Microsoft's Windows Live team is working with Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, Tagged and LinkedIn to allow users to move their contacts between the various services.

The software giant is also introducing a new Web site that people can use to invite their friends from these partner social networks to join their Windows Live Messenger contact list, John Richards, the director of Microsoft's Windows Live platform, said in a blog post to be made public March 25.

Beginning March 25, users can visit Facebook and Bebo to find their friends using the Windows Live Contacts API, while Hi5, Tagged and LinkedIn will go live in the next few months. "We have exchanged reciprocal APIs and expect them to be live within the next 60 to 90 days depending on their development and release cycles" Richards told eWeek.