Microsoft’s Live Expo was an interesting mix of listings and social networking features. But it was an experiment that Microsoft has decided it doesn’t want to continue, like Book Search. Expo is closing down on July 31.

Microsoft has apparently decided that Expo and potentially classifieds in general are not core to its position in search and/or local. eBay’s Kijiji has been making steady gains in Canada and abroad and Craigslist continues to dominate the category of horizontal classifieds marketplaces. (If Microsoft eventually buys eBay it would re-enter the business accordingly.)

Redmond could have subsidized Expo for some time and allowed it to grow, but it appears that the company has decided these are resources not well spent.

Related Topics: Microsoft: Bing | Microsoft: Business Issues

About The Author: Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land. He writes a personal blog Screenwerk, about SoLoMo issues and connecting the dots between online and offline. He also posts at Internet2Go, which is focused on the mobile Internet. Follow him @gsterling. See more articles by Greg Sterling