Web (2.0)
Web OS + MySpace + DeviantArt = Hurox
I am not a social networking type of guy. I guess I never really saw the point in spending hours designing the page layout for a domain that I don’t even own. It’s like building a house on property that isn’t yours.
But I didn’t let my distaste for social networking get in my way when trying out Hurox for the first time. Besides, Hurox, pronounced Who-Rocks, is more of a web desktop meets online storefront with social networking tendencies. It makes my head spin just to think about all the things this site does. A lot of thought obviously went into Hurox’s development for such a site to be able to do so much.
However, and here’s my major complaint, Hurox doesn’t feel like it is anywhere near completion. Like the MacBook Air, Hurox feels more like a technology demonstration than a real, functioning, product. Pages fail to load correctly at times, the interface gets in the way, the glass effect is overused, and the default image set is only designed for those with very small monitors
If Windows Vista was to be turned into a website, this would be it. Hurox design alludes to the sad fact that all of budget was spent on the underlying systems and not on a snazzy exterior.
On the positive side, there is a solid technological background running Hurox–it just needs the assistance of a well seasoned web designer to bring the project to life.
Designing a unique website in Hurox is a dream. The workflow is easy to get used to and some pretty spectacular pages can be made in less than an hour, thanks to the rapid speed at which the website functions.
So what’s the draw to Hurox over other social networks? Personal pages are easy to create. Art can be bought and sold via credits. Images and music can be shared. There’s a live IM client. Templates can be made and traded. And users can even earn advertising revenue just for browsing others’ Hurox sites. And there’s even more when you start digging around.
I love the technology behind Hurox, I just think that it has a lot of growing up to do if it hopes to become the next big social network. A total reworking of the site’s design is a great place for the developers to start. Hurox will attract a much larger following with a more professional design. It’s strange because some pages exhibit pure design genius while others look like they were just slapped up there.
Hurox works on OS X and Windows. It renders the best on Firefox, has a few problems on Safari, and works well on Internet Explorer 7 and Opera. While I won’t be using Hurox only because I’m not a social networking junkie, I recommend that everyone check it out. You may be pleasantly surprised.
I want to first say thanks for trying Hurox out and posting about us. How did you find out about Hurox? Anyway, I think I can clarify a few issues that you have. First off, your totally right that Hurox isn’t complete. We just launched the site a little over a month ago and still have a long way to go. We have been working hard on getting some key features to show off what is possible to do while leaving the major polishing until everything works properly. One of the things you can’t see on Hurox is how we developed it. We have our own propriety web development platform that allows to make changes very fast. If we wanted to we can change the entire site design in probably 6 weeks (and there are only 5 of us working). Your also right in that we don’t really see ourselves as a normal social network, we are more of an online market and promotional tool for people with a community built around it. Our main goal is the sharing and distribution of content. All of the features you see on Hurox; web creation, built in transaction system, recommendations, are what is really necessary for people to promote their content. We have slowed down a bit in the last few weeks as we are trying to get our first round of funding (no money, no budget, all passion so far) but will be including some really cool features soon including an even better page editor, better navigation, and more polish. We welcome anyone to sign up and let us know what you think, we take any and every comment seriously. Hell, we’re on the site all the time so sign up and talk with us with our built in IM system, we would appreciate it.