Ello, the anti-Facebook, is rapidly gaining popularity among creatives. The social platform was started by seven artists and programmers whose mission was clear: keep advertising out of your online social life.
The platform refers to itself as “a global community of artists dedicated to creative excellence. Built by artists, for artists”. Founded in 2013 by a collection of artists & designers, Ello re-imagines the future of creative work by providing a contemporary forum and virtual workplace for artists, brands, agencies, publishers, and their fans.
Privacy has been redefined during the social media and technology revolution of the last ten years. As a result, we have become accustomed to sharing our data. It’s just the cost of doing business with Facebook. This data is of coursed used to target advertising based on your likes, interests, pictures, check-ins, demographics, purchasing habits, music interests, and so much more. Even with all this data, the jury is still out on the ROI for advertisers on sites like Facebook (see our previous blog post about Facebook Advertising). Ello creators say that their service will never have advertising and will be forever free with paid options available to add certain features to your experience. The platform’s minimal design is also in stark contrast to Facebook and even Twitter. It may be too early to say, with all of the recent privacy issues, data breaches and public backlash on data collection, Ello may attract throngs of Facebooker’s who want to shut the door on advertisers and protect their data.
Right now, the service is by invitation only, but you can request an invite on Ello’s website.