FIVE ALTERNATIVES TO THE FACEBOOK EMPIRE

UPDATED: Deleted Spreely and added Parler instead as option #1 below. Spreely's community was almost non-existent. Parler is much more active and has been making the media rounds as a solid Facebook alternative. Also hyperlinked my Parler and Liberty Society profiles.

As I have begun the process of taking hours of advertising classes and watching self-promotion videos in my quest to grow my website without the help of Google, Microsoft, Facebook or any app based out of China or Russia, I have come across a couple of social media alternatives. Many of you are likely aware of these social media networks. For me, this has all been a recent revelation. Over the next few months, I will be promoting www.expertofsome.com on four or five additional social media networks. Some of these choices maybe controversial. But I am going to do whatever I can to make this website work without feeding the belly of those three monopolistic beasts. Here they are.

1) PARLER - A website focused on unbiased reporting respecting free speech and no censorship. It does appear that according to their Terms of Use, that you can still get banned for specific personal threats or bad behavior. The website also seems to lean right wing at the moment. I started using it today. Here is my profile.

2) MEWE – The current number two of social media websites that are similar in scope to Facebook, MeWe's mission is a focus on data privacy and personal choice without the insidious advertising algorithm that makes Facebook billions. MeWe is my personal favorite social media website and if you are looking for an alternative to the Zuckerberg empire, this is it. I also just started using this website and my first impression is very positive. If you want to join me, here is my profile.

3) LIBERTY SOCIETY – This is a social media news site and discussion platform for old school conservatives and liberals as well as anarchists and libertarians. The focus of the website revolves around creating a community of like-minded individuals to help protect and bring back the freedoms this country used to honor. I am in the process of using this website. It is a little rustic and needs updating. Here is my current profile.

4) GAB – I was a user of Gab when it first came to notoriety. Called a Twitter clone but without the censorship that Dorsey’s platform is increasingly known, Gab has been adopted by followers of Donald Trump as well as many other radical right-wing minded individuals. Because of this, I cancelled my account a couple of years back. I am thinking about diving back in and giving the platform another shot. If I decide to move forward, I will post my profile here. 

5) MINDS – Another social media site that recently came to my attention is MINDS. The founder is tied into the internet freedom community and is an avid blogger about the dangers of government and technology merging into an authoritarian entity. The platform is based on open source technology. I will start an account shortly and give a review on my website. I also want to compare this to Mastodon, an open source website that I used sparingly in the past.

I hope to see some of you on these websites. Feel free to let me know your thoughts and I will incorporate that into my review.