Outlook for Web gets Facebook-style 'likes' and Twitter-style '@mentions'

Microsoft has announced that it has added a couple of new features to its Outlook for Web service. These include Facebook-style Likes and Twitter-style Mentions. Now you can endorse a specific email by liking it, something which you can do by clicking the thumbs-up icon in the reading pane, similar to the way you do it on Facebook. "This turns the icon from gray to blue, notes within the email that you liked the message and adds a thumbs-up icon in the email list view," the company said in a blog post. You'll also get a notification when somebody likes your email. Moving on, the Mentions feature lets you grab someone's attention as well as automatically include them in an existing email thread. To use the feature, just add the @ symbol (see image above) in the email body, followed by the contact name. "Their name will be highlighted in the message in blue and they will receive an @ flag in their inbox view next to the message," the software giant said. Although the Likes feature will begin rolling out today, it'll currently only be available to Office 365 First Release customers whose Office 365 plan includes Exchange Online. Office 365 commercial customers will start getting it towards the end of the month. Similarly, the Mentions feature - which will begin rolling out in the mid of the month - will also be initially available to First Release customers only. Office 365 commercial customers will get it next...