Sympatico Canada and MSN

Looks like Sympatico Canada and MSN are joining forces.

[soquinn]

Looks like Sympatico Canada and MSN are joining forces:

In the coming weeks you'll notice some changes with the Bell Sympatico.caTM Web portal.

As a result of the partnership between Bell Canada and Microsoft, the Sympatico.ca and MSN.ca Internet sites are coming together to create the Sympatico.MSN.ca site.

This new destination promises to bring more of what you've asked for in an Internet experience. It will be more entertaining, easier to use and even more useful – and will offer you great tools, content and services.

The Sympatico.MSN.ca site is just around the corner, and we're sure it will truly be a place you can call home.

[Harry]

What you forgot to mention is that Sympatico users will be forced in November to switch their sympatico accounts to a hotmail account. Sympatico is the largest IPS in Canada. Imagine forcing AOL users to adopt a hotmail account.

[Macguru]

It's a two sided merge.

Both sympatico.ca and msn.ca now redirects to [sympatico.msn.ca...]

[Macguru]

Anyone know what index they are using for searches?

[encyclo]

>> What you forgot to mention is that Sympatico users will be forced in November to switch their sympatico accounts to a hotmail account.

The FAQ link on the new Sympatico/MSN home page doesn't lead me to believe this:

Q: What will happen to my existing Sympatico e-mail and MSN Hotmail e-mail accounts?

A: Existing users of both Sympatico e-mail and MSN Hotmail® can keep their current e-mail addresses. Sympatico customers will receive instruction on how to integrate an MSN Hotmail account with their @sympatico.ca address

>> Anyone know what index they are using for searches?

It sure isn't Google - it looks like it's the standard [search.msn.ca...] results.

[Jenstar]

MSN.ca/sympatico.ca results are similar to results from Yahoo.ca with the "search only pages from Canada" option. There is some sort of filter though, I see a couple of ommissions here and there, and a couple of search positions swapped around.

[Harry]

The reason I wrote this is because it's written in an article covering the fusion that in November 2004, Sympatico users will be "invited" to switch to MSN/Hotmail. It's from a reputable printed business magazine with a Web portal.

[Macguru]

>>It sure isn't Google

It's been a long time since I stopped monitoring Sympatico, to your knowlege encyclo is this a recent switch?

<added>Thanks Jenstar

[Jenstar]

It appears that it was just announced today.

In what is shaping up to become one of Canada's most closely watched high-tech partnerships in years, Bell Canada and Microsoft Wednesday announced the creation of a new "super portal."

Bell, Microsoft open 'super portal' [globetechnology.com] from the Globe & Mail online.

[encyclo]

Harry, I don't disbelieve you, and you could argue that the wording of the FAQ is a little disingenuous. It could mean, for example, accessing your sympatico.ca address via a hotmail interface. If they cut POP3 access there'll be uproar.

Macguru, I connect via Sympatico Haute Vitesse, but I can't remember the last time I went to their site (I don't use their email either, for that matter). However, I'm pretty sure they served up Google results before. I've checked archive.org, and they were displaying a Powered by Google logo on the front page on April 9 2003, but not after.

[Macguru]

Thanks encyclo! Yes, they used Google before, and Lycos before that (it was a real mess with special characters).

When they used Google on the French version it was with the 'French' filter by default.
I wonder when they switched. I dont have enough log data yet to notice any significant change.

Any one with a Hotmail account in Canada? If so, does it link to this new "super portal"?

[Jenstar]

My MSN Messenger now goes to [sympatico.msn.ca...] when you click on the "go to MSN home".

Hotmail still says ca.msn.com and "MSN Hotmail"

[Macguru]

Thanks again Jenstar.

MSN Messenger, is good enough for now... ;)