Tag Archive for new social network

New social network Ello: anti-ads, anti-real name…..now also an anti-Facebook preserve?

Posted on September 25, 2014 by

A few months ago, What’s New On The Net had briefly mentioned talked of the proposed launch of a social network. It’s still at a “closed” stage but Ello, the new social network is being talked about as a “perfect counterfoil” to the world number one Facebook (well, at least in the media).

You cannot simply register to join this new social network, you have to be invited. Which you can ask for by sending them an email.Or know an Ello member who can then be requested to add your name.

Here’s the Ello manifesto which gives you a glimpse of this new social network’s ethos:

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.

new social networkActually, Ello was created by a band of artists & designers as a private social network, but over time, got so popular that its designers built a public version. The stress of this new social network, besides privacy, is also on having an ad-free network created by a small group of artists and designers.

Ello’s take on ads:

Collecting and selling your personal data, reading your posts to your friends, and mapping your social connections for profit is both creepy and unethical. Under the guise of offering a “free” service, users pay a high price in intrusive advertising and lack of privacy.

We also think ads are tacky, that they insult our intelligence and that we’re better without them.

Ello is free to use. It says it will occasionally offer special features to users. If they like ’em, users can “support Ello by paying a very small amount of money to add that feature to your Ello account.” (ah, ha, the revenue part)

The new social network is the work of designer, creator Paul Budnitz.

…& according to this report in The Daily Dot, Ello has attracted the attention of the LGBTQ community, who are quite cheesed off by FB’s real name policy.

You may also want to read: Pay $9000 to become members of this new social networking Site called Netropolitan

 

Image Credit: Ello

Advertising Message

Comments Off on New social network Ello: anti-ads, anti-real name…..now also an anti-Facebook preserve? Posted in Internet Startups, New Internet Startups, Social Media News

Here’s Kuddle, a new picture sharing app especially designed for kids

Posted on August 9, 2014 by

It’s a social network, yet kids can use it. That’s because Kuddle is targeted at children. Launching in the US a couple of days ago, Kuddle is a new picture-sharing app especially designed for kids.

Kuddle aims to create a fun & safer digital environment for children, while enhancing their knowledge about responsible digital sharing by combining elements of education & entertainment.

While most social media networks have a minimum age requirement of 13, Kuddle provides a safer entry to social media for kids below this age. The free app Kuddle aims to create a fun & safer digital environment for children.

“Today’s children increasingly want to partake in social media, but it’s important that they use social media services that are adapted to their level of knowledge and their critical judgment,” says Ole Vidar Hestaas, Founder &CEO of Kuddle.

The Olso-Norway-based Kuddle offers users features to educate children about things such as inclusion, picture app for kidsresponsibility, & Online etiquette – known as “netiquette.” The app features a character – Kodi Kuddle – who befriends all users by default & regularly sends positive messages & input for good digital behavior to Kuddle’s users. Additionally, parental supervision is one of Kuddle’s unique features. With this, the parent/caregiver will be able to regulate Content on their child’s/children’s account(s) to ensure their Online safety. Parents/caregivers will be able to monitor all of their child’s activities, including photo-sharing, caption-writing, & added friends.

The idea for the app came when Hestaas’ son asked him if he could create an account on a popular picture-sharing app. Hestaas deemed the popular app, with its age limit of 13, as too grown-up for his seven-year-old son, but also discovered the lack of alternatives for children interested in social media.

To address this need, under the advisement from children’s advocacy group Save the Children Norway, the Norwegian Media Authority & the interest group ICT Norway, Hestaas began developing an app to provide a safer entry to the world of social media for kids, together with designer Knut Taroy & technology developer. A year later, the 3 founders are now ready to launch their invention, Kuddle, into the US market.

Click here to download Kuddle on your Android device.

Click here to download Kuddle on your iOS device.

Image Credit: Google play/Kuddle

Advertising Message

Comments Off on Here’s Kuddle, a new picture sharing app especially designed for kids Posted in Android Apps, iOS app, New Smartphone Apps, Smartphone Apps
« Older Entries