One (Tiny) Reason Why Virb Kicks MySpace’s Hiney

I haven’t had too much time to mess around with Virb, the new social networking site from the folks behind PureVolume (which explains why my Virb page is so lame). However, based on what little I have played around with it, I’m definitely impressed.

One feature of Virb that I like is, at first glance, rather insignificant. Virb allows folks to customize their pages in a manner that is much easier and more flexible than MySpace’s. Of course, you have to know a little CSS and HTML kung fu, but if you do, you can come up with a really nice-looking page.

Unfortunately, most folks out there are just a whee bit lacking when it comes to such things. Just browse MySpace for 5 minutes, and you’ll have ample proof of that: pages for whom the word “eyesore” is actually a compliment, garish colors, poor layouts — a virtual laundry list of design no-no’s.

True, this hasn’t stopped MySpace from becoming one the most popular sites on the Web, but that doesn’t change the fact that much of MySpace looks about as pleasant as a couple of pokes in the eye.

This is one area where Virb improves upon MySpace with a seemingly insignificant feature. Whenever you browse someone’s Virb page, you’ll notice a “Remove Customization” button up there on the top menu. Click on it, and the page is reverted back to the default Virb design (which actually looks pretty good), with no customizations in site. And of course, there’s a “Restore Customization” button to bring the the user’s original artistic vision back.

All in all, it’s a simple yet brilliant idea, and one that will no doubt come in handy as more and more folks venture onto Virb. Thankfully, I haven’t needed to use it yet, as most of the custom Virb sites I’ve seen look pretty slick. Still, it’s nice to know the option is always there for when I inevitably come across one of those designs.