Anyone remember how fresh and fun Facebook was? Those days are gone, now that advertising and other garbage liters your Facebook news feed. Multiple alternatives exist for social networking, and I’ve even noticed my kids spend less and less time on Facebook and more time on other sites.
The latest challenger to Facebook’s dominance is a networking site called Ello. It’s manifesto is as follows:
Your social network is owned by advertisers.
Every post you share, every friend you make and every link you follow is tracked, recorded and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that’s bought and sold.
We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.
We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce and manipulate — but a place to connect, create and celebrate life.
You are not a product.
I wholeheartedly agree!
Currently Ello is in beta testing, so becoming a member is by invite-only. I have requested a membership, but am not currently a member.
As far as Facebook goes, my guess is that it will eventually become the AOL of online networking: It will exist for a while longer, populated by people who don’t like to change things or who are unaware that something better exists. That’s because I just don’t see Facebook getting any better. It serves a need, but Facebook too often gets in its own way.
