Ello is everywhere. I can’t look at Twitter, my Google Alerts, or (funnily) Facebook without coming across some reference to the social networking site rolling past my eyes or making its way down my feed.
Nice work, Ello. And more power to you.
All of the coverage focuses on the same few concepts. Whether it’s the anti-Facebook or the antidote for Facebook, there’s no denying that it’s “simple, beautiful, and ad-free social network” message is resonating and gaining traction.
If you’re a glass half-full sort of person, you embrace the message Ello is pushing forward. If you’re a glass half-empty sort of person, you acknowledge that Ello’s place as an alternative is driven by backlash — people raging against the Facebook machine. And let’s not forget about the people who are actually thinking about the privacy side of things — the people who can be half-empty or half-full, but don’t want you to know which one they are and store that information to sell them more glasses in the future.
For all this talk, I can’t get past the experience. I couldn’t do a thing on Ello without email:
1. I requested an Ello invite from a friend via email
2. I received my invitation to Ello via email
3. I get notified of any important updates (new followers notably) via email
It’s a simple, beautiful social network built by designers and focused undeniably on the customer experience. And as someone with a whole ton of #emaillove, I can’t help but walk away from Ello feeling better about the future of email.
We’ve built a business around the idea of the email address as your keys to the online world. Without your email address, you can’t set up your phone, you can’t buy things online, you can’t download many apps — and per my recent experience, you can’t even start social networking anew.
Email message sent. LiveIntent message validated…once again.
What do you think? Were you surprised by the role email played in your Ello experience?
