Back in 2011 Microsoft Research's Fuse Labs launched a social network designed with students in mind. Dubbed So.cl (pronounced "social"), the site was initially made available to students at select universities, and then publicly launched in 2012. Well, the little-known experiment that was akin to content-sharing networks such as Tumblr or Pinterest failed to gain traction and is now closing down.
The service launched back when tech giants were still trying to compete directly with Facebook, except So.cl was actually built "on top of Facebook" --- users are asked to sign in using their Facebook account. Once in, users can post photos, text, videos, and create communities around educational goals.
The service is scheduled to close on March 15. "In supporting you, Socl's unique community of creators," the announcement reads, "we have learned invaluable lessons in what it takes to establish and maintain community as well as introduce novel new ways to make, share and collect digital stuff we love."
So there you go, this is your reminder that Microsoft had a social network, and it probably won't be missed.