Private Social Networks Emerge

Popular Social Networks are experiencing a bit of a “Mainstreaming” effect these days: baby pictures, couples, and the public airing of private pictures that get likes from that relative you didn’t even know had a Facebook — not to mention more serious information privacy concerns. So “private social networks” have gained traction recently, and ensure that you’ll always have a space to share photos, collaborate on projects, or organize carpools without revealing this information to the rest of the world. Examples include Everyme (organized like Google+, its simple UI coupled with data privacy guarantees security), Notabli (a private photo-sharing network that allows users to share photos and videos of their children with other family members), and Nextdoor (a hyper-local social networks that promises an easy way to keep in touch with neighbors). Whether these online communities gain as much traction as Facebook or Twitter remains to be seen, but it is important to note that privacy concerns are drawing people away from big social communities online, and that these new networks are a result of that.