Vox Brings More Privacy to Blogging

Vox, a new product from SixApart that was officially released Thursday, has the usual blog features combined with a new twist: five privacy levels that give the blogger control over who can read posts, submit comments and view comments. The result is more private conversations and the inner-circle feel of instant messaging and e-mail.

The “neighborhood,” as Vox calls it, includes the four privacy levels that can be applied:

• Friends
• Family
• Friends and Family
• Entire Neighborhood

According to an AP story, Vox targets bloggers over age 25 who haven’t blogged or are seeking a more exclusive community. The privacy levels signify a convergence between blogs and other social communities such as Facebook and MySpace, although blogging is somewhat secondary on those sites.

Coincidentally, Vox’s official launch was announced as CareerBuilder released new survey findings about employer use of search engines and social networks to screen prospective employees. TechWeb reports that 26 percent of hiring managers use search engines to research applicants, while 12 percent have reviewed social networking sites.

Although those stats aren’t especially staggering, CareerBuilder says 63% of the social networking searches resulted in the candidate being eliminated from consideration. The privacy settings of Vox are clearly intended to help bloggers separate their personal and professional lives – a good idea as hiring managers become more savvy about social networking.