ALTERNATIVES TO FACEBOOK
There is no
denying that Facebook has helped many people keep in touch with friends and
family, rekindle old relationships and forge new bonds. But if you’re ready for
a change, Ashutosh Desai and Savio D’Souza tell you about smaller online social
networks that are more private, and cater to communities of people with common
interests
MEWE | mewe.com
This private social network does not share your data;
there are zero advertisements, it does not use cookies to track usage, and you
can download all of your content at any time. Your MeWeprofile will
not appear in web searches and friends can only be added to your contacts via
an e-mail invite.
The service lets you share photos, videos, voice
messages and post status updates. You can even add events to your calendar,
upload and share documents, create private special interest groups and chat
with others in your network. You get complete control over who gets to see what
on your timeline. When you sign up, you get up to 8GB of free storage space and
you can access your account with its mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
DIASPORA | diasporafoundation.org
On the issue of privacy, Diaspora scores
even higher than MeWe. When you click on the Sign Up button on the
landing page, you are prompted to select from a list of ‘pods’, based on
details like their uptime, location, number of users, and the services (such
as Twitter and Facebook) they offer.
Pods are essentially independently-run servers that
exist all over the world to create a decentralised network that is not owned by
a single entity.
If you are undecided, you can let Diaspora select
a pod for you. After that, you can create a profile with as little personal
information as you like. Like most social networks, you can start following
people from all over the world (not just from the pod you have signed up
on). Diaspora lets you make formatted posts—just like Facebook— complete
with mentions, videos and images.
And for added security, you can also organise your
contacts. This means you can share things just with family members or
colleagues, knowing that only they will be able to see what you post.
PATH | path.com
Path is
primarily a smartphone-based social network, where all its features are
available via its Android and iOS app (you get limited access via a web
browser). This ad-free service is a lot like Facebook: You can
record a video cover story (like Instagram), ‘check-in’ to let your
friends/ followers know where you are, and share links to music and movies you
are currently playing.
The app lets you search your timeline by ‘moments’,
locations and special occasions like birthdays or holidays. You get a separate
tab to browse trending posts, and you can even run a hashtag search for more
specific updates.
Path also has
a messenger for private chats where you can share files, photographs and audio
messages with friends. Privacy settings let you control how much information is
shared, prevent your profile from being searchable or tagged in photos, and
even auto-block all friend requests.
BEHANCE | behance.net
This ‘social network’ is where illustrators,
designers and photographers can showcase their work. It is also a place where
companies scout for the talent they need.
After you create a free account, you can post your
work under your profile page. Users can also create Projects, which is a
grouping of images, videos, and other digital content that follow a theme or
process. You get an appreciation counter that shows you how many people have
viewed your project and liked it.
Similar to all social networks, Behance also
allows users to follow each other so they can view all updates on their
timeline. But that’s not all, to promote users with a great portfolio, it also
curates content to showcase them upfront for users to discover, like and
critique.
BANDLAB | www.bandlab.com
BandLab is a
community for budding musicians. After you register with the service, you can
record or upload multiple audio tracks, edit them and even publish your
compositions on the service for others to like, comment and share.
In its “Mix Editor” mode, you can use virtual
instruments like the piano, drums and bass guitar to create rhythms. You can
also browse its Loops database for free sample tracks from popular songs, which
you can incorporate into your songs.
You can follow other musicians’ work, and even use
their song to create a new version. Your song will include credits to the
original artist as well. And if you’re keen, you can even collaborate with
other members to form an online band.
GOODREADS | goodreads.com
BOOKLIKES | booklikes.com
Goodreads, which is
also part of the Kindle e-books ecosystem, is easily one of the best social
networks for people who love to read. After you create a free account, you are
prompted to select the genres of books you like; rate the titles you’ve already
read, and mark those you’d like to read. Goodreads then uses
this data—of at least 20 book ratings—to suggest new titles you might find
interesting. Every book listed carries a rating out of five, which is based on
reader feedback and reviews. You also can join specific groups – Indian
readers, espionage fiction, thrillers, etc – to find like-minded book fans.
If you’re looking for something extra, you can start
a blog on BookLikes. Like Goodreads, this service lets
you see what others are reading; you can maintain a catalogue of the books
you’re reading, have read, and want to read. Book Likes even
lets you participate in group discussions to get suggestions for future reading
choices.
Users can write reviews, rate titles out of five
stars and even follow other site members to view updates in their timeline. So
if you love books, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be a member of at least
one, or both social networks.
INSTRUCTABLES | www.instructables.com
If you’re one of those that likes to tinker around
and build new stuff during your free time, then Instructables is
for you. After you set up a free account, you can search for projects, whether
it’s something in woodworks, mechanics, cooking, home hacks, crafts,
photography, electronics, etc.
Each step-by-step tutorial by other Instructables members
is designed to guide you to its completion with the help of photographs. Instructables lets
your interact with the author of the tutorial with questions you might have,
and it even suggests tips for others to follow. You can, of course, show your
appreciation by ‘liking’, posting a comment, and even sharing your own work
with photographs after clicking on the “I Made It” button.
If you opt for a paid account, you can even download
and print PDF files of the projects to refer to while you work on them at your
own pace.
Like it is with all social networks, you can follow
other users, and if you are so inclined, even post your own DIY projects. The
site provides you with an interface that helps you author your tutorial to make
it easy to understand and follow.
COOKPAD | cookpad.com
Cookpad is
social network for those who love to cook. You can search or submit recipes via
your web browser or its mobile apps for Android and iOS handsets. Here, you
will find thousands of homemade dishes categorised by cuisine (Indian, Chinese,
Italian…), meal type (breakfast, lunch, dessert…), ingredients (rice, egg,
milk…), region (Andhra, Bengali, Maharashtrian…) and more. And if you use the
app, you can browse dishes by popularity and approximate location.
You can favourite recipes for later reference, follow
members to get notified of new submissions and also chat with them in real time
via the Cookpad app. The service also lets you submit a
snapshot of the dish you made to its creator’s recipe page.
The process of submitting a recipe is also simple:
The user interface prompts you to enter details like a title, ingredients used,
along with step-by-step instructions and pictures for each. Moreover, Cookpad holds
seasonal contests and even awards winning members with prizes.
TOI 24MAR18
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