Watch out Facebook and Twitter, there’s a new kid on the block. Meet myApollo, a P2P (peer-to-peer) social network which promises to protect your data. But is digital privacy enough to tempt us to this newcomer?
myApollo is a peer-to-peer social network which promises to do what Facebook does not: protect user’s data. The service is privately funded, free to use, and doesn’t carry any advertisements. So far, that’s the only feature which makes myApollo different from our familiar social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But is digital privacy enough to tempt users?
In an interview with myApollo’s CEO, Harvey Medcalf, he explained, “myApollo will not change social networking, but it will offer an alternative.” Familiar features like commenting on and uploading photos, ‘smiling’ on a photo (the equivalent of ‘liking’) or updating a ‘quote’ (the equivalent of posting a status) will make myApollo appealing to social network veterans.
However, there’s no method for tagging friends in photos or quotes. You can share web links, but the links will not highlight in blue, which makes them less appealing to click on if a user feels they will not be re-directed. It is exclusivity like this which raises a question mark over myApollo’s ability to grow and develop as a social network.
Sometimes public file sharing can be phenomenal. The outburst of the recent ‘no makeup selfie’ campaign raised £8M for Cancer Research UK in the space of a week – thanks to tagging friends, sharing photos and providing web links to donate to the charity.
Despite this, Medcalf insisted that myApollo wasn’t completely exclusive in only sharing content with close circles of friends. He said that users can still see friends of friends comment on quotes and pictures, and they also have the option to make their own profiles public. So whilst myApollo offers privacy, it is still flexible.
So what about myApollo’s layout? On the app (the website is still under construction), it certainly looks simple and straightforward to navigate. The news feed is similar to Instagram with its single scrolling column of photos and quotes. At the top, there are options to upload a photo, post a quote or search for a friend. Its simplicity makes the layout of myApollo look less ‘cluttered’ than rival services, and for now, you can safely assume it won’t undergo a reskin every time the wind changes, à la Facebook.
Medcalf told us his company is relying on feedback and constructive criticism from users in order to develop and improve what’s on offer from myApollo, and again, this links back to Medcalf’s desire to please the consumer, rather than the corporation. He concluded: “[myApollo] is about providing a service to users who care about their privacy and putting the value back in user experience.”
We’ll keep you updated on any further news surrounding myApollo. Do you like the sound of a P2P social network? Think the concept of myApollo is strong enough to take on Facebook? Let us know in the comments below.
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