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Ello, a Vermont-based “private social network”, is offering an alternative network capitalising on privacy and zero advertisements.
Launched 6 weeks ago by a group of programmers and artists headed by CEO Paul Budnitz, Ello builds its network on invitation-basis. This means users can get invited by existing users only.
With its growing popularity, Ello is believed to be receiving up to 35,000 requests per hour. In fact, some invitations have been selling at Ebay at prices $500 and above due to high demand and limited supply.
Unlike other social networks like Facebook, Ello does not sell ads or user’s information on third parties.
Resembling a cross between Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram, Ello’s design is described to be “simple, beautiful and ad-free”. The company’s manifesto written on its homepage says:
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.
Facebook: Not a Competitor
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Budnitz said they don’t consider Facebook as a competitor. The Ello CEO tagged the popular social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 as an advertising platform.
“Facebook’s customer is the advertiser. Everything they do is to make money for that customer. The thing that is being bought and sold are the users and user data. … Our business model doesn’t include any of that. Ello is much simpler and cleaner.”
Friends and “Noise”
In the new social network, users can categorize their contacts into two groups: friends or “noise”. In the latter category, content will be displayed in a grid-like layout which is easier to go over quickly.
Promise of Difference
So what sets Ello apart from other social networks?
Subscribers don’t need to use their real names on the service. They also have the option to turn off the analytics software of the website, which is a big step towards privacy.
Without advertisements, people are wondering how Ello can be a profitable company. Budnitz explained in his Bloomberg Businessweek interview:
“Ello will always be free. When the beta period is over, we are going to start offering special features, a little like an app store. For a few bucks you can add a special feature. It may not be for everyone. We have thousands of people who have written in with ideas of features they would be willing to pay for. So we know what people want most. “
