Move over, Facebook, a new networking site has come to town.
In a report by Business Insider, Ello is the new social network to be, where real names are not required, ads are not allowed, and drama is out of the question.
The Ello manifesto claims, "You are not a product."
"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."
Here are some facts you might want to know if you're interested in signing up for the new network, as noted by The Next Web:
1) The newest social network actually launched in March, but did not make a dent in social media until recently when site activity blew up following Facebook's alleged anti-LGBT campaign. According to TechCrunch.com, Ello got attention from the LGBT campaign after accounts of drag artists were deleted from Facebook for using their performance names instead of their given "real" names.
2) It is a no ads, no-data mining network. According to graphic design studio Berger & Fohr, "Ello is a simple, beautiful, and ad-free social network created by a small group of artists and designers." This is especially good for those who are tired of pop-up ads that seem to frequent Facebook nowadays. Of course, there is no guarantee that they will stay ads-free, considering that Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr started out that way, but Ello is one step ahead: if you don't like the direction the network is going, you always have the option of deleting your account.
3) It's just like any other social networking site. Like any other network, you can post status updates and photos on Ello, and (this is where it's definitely better) it supports GIFs. Commenting on posts and direct replies to your friends are also part of the deal, and you can edit your posts in case you want to check for typos before posting it live.
4) You can generate some Noise. The newsfeed is separated into two categories, one for "Friends" and the other for "Noise" which showcases other people's posts in a loose grid that makes it look like some sort of online gallery, or as The Independent described, a "bite-sized bulletin for everyone."
5) It is invite-only. While currently still on beta-test, Ello is still currently invite-only, but invitations are pretty easy to come by. You have an option of signing up for an invite, or if you already have a friend using the network, you can ask him to send you one.
No problem, right?
But the staying power of Ello is yet to be determined. After all, a lot of social networks tried to face-off with Facebook long ago to no avail, but this one just might be able to get somewhere.