Eight social networks worth a closer look

Eileen Brown
Updated
If you are fed up with Facebook and tired of Twitter you might want a change of social scene. Try these up-and-coming social networks that are well worth a look for users and brands.

Do you feel that your social networking activities are becoming jaded? Are your social marketing efforts no longer getting the organic reach you need to really connect with your customers? Maybe it is time to reach a new audience on an up-and-coming social networking platform.

Here we round up some newcomers for you to try.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Ello was created as an ad free social network alternative to Facebook or Twitter. It states that it will never sell user data to advertisers or third parties, nor will it ever show advertisements. It does not enforce a real-name policy in response to Facebook's decision to enforce real names for its users. Many members of the LGBT community left Facebook for Ello.  

It received $435,000 in funding from Fresh Tracks Capital in January 2014 and a further $5.5 million in venture capital after becoming a benefit organization. It has been criticized for its minimalistic design and porn-friendly approach.

Alexa rank: 1,705

Image: Ello

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Founded in February 2008, the New York-based platform came out of stealth mode in October 2014. It now has over one million users who signed up to the platform by using an invitation code from another Tsu user.

Tsu's approach is to allow its users to maintain ownership of the content they produce and get paid for their efforts. It proactively removes spammers and effectively deals with copyright claims. Data is sold to advertisers and 90 percent of the profits are distributed among the content owners and content distributors.  

Alexa rank: 4,128

Image: Tsu

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Snapzu enables users to be anonymous if they choose. The platform resembes a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG). In Snapzu, users can generate experience points and build a reputation for being active online.

Users share links, images and video content for the community. It has game elements which allows you to interact while levelling up. You can become master of your own tribe and demonstrate your experience in certain areas. 

Alexa rank: 43,740

Image: Snapzu

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Founded in 2011, Beamly is a social television platform for mobile devices which enables users to follow TV shows and news about celebrities. Users can chat about programs and celebrities in TV chat rooms. There is a Beamly app for Android, iOS and a browser plug in for Chrome.

The platform reports that over 4 million users visit the site each month.

Alexa rank: 75,115

Image: Beamly

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Nottingham, UK-based Yappie is an audio micro-blogging app that lets users share their voices with the world. It raised £150,000 in seed investment in December 2012. You can record 60 second clips called Yapps, share them with your own followers or mark them as public.

The app is designed for people to tell their own stories with their own voice. Apps appear in real time in your news feed and can be posted directly to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or sent by email.  You can hear a sample of Yapps on the website and hear a selection of haunting, and interesting voices. 

Alexa rank: 563,160

Image: Yappie

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Boxego is a social networking app for iOS that is designed to help you record your important memories. It provides a private place to store your images, videos and text and the opportunity to share them with selected people — after you are gone.

You can record your important moments in your Boxego timeline. It ensures that your private posts stay private and are not edited, or forwarded with others outside of your network. Deleted posts are removed from recipients' inboxes. If you wish to make a post public, it can then be shared with other social networks.

Alexa rank: 13,147,363

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Privately funded Pineventz allows people to pin photos of their events, milestones and memories. Users can share event photos with groups of friends and keep memories alive in a designated area. It serves sponsored ads to its users and encourages brands to use its marketplace section to encourage buying decisions across the network.

Alexa rank: 15,864,893

Image: Boxego

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Launched in November 2014, MylifeB is designed to help its members discover similarly oriented ambitious people from around the world. It enables its uers to explore information as articles or posts, or earn money on content created by them. The founders want to maintain the creation of high quality content on the platform.

MylifeB splits 60 percent of all ad revenue from the network with its users — but its users need to reach 1,000 followers before they begin to earn money. Its premise is that there are many smart people sharing their know-how with others for free. The platform pays its users for useful content that users can share through pages or articles.

Alexa rank: 21,981,069

Image: MylifeB

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