Next on my list is onG Social.
Regular review readers will know I'm assessing Facebook alternatives via these parameters: Brief introduction; What THEY say; Positives; Negatives; Ease of sign-up, use & connection with others and 'Money' Munson's verdict. All are here on Steemit and voiced as podcasts on Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/radio-for-a-world-that-works
onG, for me, (short for 'One Name Global', I believe) is truly 'next generation', boasting all the features I'm looking for for the coming years and making all the right noises. For your gran, this is not going to be an easy step - but nor was Facebook when it first arrived, simple as their old screens seem now.
[Image Source: Reddit user cle1110 via Imgur]
The world of social media (and grandmas) has changed, is changing. So let's crack on...
Brief introduction to ONG
onG is a BIG step. Tackling content ownership, redistribution of wealth, censorship, manipulative algorithms, the rehumanisation of social networking, and privacy - these guys have bitten off a big mouthful of social media innovation. They're also seasoning their mouth-watering vision with a tasty ICO (Initial Coin Offering), and come to your screen piloted by Delaware-based OneName Global, Inc., with a market value of $25 million, and support from IBM, since 2014.
A communally-minded project, with the battle-cry: “Achieve More Together”, it looks like onG want people to be 'users', not the 'used'; they want content creators to get paid, and their excellent 'content mirroring' idea addresses migration inertia and platform fatigue - by allowing you to post everywhere from one site, theirs, whilst safeguarding your content.
What's more, it's up and running - "onG.social is live right now! You can test it out for yourself before it goes into the blockchain!"
What THEY say
Read the words: "What is onG.social? onG.social is a block chain based social dashboard that provides ease of control for both central-decentralized social media networks and that also supports community building and social interaction with cryptocurrency rewards."
Now watch the video:
Calming increasing anxiety in the ICO space, they also add: "Most ICOs are based on very well thought out concepts that are seeking funding to test their idea. Our ICO is to take our proven product into the blockchain. Having a functioning product before an ICO increases its value significantly."
And on content and intellectual property anxiety: "More than ever people are having to worry about the future of their years of hard work on Social Media platforms. Too many talented people are being squeezed out of their hard work and carefully crafted content by profit driven algorithms meant to exclude people not bring them together. That is not what we believe in at all. We believe that we “Achieve More Together”. Through our proprietary technology and the open nature of blockchain technology we can secure your hard work in perpetuity."
[Meet the onG team]
ong's Value Statement: "As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, transparency, enthusiasm, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continuous self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed as a team to our customers and partners and in providing excellence in all that we do. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality."
On the thorny issue of truth and trust: "Gravity - onG places a special emphasis toward a weighted compensation algorithm called Gravity™ that measures and rewards community verified truth and overall global impact for each post made to social media."
Positives
- Blockchain-based (Etherium ERC20)
- Efforts to verify truth and build trust - 'Gravity'
- No post preferencing algorithms from onG; you decide your feed and community preferences
- onG posts can be selected for simul-posting (my term) on other major platforms, they call it 'content mirroring'
- Use it for blogging
- Create your own advertisements, get paid!
- Messaging system - 'Conversations'
Negatives
- NOT a pretty User Interface (UI) in these early days
- Visionaries and pioneers ONLY at this stage, tell your gran she can see your onG posts on Facebook and Instagram!
- In the 'empty playground' category as it stands - #tumblweed when it comes to interaction
Ease of sign-up, use & connection with others
Sign-up is straightforward and possible via existing network memberships:
Once in, onG's complexity of aspiration does not make for plain sailing. But that's forgiveable and understandable, for now.
I posted my customary invitations to converse and offer feedback on other user's experiences, via a couple of random blurts, and - again understandably - received returned. This is a network that grows over time, inside-out (like Vero), not outside-in (like Mastodon).
'Money' Munson's verdict
Don't expect traction or reaction; make time to dig in and explore. Though not attractive or engaging on-screen, the UI has depth and features-a-plenty, a treasury that will reveal itself, if you'll make the effort.
I'm in and won-over. They had me at "blockchain"!
They have a 'CVO' - Chief Visionary Officer. And interviews I've seen with the team offer an authentic sense of excitement and passion for the task ahead.
[MMA, UFC Icon, Celebrity, Analyst, and Model Kenny Florian talks Cryptocurrency and ICO's with Adrian Rosenbusch, CVO for onG.social!]
These are my kind of people, creating my kind of network with their love of privacy, equity, decentralisation, freedom and respect. As an avid creator and consumer of #socmed, fast approaching a 'social media super-size me' vomit scene, the onG 'content mirroring' innovation is a great inclusion for my purposes.
There are no ads, except the ones you allow. There are no connections except the ones you create.
Sign up for OnG Social here: https://ong.social/ where you can find me as 'Carl Munson' - https://ong.social/carlmunson, and God knows I could do with some friends there (-:
Keep an eye on onG's progress via their roadmap, here - https://www.ongcoin.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/onG.social-Roadmap.pdf
If you want to put your money where my mouth is, there's more about onG's ICO here: https://www.ongcoin.io/
A more detailed press release about onG here: http://www.prunderground.com/ousting-censorship-and-upping-the-social-media-blockchain-ante-ong-social-launches-ico/0095825/
Please note: Features and opinions are subject to change. This review is written in good faith and intent. Comments are welcome. Relevant adjustments and edits will be gladly made. Screenshots are shared for illustrative purposes only.