Have you heard of the one-year-old social network App.net yet?
App.net is ad-free. It’s a social networking service. It’s also a microblogging service and a place for conversation. You can even store files on the website — and the list doesn’t end there.
Multiple Services on One Platform — And You Own the Data
Developers create services for the website and the users get to reap the benefits. What’s the major appeal in using App.net? It provides all the services you’d find on other sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Dropbox — and places them in one central hub, where you own all the data.
As Wired puts it: “openness is central to the design of App.net. At every point along the way, users have total control over how their pieces of data — uploaded files, personal information, and social connections — are stored, shared, or monetised.”
Its most popular feature is the Twitter-like stream, Alpha, a web application giving users access to messages, photos, and updates from who they’re following. It feels very much like Twitter, except with a larger emphasis on private messaging. The similarities are not accidental: App.net’s founders set out to create what they thought Twitter should have been.
App.net shares the same profile across all of its services, whether it’s video or social networking, so you are always connected to the same group of people. Want to try out a video service? You don’t have to worry about starting from scratch with zero friends and followers. Your followers and friends are all there on App.net, no matter which service (video, messaging, photos) you’re using on the platform.
“You’re just giving applications access to your data in your personal cloud,” explains App.net founder and CEO Dalton Caldwell. Because users own their data and social connections (a “surprisingly radical idea,” says Wired) they can move data smoothly between applications; for comparison, just imagine trying to move all your Facebook followers – or even just your photos – to Twitter.
Will It Work For Brands?
App.net has a lot of potential, but it is still tough to determine whether or not it will last. The company is still relatively young, and much less established than its major competitors. Launched in August 2012, App.net had reached 100,000 users as of May 17, 2013 (after just nine months).
So — is it worth maintaining an active presence for companies looking to boost their digital outreach?
Some brands that are actively using App.net include Lifehacker, TIME Magazine, Wired, NPR, and The Daily Dot. The majority of the companies using App.net are publishing updates to inform their followers of new content on their website. Much like other social media networks, it allows followers to stay updated on their favorite companies’ news.
With App.net’s commitment to remaining ad-free, a lot more creativity is needed for brands to gain traction. Companies who are already spreading themselves too thin by using every popular social media network shouldn’t necessarily add another to an already long list.
However, the platform’s emphasis on third-party developers is something that other social media networks are lacking. This freedom for developers may lead to interesting features — and may attract a larger fan base in the near future (check out App.net’s directory of featured apps here).
App.net was previously only available through invitation. Now there are free accounts (with some limitations) available for anyone, but the platform also offers several paid plans. Members taking advantage of the free account can only follow a maximum of 40 members, upload files with a maximum size of 10MB, and receive 500MB of storage. Much like Dropbox, users can acquire more space by referring users to sign up.
Have you checked out App.net? Do you think it’s worth investing time and resources into maintaining an active account for your business?
