Recently I attended an Alt for Everyone Summit and one of the speakers talked about a rising star social network called Ello. Currently in beta you have to either be invited to join by a current user or request to join upon approval.
The social network is said to average thousands of sign ups per hour and has been referred to as the anti-facebook. Here’s their manifesto, I’ve highlighted the important parts.
So what do they have going for them? For one-a clean simple design that really makes images pop. Being ad-free and un-tracked is pretty awesome too. I have to say this past year when one of my social networks (it starts with and F and ends with a K) started popping up with ads based on my location I was a little creeped out. I tured off location for said social network, but still…
Ello isn’t like other social mediums in another way. Its got a laid back, artsy vibe going on that I’m diggin. In other words, there’s no “like” or “heart” or “retweet”. Currently, an icon below a post displays how many views its had and there’s an option to comment. Call me old fashioned, but that’s a little refreshing and more importantly, unique to other social platforms. The stress of should I double tap to heart?…should I like?…have I liked their photo recently?…is this re-tweet-worthy?…maybe I should retweet and quote? …all gone.
Don’t get me wrong I still like and heart the others, but it’s kind of fun to play around with something different and not have to worry about my every click painting a digital picture of me for advertisers.
Check them out at www.ello.co.
What others are saying:
Ello, the Anti-Facebook, Rises From a Vermont Bike Shop | 10 Industries That Could Succeed on Ello | Twitter feed for #ello
