By Lauren Galli, Creative Director 
For about two months, a new social media contender has been stirring up talk about the potential downfall of old favorites Facebook and Twitter. That new soon-to-be heavyweight on the scene is called Ello, and is weighing in as an ad-free, invitation only social media site. If you’re wondering if pleading for the invitation is worth it; know the facts first.
- The Invitation – In order to snag yourself an invitation to use Ello, you’ve first got to agree to their mantra, in writing. They’re committed to the idea of remaining ad-free and without the complicated algorithms that mess with your news feed on Facebook. After agreeing, you’re then waitlisted (fingers crossed) for an invite to the new elite social site!
- Ad-Free – This means the side of your “news feed” on Ello won’t be crowded with annoying ads, which also means…no data mining. This is one of the reasons that Ello is calling itself the “anti-Facebook”. Does the lack of ads actually make this the antithesis of all that Facebook entails? Not so much. Facebook started out ad-free too until Zuckerberg was seduced by the siren call of mucho dinero.
- The Passion – The creators are extremely passionate about their mission statement. They are quite outspoken in regards to their beliefs that Facebook is nothing more than one large squawking ad. It’s refreshing to see, you know, before they sell out too.
- User-friendly? Not so much – Because Ello is so new and so exclusive, you’re not going to be amassing a band of friends right from the jump. Not only are most of your friends NOT on Ello, they’re hard to find on Ello. Also, the design is a little bit like a broken down version of old school Facebook (before we all starting complaining on a daily basis). Some researchers are also claiming that posting is next to impossible.
- Shiny and New – Yes, Ello is the new silver, shiny thing flashing in the distance, so of course it’s extremely attractive. Is it the next big thing? Are the creators just so cute with their values about what is right for social sites? Sure are. Will it ever be Facebook? Doubtful.
If what you need in your life is the shiny, new social site just so you can say you’re a member, then give Ello a shot. The nuts and bolts of Ello, however, are that it isn’t quite ready for business use. It’s far too fresh to be a true contender. YET.
"The nuts and bolts of Ello, however, are that it isn’t quite ready for business use."
I think that's the point. Ello is for people who are tired of social media sites that are flooded with marketers trying to "do business". We, as sales and marketing, tend to abuse every communication channel we get access to, (hint: telemarketer calls at dinner time which led to caller ID and do not call lists) which leads those who want to "eat their dinner in peace" to find alternatives to being shouted at when ever they open their browser.
I'm not saying I won't do the same at times and places that are appropriate. Just saying that in my private life, I do everything I can to avoid the bombardment of messaging from my fellow digital marketers.
I agree, I think that is the whole point of Ello as well.
We do, indeed, tend to bombard people on every available social channel, but we do what we have to do to make our clients happy. In the end, that's the whole point, right? If our clients aren't happy and don't feel that we're doing EVERYTHING we can for them, we have no business in this industry.
I think the whole "anti-facebook" stance is temporary. I'm sure Facebook was saying the same thing when they launched.
Personally, I am not a fan of being lambasted with marketing efforts either, but from a business perspective, we have to do all we can.