can not be everywhere at once. They depend upon us, the residents of Windows Live Town, to notify them with rules are violated. See bottom of page for instructions how to report Code of Conduct violations. But, first, a reminder:

How to keep your Windows Live Account out of danger:

Windows Live is an active community, and as such, it is always getting new members. As I just deleted prohibited content from one of my Windows Live Groups, I feel it is a good time to post this reminder:

Windows Live (and MSN) has a  Code of Conduct. Every page in Windows Live has a link to it at the bottom of the page:

Everybody here in Windows Live is required to follow the guidelines. In this case, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” is a true statement.

If you post material in your Space or elsewhere which violates the Code of Conduct, you  risk losing your account. In addition, if you post prohibited material, you are putting your friend's Spaces, and your Groups in danger, also.

Everybody has the responsibility of ensuring that prohibited content is not someplace under their control.

I don’t know about you, but I have worked a lot on customizing my Space. If you like your Space, your Groups, and your Windows Live account in general, be sure to be aware of, and follow the guidelines of, the Windows Live Code of Conduct:

Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct applies to all MSN and Windows Live and other services that allow users to post or share content with others, when those services display or link to this Code of Conduct (the 'services'). Please read the Code of Conduct and any supplemental information below for additional details about particular services that you may use.

• Member Qualifications
• Prohibited Uses
• Termination and Cancellation
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Video Supplement
• Bing Maps Supplement

To save you the time of clicking on the Prohibited Uses link, plus give you no excuse for not knowing the rules, I’m posting the “Prohibited Uses” section in its entirety:

Prohibited Uses:

You will not upload, post, transmit, transfer, distribute or facilitate distribution of any content (including text, images, sound, video, data, information or software) or otherwise use the service in a way that:

• depicts nudity of any sort including full or partial human nudity or nudity in non-human forms such as cartoons, fantasy art or manga.
• incites, advocates, or expresses pornography, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity, hatred, bigotry, racism, or gratuitous violence.
• misrepresents the source of anything you post or upload, including impersonation of another individual or entity.
• provides or creates links to external sites that violate this Code of Conduct.
• includes content that is protected by intellectual property laws, rights of privacy or publicity, or any other applicable law unless you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents.
• is intended to harm or exploit minors in any way.
• is designed to solicit, or collect personally identifiable information of any minor (anyone under 18 years old), including, but not limited to: name, email address, home address, phone number, or the name of their school.
• invades anyone's privacy by attempting to harvest, collect, store, or publish private or personally identifiable information, such as passwords, account information, credit card numbers, addresses, or other contact information without their knowledge and willing consent.
• is illegal or violates any applicable local and national laws; including but not limited to child pornography, bestiality, incest, illegal drugs, software piracy, and harassment.
• threatens, stalks, defames, defrauds, degrades, victimizes or intimidates an individual or group of individuals for any reason; including on the basis of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, race or religion; or incites or encourages anyone else to do so.
• harms or disrupts, or intends to harm or disrupt, another user's computer or would allow you or others to illegally access software or bypass security on Web sites, or servers, including but not limited to spamming.
• attempts to impersonate a Microsoft employee, agent, manager, host, administrator, moderator, another user or any other person through any means.
• promotes or otherwise facilitates the purchase and sale of ammunition or firearms.
• contains or could be considered 'junk mail', 'spam', 'chain letters', 'pyramid schemes', 'affiliate marketing' or unsolicited commercial advertisement.
• mischaracterizes content you post or upload or contains the same or similar content to other content you have already posted.
• attempts to manipulate the services, including ranking and reputation systems in the services, by violating any of the provisions of this Code of Conduct, colluding with others on voting or using multiple profiles.
• offers to make international money transfers for amounts exceeding the asking price of an item, with intent to request a refund of any portion of the payment.
• contains advertising for money making schemes, discount cards, credit counseling, online surveys or online contests.

If you follow the Code of Conduct, you will have a long and happy experience in Windows Live.

How to report Code of Conduct Violations:

We all have, and always have had, the responsibility to report violations of the Code of Conduct. These are the rules we all agree to when we join Windows Live, and as I said above, everybody must follow these rules or risk losing their account.

One of the Code of Conduct violations that occurs most frequently is Spam. Spaces set up to sell gold, batteries, razor blades, Viagra, Canadian drugs are some of the worst offenders. That is not the worst, though. After these Spaces are set up, the account holders begin very active and extensive advertising campaigns where they visit Spaces and Groups and post advertisements to their Spaces.

These advertisements and links to Spaces selling things is called “Spam”, and it is not allowed by the Code of Conduct. Some account holders also send out mass emails outside of Windows Live with links to their “Store” in Windows Live. This is also a violation.

There was a change in Windows Live Town yesterday, October 8, 2009. A new and improved way of dealing with accounts set up only for the purpose of Spamming was added.

If you get a comment in your Space or Group that you believe is “Spam”, click on that poster’s profile picture and select “View Profile”. Look at their What's New feed to confirm that this is all their account is used for, then report them as a spammer, as follows:

There is a "Report Abuse" link at the bottom of most every page in Windows Live:

First copy the URL or the Space of Profile and click “Report Abuse”. Paste in the url and select “Spam“ from the pull down menu, and say where the spam was, probably comments. There is a blank to give more information. Give a short explanation for the report, such as:

“This account exists only to send Spam and there is no other account activity”

Then, fill in the security letters before you send your report. After you make your report, an automatic “Thank You” page comes up with the number of the report.

This post was specifically to tell how to report Spam, but the same steps will work with all forms of abuse. Just select the correct "Type of Abuse” from the pull-down menu. If your complaint is not listed in the pull-down, select “Other” and give as many details as you possibly can.

I suggest that you post the number and profile url someplace, like in the comments section of this post, so you can keep a record of it. Periodically click the url link, if you wish, and see if the account is closed. Once the account is closed, pat yourself on the back. Your report will save other Windows Live Town occupants from being Spammed by this person again.

We all agreed to the Code of Conduct when we moved in to Windows Live Town. It is our responsibility to not only adhere to the rules ourselves, but also to report violations as we see them.

Let’s all work together to keep Windows Live Town a clean and pleasant community for all.

X

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The Windows Live Association of Spam Haters would like to thank X for a Good Job Well Done.

Whereas they said you were barking up the wrong tree.

Whereas they said you were beating a dead horse.

Whereas they said just give up already, nobody is going to listen to you.

Whereas you persevered like a crazed lunatic.

Whereas you kept shaking your broom at the kids spamming on your front lawn.

Whereas you have been fighting windmills since February 2009 in a strange quixotic battle with the unbeatable foe.

Whereas you had faith in the Windows Live community – you knew it was just a matter of time until your rants feedback was put into use.

Whereas “Spam” is now listed in the pull-down menu for “Report Abuse” offenses.

Whereas our complaints about spam posted in our Spaces and Groups will be heard and dealt with.

Now therefore, we at the Windows Live Association of Spam Haters would like to present X with this token of our appreciation:

Signed:

Windows Live Association of Spam Haters

X, President

---------------------------

Edited to add:

Sadly, I was wrong. Having "Spam" listed in the pull-down menu in Report Abuse did not change anything. My reports are still being sent back for more information!

Dear Windows Live admin: In every Spam report, I give you the url of the profile, and say to look at it. The profile has all the information you need to know. There is nothing that I can add.

I am changing gears, but I am still going to keep fighting. Please see this new blog entry:

“Windows Live Spam Central Reporting Service” is open for business – I volunteer to report your spammers and follow up until their account is closed.

There is a list of recent spammers known to me in this blog entry.

X

An Open Letter to Windows Live: Thank you for my wonderful online home! Since I love it here so much, I thought I would take this opportunity to tell other people what I love about the Windows Live community:

Before I came here several years ago, I had tried other online communities and were disappointed by the atmosphere for various reasons.

But, since I first signed up here and started setting up my Space in January 2006, this has been my online home. I have felt no need to go looking elsewhere for a nicer community.

Windows Live Town, as I like to call it, attracts the most friendly and intelligent people on the internet in my humble opinion. In addition, the Mayor of Windows Live Town, the Windows Live Administration, works hard to keep Windows Live a safe and pleasant community.

I recommend Windows Live Town to anybody who wants to meet new friends, interact with intelligent people, and have their own little slice of the internet.

Here is some of what Windows Live Town has to offer:

Your own house:

Your Windows Live Space is like your house. You can decorate it any way you wish. When somebody visits your Windows Live Space and looks around, they can learn a lot about you, and get to know you quickly.

Your front porch:

Your Windows Live Home Page is like your front porch. From your Windows Live Home Page you can see what your friends in Windows Live Town are doing, and you can join right in with the click of a mouse.

Your community centers:

Your Groups are like community centers. You can join existing Groups that your friends tell you about, or you can start your own Groups based upon your own interests.

There is much more to do and see in Windows Live Town. I only told you about my three most favorite places. I hope to see you visiting Windows Live Town, soon!

X

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Edited to add!

Success! I just reported a Spammer and noticed that “Spam” is (finally) in the pull-down menu in the list of offenses.

I was told that I was fighting a losing battle, but I had faith in my Windows Live community. I know it was just a matter of time until my rants, I mean my suggestions, were heard.

Thank you, Windows Live!

Before:

After:

Now if something can be done about those illegible characters we have to decipher for each post…

As of now, nobody should merely complain about spam. When you get  spammed, go to the offenders account and click on “Report Abuse”. It is our responsibility to turn in activity against the Code of Conduct.

Now that “Spam” has it’s own listing, and it is not included in “Other” we should be able to expect the accounts of habitual spammers to be deleted in record time.

X

Original Post is Below:

----------------------------------------

Windows Live Administration, please pick one of the following options:

1. Selling Viagra by sending spam from a Windows Live Space is a wonderful thing.
2. Selling Viagra by sending spam from a Windows Live Space is a horrible thing.

I would just like to know if this is an acceptable activity in our Windows Live Neighborhood. If this is acceptable activity, I am very disappointed. If this is unacceptable activity, please prevent it.

Here is a Sampling of current Spaces set up ONLY to send spam to advertise their Viagra store:

• http://viagra-best.spaces.live.com/
• http://buy-viagra--online.spaces.live.com/
• http://medsranch.spaces.live.com/
• http://musicveped.spaces.live.com/

There are many more Spaces set up just like this.

Read the following if you would like to know how difficult it is to report a Space that is sending spam:

I get five or six emails a day (in my non-hotmail account) with an ad for Viagra or Canadian drugs with a url of a Windows Live Space to buy them. I block the email address, so they get a new one. The space has to be deleted so the spam has no reason to be sent.

People outside of the Windows Live community are going to think Windows Live is a Viagra Super Center.

I have been reluctant to quote the actual email I’ve gotten because some of them are just gross. Here's one of the not so gross ones:

Your beast will get deeper in
hockett_mutia@yahoo.com
Enjoy drilling her more
http://spaces.live.com/9p0d3q7kyerf6rcnum9

Is that the image we want for Windows Live? That is why I want a way to report the spaces that send this this spam. Why make everybody individual block the spam if we can stop the people sending the spam.

Since there is no offense called “Spamming”, “Other” must be chosen in a complaint against a Space that sends spam. No matter how much detail I give in the provided text box, nobody ever reads it.

Reports to “Other” generate an automatic response. I’ve gotten this letter many times, from different people.

The policy has to change. There has to be a special offense for “Spamming” to stop this vicious circle of reporting spam and having the reports automatically rejected.

More information is always asked for, very specific information. But, all cases are different, and different ways of reporting them must me allowed.

Here is the form letter that is automatically sent out to all abuse reports to “Other”.

Hello

Thank you for writing to Windows Live Spaces Customer Support.

We appreciate your interest in reporting possibly unacceptable activity in Windows Live Spaces.  For us to be able to investigate this matter, please reply to this e-mail with the following information:

- a clear description of the violation
- Space Name
- the link or URL of the web page where you found the offensive material
- Blog Title, Date blog was posted, time blog was posted, permalink (if applicable)
- List title, date posted, sample contents/entries
-  a copy of the offensive e-mail with complete full headers

Once we are in receipt of this information, we assure you that we will investigate the Space and take appropriate action based on our findings.

Windows Live Spaces has comprehensive online help available to you. For more information, click the "Help" button at the top of any Spaces page.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Florence
Support Specialist
Windows Live Support Team

Please change the system so that spam reports are actually read and responded to. After I send the original complaint back, with all the detailed information that is asked for, all I get is this form letter back. Nothing ever gets resolved.

I love my Windows Live community. I care about the reputation of Windows Live, and how our community looks to those outside our community. Please prevent spam coming from Windows Live Spaces. Please do not let spammers tarnish our image.

Thank you,

X

(This Blog entry was originally entitled: “To Rob Dolin and other Windows Live heads concerned about spam in our community”)

This was additional information that Rob Dolin asked for regarding my complaints about the difficulty of reporting Windows Live Spaces that spam. Also see my blog entry linked below for more details of the situation:

I wish to report an inconsistency within the Windows Live Code of Conduct.

X

Edited to add: I got Spammed on my Profile today. The post is in a language I do not speak. But, it includes a link to an offsite website. When I go to their profile, it is obvious that this person does nothing with his account except post the same message over and over and over. I just reported it to “Report Abuse’. I haven’t reported lately since nothing ever gets resolved. But, this time, Rob Dolin and Dare are both aware of the situation. I will report the results as soon as I get them….

X

Edited to add:

September 22, 2009

Check our Medicationss line up a=nd choose whats best

From:fun_sexxy_girljat@yahoo.com
Subject: Canadian Medicatio#ns_s are cheaper
Body: Check our Medicationss line up a=nd choose whats best

www.spaces.msn.com/nn4znbv217uv

Click Here For Free Viagra

Save Over 80% On All Medications

What was your first impression on seeing that blog title? I got that in my other email address this morning (not my hotmail)

Email like this is being sent to email addresses OUTSIDE of our Windows Live community. I do not want this to be somebody's first impression of Windows Live. One quick glance at the profile  will show that the only activity since April (as far back as it goes) is to post spam comments in Spaces. obviously, as in my case, they are probably sending email spam just as often.

Windows Live admin, please give us an efficient way of reporting such spaces. All that has to happen is to add one line to the "Report Abuse" page pull down menu for "Type of Abuse": "Spamming"
https://support.live.com/eform.aspx?productKey=wlgroupsabuse&ct=eformts
As of now, spam can only reported as "Other" and other reports are ignored.

Spamming is against the Windows Live Code of Conduct, already, we just need a better way to report it.

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