Alternative to Facebook In Very Early Stages of Ramp-Up
By social media editor Melony Roy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There's a new social network that wants to be the "anti" Facebook.
Ello has only been available online for little over a month, but it's popularity is growing. It claims to be the alternative to the world's largest social network.
"They're not going to have advertising, and they're not going to use your data to make profit," says CNet senior writer Bridget Carey, describing Ello's marketing strategy.
"We're in a time right now where all we hear is that when we're on Facebook, we're the 'product,' not the customer," she tells KYW Newsradio. "The more we share, they sell that info to advertisers, and it's and unsettling feeling."
Facebook has been under fire for its experimentation on users' emotions, for forcing users to download a separate app for messages, and again for its real-names-only policy.
But will Ello be the Facebook killer?
"There are a lot of people who are flocking to this over the past couple of days, out of curiosity," notes Carey. "The site is not what you want out of a social network, at least not yet. There's a lot of work to be done."
Ello is still in beta, and available to new users by invitation only.
