Ello: A Social Network Without Ads, Without User Data Collection

Ello is a social network that launched quietly a while ago. When it started, it was said to be something 'anti-Facebook' or 'contrary to Facebook.' For a while, Ello was just a page with a logo, and access was only allowed through invitations. Gradually, the network became more serious and finally opened to everyone, attracting more users in recent months with the release of an app for iPhones. At the time of the app's launch, it was stated that the Android app would be available by the end of this summer or early fall for interested users. But what makes Ello different from other social networks? The essence of social networks is to be present, to connect, and to maintain those connections. Facebook, Google Plus, Tumblr, and Twitter do this well, so why another social network? Ello announced from the outset that there would be no advertising in this environment. Of course, a business can create an account for itself and promote its products – for example, Coca-Cola – but no one is obliged to see them, and they are not forcibly brought to the main page. Currently, on Facebook, for a post to be seen better, businesses or industry owners or even NGOs and volunteers must pay to have their posts seen. Ello does not have such functionality. The stream of each user is based on the chronological order of posts, and no post can have priority over others. If you follow the news media covering social networks, you will see that many of our competitors dislike us. But I think approaching something different is a strength in itself. Creating something new requires an open mind and an open heart; otherwise, it becomes a repetitive cycle. Paul Budnitz, one of the founders of the Ello social network, stated that another issue is preserving users' identities and not sharing them with third parties – from governments to advertising companies – and in the past two years, with the realization of how companies like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Microsoft have failed to protect user information well, this has become problematic for some users. Ello's charter states that it does not store any information about you. Besides an email you must provide for registration, no other information is required. You can use any name you want and share as much as you like. Based on this, you do not have a profile like Facebook that keeps your birth date, relationships, friends, historical, work, and educational records forever. As a user, you can share as much information as you want and stop whenever you want. Leaving Ello is not a difficult or complicated task. Whenever you want, you can copy your information and close your account. These may seem interesting at first, but what prevents the charter regarding user information from constantly changing like Facebook's? Ello is registered as a nonprofit company, and these matters are stated in its charter. Even if someone buys this company, they will not be able to make such changes in the area of user privacy. Paul Budnitz. However, many questions still exist in this regard. Therefore, we had a conversation with Paul Budnitz, one of the founders of Ello. Mr. Budnitz has a background in writing, filmmaking, and entrepreneurship and owns a bicycle manufacturing company. Ello is also a project he started with a few friends. We spoke with him over the phone at his office in New York. *** Let’s start with the main issue. For a while, there have been discussions about Facebook's privacy policy and the leaking of information to third parties from social networks that the average user may not be aware of. But you were aware of it and even protested. What made you suddenly say enough is enough and create a different social network? Paul Budnitz: Honestly, it was all of this, but one day my friends and I were sitting together and said, why aren’t social networks attractive and fun anymore? Facebook was full of ads, and even Tumblr had turned to advertising. Therefore, we thought maybe we could do something that would be contrary to the norm but positive for users. The fact that we have no ads is something that many (of our competitors) dislike, but we wanted to create something that was not in line with the current norm. We all want to have a good social network, but if it’s not good, no one will use it. I myself stopped using Facebook. Initially, we created this network just for ourselves and our friends, but gradually thousands joined us, and then we decided to make it bigger and more public. From there, everything progressed organically. The very fact that we established the initial idea of having no ads opened many doors for us over time. Honestly, I must say that when we started, we didn’t know what we were doing. It may even have become our strength because we still don’t know what we are doing. (laughs) A logical question as soon as you talk about Ello is that other social networks also start off very well and attractively. There was a time when Facebook was the best place to access people, but gradually they chose a different path. The truth is that with having connections and information, the temptation arises to see what can be done with it. For those who have this question, what answer do you have? What tells us that Ello will not one day become like Facebook or Google Plus or other social networks? You may know that I am an entrepreneur and manage other industries. Like a bicycle manufacturing company and a toy manufacturing company, and other activities I am involved in. In all the work I have pursued, the main motivation has been a serious interest and love for the work. When we started Ello, we asked whether it was possible to create a social network without ads? Can we have a network that does not sell user information? And what would the result be? Even now, if you follow the news media covering social networks, you will see that many of our competitors dislike us. But I think approaching something different is a strength in itself. Creating something new requires an open mind and an open heart; otherwise, it becomes a repetitive cycle. The issue is that many people join an activity with enthusiasm and want to continue their work independently, but as soon as a place or project becomes successful, a company buys it and changes its identity. Many people ask me why they should come to Ello? There have been many other services or apps that were good but later a big company bought them and changed them. Why should Ello be exempt from this rule? If you look at the history of those who run Ello, you will see that they have all remained loyal to their principles and pursued them correctly. The second issue is that we have raised enough funding that we do not need 'big money' for several years. Moreover, Ello is expanding, and many people from all over the world are present in it. I can list many factors, but the essence is that a person must pursue what they love and invest in it. After all, one must take risks in life. When we assume security as a principle in life, there will be no change in work, and security is like a double-edged sword. It is true that we may be safe, but gradually we will live within smaller and smaller frameworks. So much so that life may become like a prison, and this hope is cut off from a person that nothing will ever change. With the way and speed that Ello is expanding, I don’t think there is any cause for concern for anyone (users). A few days before this conversation, I posted on Ello that I would be interviewing Paul Budnitz and asked Persian-speaking users of Ello to ask questions if they had any. In this limited time we have, I will ask a few of them. First, there is a lot of protest about why there is no news about the Android app? The initial plan was to release the Android app by the end of summer, and we are seriously working on it, but we will definitely bring it to market by this fall. The next question is about changes to the main page. Previously, there was the ability to follow followers in a column on the left, but now it is no longer there. Other users' activities have been limited to search, and users said they are not satisfied with it. The problem was that whenever we wanted to make a change to the page, that column caused issues. But now you can find those you follow in a column below each user's avatar. So you have a list of your followers, and you can follow them. I apologize to users for this change. Some users are complaining about why the right-to-left format is not active in Ello. They are also not satisfied with its Persian font and have suggested other fonts like 'Nazanin.' Honestly, we had thought about it, but we hadn’t focused on it enough. Your good question shows why we don’t have or have few users from countries that write from right to left. I promise to resolve both issues soon. That is, I am writing in the program right now to fully provide the possibility of right-to-left writing and to consider a better font. With this, suitable options will be available for Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Dari, and other right-to-left languages. It was great that you mentioned it. As a final question and with time constraints, while preparing for this interview, I noticed that you haven’t provided a very specific plan for the future, but you mentioned somewhere that you would allow artists to sell their works directly on Ello. What strategy do you have to ensure that Ello does not turn into Amazon and still remains a social network? Allowing people to buy and sell is our economic model, and we are pursuing it. But on Ello, the stream will never be filled with sales ads. The secret of Ello lies here. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to follow anyone. You are not forced to see something you don’t want to. I think Ello will become a large marketplace. We do not have 'boosts' for posts like Facebook where you pay to be forcibly seen in others' streams. We will pursue this very consciously. After all, as we move forward, we will understand better. The last question, when will it be possible to create groups or 'communities' on Ello? Right now, only someone can create an account for a book, movie, or anything else and add others to it. However, we will make changes in the coming months, and better facilities are on the way.