Microsoft to scale back Soapbox video service

I think I may have been on vacation back in 2006 on the day that Microsoft announced Soapbox, a video service that was going to challenge YouTube. Soapbox was never on my radar and, it appears, it really never made it to anyone's radar.

Now, Microsoft says it's planning to scale back the video service, citing tough economic conditions, according to CNET. When all else fails, blame it on the economy, I suppose.

CNET's Ina Fried brings us up to date on the history of Soapbox:

Soapbox launched in 2006--the same year Google announced its deal to buy YouTube--but never emerged as a significant threat to the market leader...

In 2007, Microsoft stopped allowing new users to access the site while it added filtering technology aimed at reducing the amount of copyright content posted on its site. It returned a few months later, but has been largely an afterthought in the video market, except as a home for Microsoft's own videos.

Microsoft Vice President Erik Jorgensen told CNET that the company hopes to transform Soapbox into a forum where bloggers and citizen journalists can chime in, via video, on topics of interest.