i am a newbie to WP too, and first i need to apologize for my poor grammar.
about the privacy, in windows live space, i can choose some specific friends and allow them to view my space,
so there are two questions i've got.
first, is the choosed MSN friends can still view my WP without to register a WP account?
second, can i invite new friend without inviting them to get WP account?
i am considering to cancel the WP if i can't get used to the privacy rule....