6 posts tagged “vox tip”
:NOTE: If you can see then and are expecting something else ... log in to vox.
I use the privacy/security features of vox heavily. Most of my posts are made for neighborhood, or more restrictive. I have always said that I blog primarily for myself, then to communicate with people I know, not the whole wold.
Every so often people I attempt to send posts to have issues getting to them. Today I received one such email.
::: Key Point :::
You have to be logged into vox to see stuff that is authorized for your account.
This makes since, if you are not logged in the vox server does not know who you are. A Friends & Family post is marked that to limit who can see the post.
::: Goal for this Tip Nation :::
Be able to know if you are logged into vox or not.
::: Neighborhood :::
One great way to check new posts of people you want to read about is to look at your neighborhood. At the same time it is somewhat subtitle to be able to tell if you are signed in or not.
-- Not Logged in --
::: Single Post :::
I use the vox system to sending posts to people many times. This system is easier for me to use then for you to check the post. Like the above, you have to be logged in. Thus here is how it works again:
Step 1. I sent you a post.
Step 2. You Receive an email similar to the screen cap to the right
There are three links there.
- 1 "nation" - this is my vox user name, it links to my vox blog. If you are a signed in you will see what I have authorized your account to see. If not you will see less.
- 2 "Read More" - this links to the actual post I am sending to you. When you click on this it will look one of two ways, see below.
- 3 "Nation" - this is at the end of my message and links to my vox blog. Same at the above.
Step 3. You click a link and it goes to either my blog or the specific post. Since there is not a lot of difference between the two, we are focusing on you knowing what it looks like when you are going to find something that is not "public" or for "anyone".
The above post is what most people see when they click on the "Read More" link. What is going on? Well, you are not signed in. If you look in the gray section under the search box you see "Already a Member? Sign In" That is what you want to click. Also notice, like the above example. Your icon is not in the top middle.
Log in and it should go back to the post you are looking for. Otherwise you might look in your neighborhood once you are logged in. This will show the posts, though not necessarily the one you were sent.
When you are logged in and looking at the post it looks like this:
I hope this edition of Tip Nation has helped you enjoy and understand Vox even more.
One of the chief complaints some of my friends and families
have about Vox is that things tend to not be where they expect. Well, today I
got frustrated with how Vox was handling groups. I expected the groups page to function the same way that
the neighborhood page
and it does not. The nice people at Vox quickly replied pointing out a page I
had hardly ever used: VoxWatch.
How does it work?
If you use a RSS Reader, like Google
Reader, or a custom new page, like Google
Personal or My Yahoo, this is similar to
what the "Overview" mode is like. It takes the new stuff from different
categories and shows you some. Then you can pick a different area and it will
show you stuff in that area.
Advice and Settings:
You might consider bookmaking a couple links, like specifically to your VoxWatch:Neighborhood
or VoxWatch:Groups.
Realistically, I might change my personal bookmark to vox from my personal page
to my VoxWatch page. The only thing
that could make it better is if Vox gave me some customization
Why?
Because I only care about what is new to me and this is the quickest way to
check for new stuff, unless you use a RSS Reader that can do authenticated
feeds, Google Reader
currently does not.
One of the major reasons I use vox as opposed to just blogging with another site or even setting up my own blog (I am currently running 4 sites with blog software or something really similar) is the privacy features.
A blog for Law Students titled "Top Law Student" recently did a piece titled Delete Your MySpace Page and most of the main points apply to almost everyone.
I plan on doing a full Tip Nation tip soon that will take his suggestions and apply them to Vox, because even though Vox is a better service, privacy wise, there are still some options you might want to consider including making your default posting to a private group.
As you know, Vox is currently “Invite Only”, this makes using the privacy features more difficult, because you are limited to who you can authorize as “friends” and/or “family”.
The good news is that Vox gives you invites every so often.
From time to the top banner will change to this:
Clicking on the image will take you to the invite page where you can see how many invites you have and all.
I suggest you give out all your invites and when doing so, remember to make them a friend or family (if you want them to be) and make suggestions for their neighborhood and or image.
Why? Why is it so important to give out the invites?
From my experience, they either only give invites to people who have given out their originals or to people who have given out all the invites they have already received.
I have seen how often people receive invites, for me each week I have given all mine out they tend to give me more, but when I have not given all of them out I receive none. Also some who have never given out any invites still have the same number.
Some of the selling points I see is that without an account a person cannot see the private posts, and for me they are missing about 90% of my posts.
This section just sets your default. It can be overwritten, on a case by case situation. Normally this adjustment is made in the lower left of the post box.
If you are like me, and mostly use this to keep up to date your friends and family. You might as well go here and change your setting to “your friends and family”. That way it is quicker to post and instead of thinking. It is easier to release stuff to more people, but once it is public, it might be out there and you can never get it back into the can.
This is one of the best things with Vox. The ability to blog, but still keep your private life private. There are many things you should not want to inform the world about, but want to tell your friends and family. This is especially true if you are using either your real name or a “standard” name for you. When you apply for a new job or meet a new person, odds are someone will do at least some basic searches on your name, email address, and any nickname they know of you. The thing with the internet is stuff sticks around a lot longer then you would think.
Simply put, you can always increase the number of people who can see something, but once it is public … you can consider it public forever.
Tip Nation is a series of tips I have for people using Vox. I will strive to tell how stuff works, give advice for different settings, and explain why I make my suggestions.
I am also going to attempt to keep this post updated with my tips.
My Groups
-
Tennessee Scouting Updated: Jul 18, 2008
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
