What's Up With Ello, the Anti-Facebook Social Network?

By now, you've probably heard something about Ello, the ad-free, invite-only, independent social network that has seemingly gone viral over the last week.

The ad-free social network has quickly — and somewhat inexplicably — gained a reputation for being the "anti-Facebook." Which is odd, because new users tend to boast on Facebook about having scored an invite to the service.

While it's not clear what's behind the site's sudden surge in popularity (it launched in March to little fanfare), several reports have linked the rise of Ello to the recent firestorm caused by Facebook's so-called real name policy.

Facebook's policy, which requires all users to go by their legal name on the social network, has been in place for some time — but came under fire earlier this month as several drag performers and LGBT activists spoke out after being locked out of their accounts for not using their legal names.

The furor resulted in several San Francisco city officials getting involved — and, eventually, a meeting at Facebook HQ. But though Facebook agreed to temporarily give individuals affected by the policy back their accounts, the social network has so far not changed their rules.

This has apparently caused some in the LGBT community to move to Ello, which allows users to identify themselves by any name they want.

"We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment," Ello'smanifesto proclaims. "Not a tool to deceive, coerce, and manipulate — but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life. You are not a product."

The site itself is like a cross between Twitter and Tumblr though with more limited features. Users can post status updates, photos and GIFs and comment on their friends' posts. There is a search tool to find the people you know though it's been buggy and unreliable in our testing.

The creators have a long list of new features, including mobile apps and more privacy settings, they say are in the works. But the timing of those updates is unclear.

Meanwhile, the sudden popularity has fueled massive interest in the fledgling social network. Reports have surfaced claiming Ello is receiving anywhere from 4,000 to more than 30,000 requests an hour.

While these numbers have been reported in a number of publications, it doesn't appear they have been independently verified. Still, the network apparently received so many requests that it had to temporarily limit users' abilities to send them Thursday.

The site's more enterprising users are taking advantage of the situation — as dozens of beta invites have cropped up on eBay, with prices ranging anywhere from $5 to $150.

It's impossible to say whether Ello is the next big thing or just another passing fad — but it has definitely succeeded in getting the Internet's attention.