Analysts still see fuzzy future for MSN as new chief takes helm

However, Microsoft may have painted itself into a corner, he added, because Web users are increasingly equating services and content, so they may see Windows Live and the MSN portal as redundant.

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"It would be best to wrap content and services up into one brand," MacManus said. "However, Microsoft has the dilemma of having a strong older brand (MSN) and a new brand which they've invested a lot in already (Live)."

In the meantime, Nicol has a job to do at MSN, one he took over in November after agreeing to the position during a sabbatical last summer. He said Microsoft has given him "hundreds of millions of dollars" and urged him to throw as many bodies as he needs at the MSN makeover to achieve his desired results of creating a media network out of the MSN Web portal.

"What you'll see from the new MSN.com is a powerful media platform and network," Nicol said. "We see money following if we can just build it."

In fact, Nicol's enthusiasm for turning MSN into an entertainment destination led him to refer to the portal as the "MSN Media Network" internally, though he said there are no formal plans to rebrand the site despite reports to the contrary.

Directions on Microsoft's Rosoff said it sounds as if Microsoft's plans for MSN, as well as Nicol's appointment, are fairly typical for a company that likes to "try a bunch of different stuff and see what sticks."

Still, despite the fact that MSN is a work in progress, he said that surely someone at Microsoft "at the high executive level" knows exactly what's in store for the portal, but for now is content to keep the industry guessing.