Not a "How to" guide

In a reminder of the fragility of the Internet, last night a ripple went through the progressive community after SoapBlox disappeared.

What’s SoapBlox? It’s the blog service provider of choice for much of the Netroots Nation, including Austin’s own Burnt Orange Report.

“It got hacked last night,” said BOR’s Matt Glazer. “We don’t know who by, or whether it was malicious or just because they could.”

SoapBlox supports 112 sites, and at its peak provides 8 million page downloads a month. The latest news is that most of them (including BOR) are coming back up. Bloggers and administrators are now trying to work out how much information has been lost, and whether they need to start thinking about building some new infrastructure.

This article appears in 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.