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What is Ello?
A new advert-free social network is aiming to recruit disgruntled Facebook users, and early indications are that it's working: people are clamouring for elusive invites. But what is Ello, and can it really become the Next Big Thing in social networking?



What is Ello?

In the words of the site itself, Ello is a “simple, beautiful, and ad-free social network”.

It was originally created as a private website, so the story goes, but it had such a positive response that it was eventually opened to the public.
At the moment it feels a bit like Twitter: users can post short chunks of text or images, but it lacks the more advanced features of Facebook such as tagging users in images or private messaging.

Who created it?

The Ello website says the network was created by seven “well-known artists and programmers”, among them Paul Budnitz, who is a very busy man with many fingers in many pies: bike design, 'art toys', writing books, photography
and film making.

So, how do I join?

At the moment Ello is invite-only, meaning that unless you know someone who already has an account (each new user is allowed to invite five friends) you’re out of luck.
You can “register your interest” by visiting the site, but reports suggest the wait for an account will be long. Budnitz told Betabeat last night that “it seems like we’ve got a big portion of the US and much of Europe all trying to get on Ello at the same time” and that they’d have to “turn off the spigot for a while”.

Will it replace Facebook?

Well, that’s up to you. Facebook’s dominance in the market is solely down to the number of users it has: you, me, everyone. Each user that jumps ship to Ello will take a tiny chunk of Facebook’s earning potential with them.

What is the "real names" controversy?
Facebook requires its users to create accounts using their real names. Partly this is because it makes any information collected on them more valuable to advertisers.
Not everyone is happy about this, especially those who – for whatever reason – would prefer to use a pseudonym online. Ello is doing very well out of this frustration because it allows people to use whatever name they wish to, real or made-up. Therefore lots of people are apparently jumping ship.
That does not mean, however, that it will tolerate any funny business: it has a “zero-tolerance policy for hate, stalking, trolls, and other negative behaviour”.

How much does it cost?
Nothing. Yet.

Without advertising, which is Facebook’s major source of revenue, the network will need to find other ways to turn a profit.
It seems that Ello will be introducing new “special features” – yet to be explained – which people will be able to access permanently by paying a small, one-off fee. However, the “vast majority” of features will be free.

Is there a smartphone app?
Not yet. Although an Android and iOS app is on the to-do list for Ello's developers.

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