Social networking is nothing new. In the last 10 years Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram have changed our perception of the Internet and what we can do in it. The past decade saw the creation of so many social media platforms. The majority of them wanted to challenge the big game players but failed spectacularly.
Anyone remember these?
However, there were also success stories. A good example is Ello.co. Despite initial struggles to acquire users and maintain a steady user growth, this social media platform has managed to survive.
Today Ello is a neat space for graphic designers and illustrators, who can also make money by selling their art through the network.
What is happening in 2018?
There is a new generation of social networks that have been entering the playing field for the past couple of years. There are also fascinating technologies empowering some of these networks.
Do you want to be an early social media adopter?
Do you want to become part of the next big social networking platform?
Go ahead and explore the opportunities in the following list.
Micro.blog
Micro.blog is created by Manton Reece – developer and podcaster living in Austin, Texas. The platform was launched with a Kickstarter campaign in January 2017. It is a place to discover people and share ideas with other members of the growing Micro.blog community.
Micro.blog has a minimalist timeline design, similar to what Twitter offered as user experience in its early days, with replies and favorites, and it’s based on the RSS technology. You can use Micro.blog to publish at your own domain name and control your own content. The platform has a full publishing interface with Markdown support and a native iPhone app, which is available on the App Store.
Register for free, bring your own blog, or let Micro.blog host a microblog for you with a simple paid subscription.
Phaant
Phaant is founded by Margaret Prescott. The platform is said to help people connect, create, save, and share together.
Phaant is still in development. You can visit the official website, subscribe with your email address and be among the first people to try this social media platform.
You can also support Phaant on Indiegogo.
Mastodon
Mastodon is described as the world’s largest free, open source, decentralized microblogging network. There are thousands of unique, interconnected Mastodon communities to choose from, filled with different people, interests, and languages.
The Mastodon communities are gathered in servers, which are separate and independently owned. The servers are called instances. Each one has different moderation policies and interests. You can choose the community that feels the most comfortable to you or create your own for your friends, family or organization.
Mastodon has tools to control who sees your posts and a 500-character limit. All posts in your timeline are in chronological order, which is an awesome benefit in a social networking world ruled by shady algorithms.
Browse the Mastodon instances (servers) here and join the conversations.
Sola
Sola is a decentralized social network that is said to spread information like a virus infection. The platform is powered by SOL – a cryptocurrency, which can be exchanged for fiat money – and allows Sola to split revenue with its users. You earn SOL when people see your content.
Charles Fuchs (@stackin) wrote a detailed post about Sola on Steemit. You can read it here.
Register an account and get 5 SOL for free!
Appics
Appics is described as a next generation, reward-based social media application that let users monetize the time and creativity they spend on social networks.
Appics enables all users to earn a share of the platform’s value, as well as influence in the network, through a cryptocurrency reward token – XAP.
There is a very detailed step-by-step guide on how to register on Appics by @gutzygwin on Steemit.