There’s a new kid on the block in social media land, and it is called Ello. I just signed up, and if you are an Ello member you can find and friend me at ello.co/gdanmitchell.

So, what is the deal with Ello? I’m certain that I don’t understand all of the ramifications yet, and I’m still coming up to speed on the process of determining how it works, the best ways to use it, and its goals. Here are a few brief comments based on what I’ve seen so far.

• A deep and important underlying concern for users of existing social media networks has to do with how information about all of us is being used — basically, everything we post and view is the subject of data mining by services like Facebook, and at times the whole thing can become just a bit scary. Part of the premise of Ello is that it will not follow this path and that it will be open about how it operates. *
• It is reasonable to ask how that will play out in the long run, as those who were early adopters of other systems such as Facebook recall that their goals also seemed entirely altruistic at first, and then they changed. I think that it is worth the “risk” to be in on the ground floor of something like Ello that is getting quite a bit of buzz and which may offer an alternative.
• Ello seems to have a goal of simplifying and streamlining the process of sharing and interacting with others.
• There are rough edges at this point, but Ello is also still in beta.

You can visit the Ello site and take a look for yourself — and while you are there you can apply to be part of the beta.

• Note that I used the word “premise” here. I understand that other services, including Facebook, that originally appeared to have very altruistic goals, eventually changed those goals in ways that are not so wonderful for end-users.

**“La Sirena” has not yet been shared elsewhere. I made the photograph on September 28 while visiting a place in the Carmel Highlands that is important in the history of American photography.

Morning Musings are somewhat irregular posts in which I write about whatever is on my mind at the moment.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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