A Quiet VOX.
By \ September 3, 2010
Perusing the interwebs this afternoon, I stumbled across the news that VOX, a social-media/weblogging platform (no, not the makers of fine guitar amplifiers), is closing down after 4 years. VOX promised to add a bunch of novel new features to the centrally-hosted weblogging model, including granular user permissions, easy linking to and from other social media sites, and community-oriented components, but never really seemed to catch fire after its initial introduction, and (to me) seemed to be a solution searching for a purpose.
Given the rise of Facebook, Twitter, and microblogging services like Tumblr, it’s easy to see why users chose other services besides VOX; Everyone’s on Facebook, and the Twitter/Tumblr/”What’s On Your Mind” shift to microblogging means fewer people are writing long posts these days. Still, it was a good try; if there was a way to combine the inclusiveness (and magnetic pull) of Facebook with user-owned content, granular viewing permissions, and a solid commitment to privacy, I’d consider moving to it. But for now, I’ll keep my own domains, servers, and content, thank you very much.