Silicon Alley Insider reports that Microsoft will be conducting a limited beta test of a new public-information service called Vine.

Apparently the service will feature alerts, reports and a personal dashboard to allows its users to keep in touch with each other.

Initially developed just after Hurricane Katrina, Vine aims to allow users to stay in touch with family and friends, and to be notified when they might need help.

Twitter has proven to be pretty effective as a ‘news sharing’ platform, so despite Vine’s different positioning, it may end up competing with Twitter for the same audience.

Source: Henry Blodget, “Say It Ain’t So: Microsoft Launching Its Own Twitter,” Silicon Alley Insider, April 28, 2009

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