Top social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have undoubtedly gained immense popularity and are dominating the social media via mobile devices, which is something that other social media websites haven’t been able to deliver. However, there are a number of other social media networks that also have a strong presence. They may not be as popular as the top-rung platforms, but they have a significant impact on the social networking landscape.

Having a presence on these social media networks could be useful for business and personal purposes.

Some of these include:

Diaspora

The platform Diaspora is an online social world that puts your data back in your own hands, according to its own slogan. Its range of functions is similar to those of Facebook in that users can publish status updates, share posts and images, and comment on other people’s posts. And just like on Facebook, you can control who gets to see your own posts as well.

Diaspora uses hashtags to order posts, meaning that you can use these to find like-minded people who share your interests. Linking Diaspora to your Facebook profile is also possible, and the software has its own chat function. Diaspora is also an open-source project.

One of the main features that Diaspora prides itself on is its decentralisation; the platform consists of many different networks, known as pods. User data isn’t collected and stored centrally by the provider, instead, the infrastructure is distributed by users themselves, with data carried by these so-called pods. If you have good technical know-how, you can actually operate your own pod, which essentially functions as a server. This means that you can be certain that your private data remains private and in your own hands. Less technically gifted users can use ‘open pods’ in the network instead.

With a little over 60,000 new users joining in the past 6 months, Diaspora is certainly only a very small drop in the ocean compared to Facebook. However, its decentralised system and the control over your own data that comes with it makes Diaspora a definite option for users concerned about data protection. The final benefit of  Diaspora is that it is completely free of adverts.

Ello

Since its founding in 2012, the operators of Ello have taken on a challenging task: they want to establish Ello as the leading, ad-free alternative to Facebook and other social media platforms. This means that they’ll avoid personalised advertising at all costs. With Ello, there’s absolutely no forwarding of user data for advertising purposes and that isn’t likely to change. The platform is financed by a freemium model that involves the exchange of individual functions for small payments.

There’s no official data about the number of users currently on the Ello network, but various sources range from 1.5 million to 4 million registered users, although the number of active users is assumed to be relatively low.

When it comes to searching for additional sources of income to finance the project, Ello’s founders are rather creative: they have plans to begin generating revenue through user transactions carried out on their network. One of Ello’s principles is that its users aren’t obliged to use their real names, which had previously been the case at Facebook and caused outrage.

When it first started out, Ello was a closed network, only accessible through an invitation to join from a registered user. This has since been relaxed, and today Ello is available for all interested parties. Critics of the site claim that Ello can’t really be considered a true Facebook alternative because it’s lacking many of the basic functions required to compete. For example, private communication between users via a chat box function is currently not possible.

Ello’s focus instead is on high-quality content for all to see, making it an excellent environment for artists and photographers. Users from creative backgrounds are often attracted by Ello’s simple, minimalistic design, leaving lots of space for user posts to shine.

EyeEm

The photo application from EyeEm, a startup based in Berlin, is less of a direct Facebook alternative. But its clear focus on images makes it a definite alternative to Facebook-owned Instagram and other networks that feature a lot of visual content. The photo app is available for Android and can also be accessed via your browser.

According to sources at the company, the app currently has around 18 million users (Figures accurate as of June 2016). The platform is growing, collecting big investments and extending its functions and features on a regular basis. The basic premise is the same as Instagram’s: EyeEm is a platform made for sharing photos. Snapshots and professional images can be uploaded and then shared with the community on EyeEm and other linked networks, with a range of different filters and editing tools to add that extra star quality.

One feature that’s specific to the business model for EyeEm is that users can offer their own photos voluntarily on the startup’s marketplace. EyeEm sells these images with stock licenses to Getty Images and other purchasers and users then receive a share of the revenue generated. This means that EyeEm isn’t just a platform for displaying images, you can make money from them too. And it’s not just an incentive for the user to post as high-quality photographic content as possible: the social network itself requires this in order to finance its business through advertising.

As a Berlin startup, EyeEm has to follow German data protection laws, which are stricter than those in the UK, and the user-friendly presentation of data protection information on the network has also received great praise. Users have access to the full terms and conditions of the data uploaded to the site and how it will/won’t be used, but they also receive a simple, comprehensible summary of this.

Vero

Vero is an exciting Facebook alternative that was released in 2015, but has only recently seen a huge influx of new users. At the beginning of March 2018, for example, CEO Ayman Harari, worth billions of euros, announced an increase of more than three million users after Vero had previously been a relatively niche app with around 200,000 active members.

Effective influencer campaigns played an important role in this rapid growth, but another factor is the current offer of free lifetime membership. The app, which is available for iOS and Android, might only be available with a paid annual subscription in the future. However, the offer has been initially extended until further notice.