It's quite an achievement to be just 8 weeks old and people are championing you as the one to break the Facebook social media monopoly. That's whats happening to new social network 'Ello' though, with the link between the two also stemming from Ello's perceived dislike of Facebook. If you disagree with the Ello manifesto on their website you are then forwarded to Facebook's privacy page (a nice touch!). Their founder, Paul Budnitz, describes Facebook as "an advertising platform not a social network". The Irony is that you were probably made aware of Ello through Facebook. And to find you're friends on Ello, you'll probably have to write a status on Facebook asking them if they're on it!
However, we can't help but think of Diaspora, the once hyped social network. Everyone likes an underdog, but sustaining that takes something really revolutionary. It's early days and therefore it could go two ways, but the fact its exclusive and getting a lot of coverage means it has people's attention, and as a result it hit 50,000 new member requests per hour at some points last week. Tech experts have a mixture of positive and negative views on Ello with our favourite being the Verge calling it “a doomed utopia we can’t stop building.”
Paul Budnitz has a bit of a habit of making success stories from unlikely ventures, potentially a reason his Ello concept is being held in high regard. From a luxury bicycle company, Budnitz Bicycles to Kidrobot, a company that creates art toys and high end fashion accessories (Pharrell Williams is said to be a big fan!), Paul is used to scepticism in his ideas. With the social media space already overcrowded, someone like Budnitz might just be able to discover an unlikely niche.
What really sets it apart it how it plans to make money. Replicating the very successful concept of the iPhone/App store, in which users will be able to completely customise their own Ello with a combination of basic (free features) and add-on features. Its firm stance on being 'anti-advertisement' should be what sets it apart from other social networks.
