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# Facebook alternatives: The Smart Social Networker's Guide
- URL: https://interhacktives.mymagic.page/alternatives-to-facebook/
- Published: 2014-12-28T22:36:33.000Z
- Updated: 2014-12-28T22:36:33.000Z
- Author: Rebecca Sentance
- Tags: Audience & Social, Bebo, Ello, Facebook, Folkdirect, Google Plus, privacy, Shout, social media, social network, Tsu, Whisper, #Migrated-1793717950415, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-11-03 14:59

Throughout most of its ten-year history, people have been threatening to leave Facebook.

There are plenty of good reasons for doing it, from Facebook’s constantly mutating [privacy policies](http://lifehacker.com/whats-really-wrong-with-facebook-1674369938?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) to its decision to [turn users into test subjects](http://gizmodo.com/facebook-did-psych-experiments-on-random-users-to-study-1597385219?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) without their knowledge or consent. A few months ago, Facebook came under fire for its “[real-names policy](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%5Freal-name%5Fpolicy%5Fcontroversy?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)”, which requires users to access the site under the name that appears on their passport, credit card or driver’s license. Hundreds of drag queens, who use Facebook under their stage names, had been banned from the site along with DJs, stage performers and members of the LGBTQIA community.

The name controversy sparked off [petitions](https://www.change.org/p/facebook-allow-performers-to-use-their-stage-names-on-their-facebook-accounts?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page), [protests](https://www.facebook.com/events/331937683646810/permalink/335853786588533/), [polls](http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/pulse/poll/should-facebook-make-drag-queens-use-their-real-names/15456341?ana=e%5Fdu%5Fpoll&u=kGmD0K+vKY2P3+9eA82pJe8tlxN&t=1411188383&ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) and [spoof videos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVP528pNX4M&ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page), and some [600 Facebook users](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1498118683777782/?fref=ts) pledged to deactivate their accounts and find a new social network in protest of the policy. But with some strategic intervention by Facebook, the whole movement fizzled out with no real changes made, and most of the people who were so up in arms before are… still on Facebook.

It’s easy enough to complain about a site like Facebook, but no matter how valid your complaints are, it’s all so much noise in the newsfeed if at the end of the day you still use the site. If, however, you’re prepared to put your social network where your mouth is, then read on: no matter what your complaint with Facebook, our guide will match you with a social network you can turn to instead.

## “Facebook isn't private enough”

![Facebook: An invasion of privacy](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/fbprivacy.png)

**Image: [Gwyneth Anne Bronwynne Jones](https://www.flickr.com/photos/info%5Fgrrl/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) on Flickr. [Some rights reserved.](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/legalcode?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)** 

If you’re feeling fed up with a social network whose rules around privacy are vague, impenetrable and constantly changing, which loves to broadcast your every move and which has access to [frightening amounts of information about you](http://daylandoes.com/facebook-and-your-data/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) – well, you’re not alone. Last year, [research by the University of Vienna](https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/09/18/half-of-facebook-quitters-leave-over-privacy-concerns/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) showed that almost half of people who had left Facebook quit over privacy concerns. But is that par for the course with social networks, or do we have a right to expect a better experience?

One site thinks so. [Folkdirect](http://www.folkdirect.com/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) is a social network which is built around an uncompromising and transparent attitude to privacy online. It describes itself as **“an online social network made for close-knit groups of friends and family who value their privacy”**, so it might also appeal to people who find Facebook too vast and impersonal. Folkdirect doesn’t list its user profiles in search engine results, which makes it bad for building up a web presence, but perfect for conducting your social interaction away from prying eyes.

Its [Privacy Policy](http://www.folkdirect.com/home/privacy.php?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) is to-the-point and readable, which anyone who has struggled through pages of indecipherable Terms and Conditions will appreciate. Although the site welcomes advertising, it doesn’t target ads at its users like Facebook is notorious for doing, and nor does it sell identifiable personal information to any other parties. It’s also possible to explore Folkdirect anonymously as a guest, so you can read about the site and its approach to privacy before committing to join, but you can’t view other users’ profiles unless you’re signed up.

Obviously Folkdirect assumes you’ll be able to get your close friends and family on board with joining the site with you, and since it’s not that likely that people you know will already be on the site, you’d have to make a concerted effort to bring them over. Folkdirect’s strict approach to privacy makes it hard to find unless you know about it, but it’s definitely worth being in the know about.

## “Facebook is an advertising platform, not a social network”

If you agree with the phrase above, congratulations! You are the ideal target audience for this year’s favourite new social network, [Ello](http://ello.co/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page). Of course, “target audience” is the kind of nasty corporate phrase that Ello would *never* use, because as it’s fond of repeating, **“You are not a product.”**

![Ello, Are you a product? ](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ello.png)

If you want a social network which is almost fanatical about not advertising, look no further than Ello. Its catchphrase is “simple, beautiful and ad-free”, and the details of its anti-advertising policy are right at the top of its [About Page](https://ello.co/wtf/post/about-ello?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page). A little over two months ago, the site also converted to a [Public Benefit Corporation](https://ello.co/downloads/ello-pbc.pdf?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page), which allows it to make a profit but not to sell on its users’ data, display paid advertising, or allow anyone who acquires the company to do either of those two things. Predictions about the long-term future of Ello [might be](https://blog.rjmetrics.com/2014/10/02/ello-data-analysis/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) [mixed](http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/30/6874727/ello-is-the-doomed-utopia-we-cant-stop-building?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page), but Ello’s creators seem committed to their stance on advertising and are prepared to back that up with action.

Thanks to its viral explosion in popularity over the past few months, you’re likely to find plenty of people you know on Ello, which makes getting set up that much easier. And you need to know at least one person on Ello to join the site, because it’s still in beta and requires an invitation to join. If you’d like to try it out, I still have all ten of my invite codes, so feel free to leave a comment if you want one!

## “Facebook won’t let me use my chosen name”

Identity is key to social networks. The name you use on a particular social network is what people will associate with you on that site, and likely off it as well, until it changes. It’s how people find you. In the case of most social networking sites, it also shows up in Google search results. So if you can’t use your chosen name or your chosen identity on a social networking site, it can be disheartening, damaging and even dangerous. It’s a denial of your identity. Fortunately, a number of other social networking sites allow you more control over the identity you present, or don’t present, on their network.

![#mynameis](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/ello1.png)

**Infographic by [Unkle Mikey](https://www.facebook.com/mike.woolson?fref=nf)**

#### [Google Plus](http://plus.google.com/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)

If you’re after a site which has very similar features to Facebook but without the restrictive naming policy, just go to Google+. Until last summer, Google stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Facebook on its [real names policy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymwars?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page#Google), repeating many of the same reasons which Facebook cites for requiring legal names: to prevent fake profiles, fight spam and impersonation, and generally let people know that the person they are connecting with online is “real”.

However, after years of [criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymwars?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page#Criticism) and legal, safety, rights and internet culture-based arguments against the policy, Google saw fitto officially drop the requirement in July. Its basic similarity to Facebook and the fact that most people already have a Google Plus account through YouTube or Gmail makes it a favourite destination for users leaving Facebook over naming disputes.

#### [Whisper](http://whisper.sh/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)

Maybe what you want out of your social network is a clean slate for interacting with people. Not just a different identity, but no identity. The freedom to say what’s on your mind without the fear that some employer or over-zealous ex (or the government) will dig it up and trace it back to you. If the idea appeals, then you might want to look into anonymous social networking.

Secret, Yik Yak, Whisper and After School are names of some of the networks, all mobile apps, which have come to dominate the “anonymous social” category over the past two years. Of these, Whisper has probably fared the best, with Yik Yak, After School and Secret dogged by problems with [cyber-bullying](http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/amid-vicious-bullying-threats-of-violence-anonymous-social-app-yik-yak-shuts-off-access-to-u-s-middle-high-school-students/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) and [defamatory posts](http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/23/secret-cyberbullying/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page).Whisper lacks almost all the trappings of a conventional social network like profiles, friends, lists or circles, photo albums and groups, leaving pure and simple interaction behind. That can either seem alien or liberating, but either, Whisper is a fun app to try. Just don’t become this person:

![Webcomic Penny Arcade](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/anonymous.png)

#### 

#### [Shout](http://www.shouuut.com/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)

Build an identity, or go incognito? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a network where you could do both, without needing to juggle multiple accounts or site logins? Try Shout, a mobile social network designed by Bangalore-based developers Idea Labs. Shout works like a hyperlocal Twitter, allowing you to broadcast your opinions to anyone within a 40km radius. Your Shouts reach a wider area if people pick them up and Echo them to those in their radius. Unlike Twitter, you can also tell someone to Shut Up and decrease their Shout reach if you don’t like what they’re saying.

But the really handy feature for anyone interested in identities is the Alter Ego feature. After setting up your main identity on Shout, you can then create an Alter Ego with an alternate name and picture, and seamlessly switch from one to the other in order to Shout in different voices. Alter Egos appear in a separate feed from regular Shouts, so there’s no confusing the two, but they otherwise function like normal profiles. It’s a neat little idea which might catch on in other social networks if it can create enough of a stir.

!["Create Alter Ego", Shout App](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/alterego.png)

## 

## “Facebook is BORING!”

As a social network which established itself on being the cool, new thing, the often heard complaint that [Facebook has become boring](http://www.statelessmedia.com/blog/when-did-facebook-become-so-boring/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) is what could really spell its demise. One article even went so far as to claim that Facebook has become so bad, it’s [making *us* boring](http://uk.askmen.com/entertainment/tech-news/how-your-facebook-friends-are-making-you-boring.html?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page). It's anyone's guess what the hot new social network will be in six months or a year's time, but right now, one social app is trying very hard to show off how not-boring it can be.

![Bebo is probably not for boring people](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/notforboringpeople1.png)

Remember [Bebo](http://www.bebo.com/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)? The social networking site that was once crazily popular with younger teens in 2007, [overtaking MySpace in the UK](http://www.zdnet.com/article/bebo-overtakes-myspace-in-the-uk/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page), has made a comeback this month as an app. Its slogan is "chat with attitude", and its style is a brightly-coloured maelstrom of hashtags and [Bitstrips](http://www.bitstrips.com/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)\-esque cartoon avatars.

The style probably isn't for everyone, or possibly anyone, but at least Bebo can't be accused of being staid or predictable. Its giddy, mashed-up, in-your-face approach to socialising probably encapsulates how Bebo's founders felt when they bought back the company for [1/850th of what AOL paid for it in 2010](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/02/bebo-founder-buys-back-site?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page). After a bargain like that, there's not much Bebo can do to hurt itself.

![A screencap from Bebo's messaging service, with a message reading "come on! it's friday night and you promised! #slap" followed by a cartoon woman slapping another woman](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/slap.png)

## “Facebook is a waste of time”

Like it or not, social networking is a time sink. Time spent on social networking sites can have a productive goal, such as building up contacts and improving your digital footprint, but most of the time that’s not why we go on them. We message friends, read articles linked in our news feeds, browse through photographs or make silly comments about the state of our lives. Now, if you really feel that social networking adds nothing to your existence, then the solution is simple: just don’t do it.

But if you don’t want to give up social networking and would rather find a way of justifying the time you already spend doing it, you might want to give [Tsu](https://www.tsu.co/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) a try.

![How much time have you wasted on Facebook](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/timewasted.png)

**My time wasted on Facebook, according to a fun [tool](http://time.com/6107/how-much-time-have-you-wasted-on-facebook/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) created by TIME for Facebook’s ten-year anniversary. I wish I could say the figures surprise me at all.**

## [Tsu](https://www.tsu.co/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page)

Tsu is a social networking site which provides its users with a financial incentive to post, share and interact with content. Yes, in theory you can get paid for social networking, but the reality isn’t as dreamlike and amazing as it sounds. Although Tsu shares 90% of its revenue from ads and sponsorship with its users, you’re competing with over 1.5 million other users for an infinitesimal share of that revenue.

Still, a tiny bit of money is better than none at all, right? Especially with an activity you’re already spending time on anyway. And Tsu has plenty of solid features which make it a viable replacement for other social networks even without the money. Neal Schaffer’s [*Maximise Social Business* article](http://maximizesocialbusiness.com/new-tsu-social-network-16300/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page) gives a more detailed look at Tsu’s functionality than I have room for here, but a few of its notable features include a visually attractive layout, detailed analytics, the ability to add a title to posts, and nesting comments so that each reply to a comment forms its own miniature thread (hidden, so the effect isn’t too cluttered). It also contains all the features we’ve come to expect from social networks like profile pictures, cover images, liking and sharing, hashtag functionality, life events, photo albums and so on.

But the money thing is why we’re really here, so let me try to break that down. Of the 90% of its revenue that Tsu doesn’t keep, half goes to the original poster of a piece of content. The rest is filtered down through that user’s “family tree”, starting with the user who invited them, and then the user who invited **them**, and so on using the “rule of infinite thirds” (the first person receives 1/3, then the next 1/9, and the next 1/27, etc.). This method of rewarding users for bringing their friends to the network has probably had a big hand in Tsu’s unbelievable growth rate, signing up a million users in just [five weeks](http://www.zdnet.com/article/new-social-network-tsu-signs-one-million-users-in-just-five-weeks/?ref=interhacktives.mymagic.page). As I said before, the size of its user base makes it all the less likely that your social networking will earn much at all, but Tsu’s users seem happy enough to shift their regular activity over to a new network and collect funds little by little.

![Revenue share on Tsu](http://www.interhacktives.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/sharedeconomics.jpg)

Tsu's diagram explaining the workings of its "shared economics"

So if one of your New Year's Resolutions is to make the break from Facebook, try one of these networks on for size. It might be the Next Big Thing, or it might be just what you've been looking for.