In the beginning, nobody questioned the social networks. They were a great way of keeping in touch with friends and making new ones.

Eventually, concerns started to mount, and new social network applications started popping up, promising users that they would “own their data.”

At Zurker, we’ve taken things a bit further. You don’t just own your data, you own the network. Every Zurker user can very easily become a co-owner (future shareholder) of Zurker.

Why is this cool? 

http://www.zurker.com/i-4405-jpywfwdmum

Zurker is a member-owned application.

This means Zurker isn’t owned by a select few venture capitalists who stand to make billions and billions. There is nothing wrong with the idea of venture capitalists making billions from tech investments, but in the case of a social network, the priorities get skewed.

If social networks are owned by VC’s and investment banks (such as Goldman Sachs) and other investors looking purely for profit, they gradually become orientated towards one thing and one thing only: making money. How do we mine more data from the users? How do we monetize their every action? How do we get them addicted to paid apps which improve the bottom line?

It’s not a bad thing for a social network to make money, but if squeezing every last penny from the user base is the abiding concern, the users aren’t going to get the best possible product.

http://www.zurker.com/i-4405-jpywfwdmum

Zurker is driven by democracy.

The traditional way for social networks to innovate has been top-down all the way. A small group of engineers make key decisions about what features should be made available. Sometimes, brilliant innovators (such as Steve Jobs) can come up with mind-blowing applications nobody knew they wanted.

But in many cases, the changes are driven by mundane things such as corporate politics, and the users are forced to adapt to changes because they have no choice.

At Zurker, we believe that if our members own the project, they will enthusiastically contribute ideas and feedback, allowing the Zurker development team to develop the social application most in tune with what people actually want.

http://www.zurker.com/i-4405-jpywfwdmum

Zurker is owned by you.

There are dozens if not hundreds of social applications on the web. All of them want your time, and most of them want you to help them grow by referring your friends. But why should you? The only people who benefit when those apps grow are the founders and their investors. They stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars each if their product takes off, so it’s no wonder they keep pressuring you to help them grow.

At Zurker, you are a co-owner and an investor. You can earn vShares by referring your friends. The more friends you invite, the more equity you earn. Zurker becomes better, and better, as more people join, increasing in value. As Zurker becomes more valuable, your stake becomes more valuable.

Like any other social network, we ask you to refer your friends. We ask you to do some work. But we make sure you get a slice of the pie in return.

Hello Everyone! You can connect with Geo Love here..

http://www.zurker.com/i-4405-jpywfwdmum

What would YOU do if YOU actually owned YOUR social future?

Chris Davies, Jan 30th 2012

Facebook Timeline and the Open Graphs “apps” are proving more turn-off than value-add to users, according to research by security firm Sophos and SlashGear, with many considering deleting their Facebook account after the recent profile changes. Over 51-percent of Facebook users told Sophos they were “worried” by Timeline, which lists all your activity on the site in chronological order; meanwhile, 45-percent of respondents to a separate SlashGear poll said they might abandon the social network in protest.

Sophos surveyed around 4,110 Facebook users, and discovered less than 8-percent actually like the new Timeline layout. Just over 8-percent said they thought they would get used to it, while a third said “I don’t know why I’m still on Facebook.”

In SlashGear’s own survey, just 3-percent of over 5,800 respondents said they were keen to take advantage of the new Timeline Apps. 5-percent said they intended to “try a couple of Facebook apps” but over a fifth of respondents said they were yet to be convinced.

Neither poll is scientific in its methodology, though both suggest that Facebook Timeline and the Open Graph Apps – which allow users to pull in more personal data culled from third-party services, such as when they eat at restaurants, travel or exercise – are still viewed with suspicion. Facebook made the new Timeline profile layout mandatory and will be forcing users to upgrade over the next few weeks, though early-adopters of the beta have been using it since mid-December and soon discovered that there was no way of turning it off.

Facebook maintains that Timeline shares no more information than the previous profile system, and that the Apps are accessible on a voluntary basis.

How do you feel about the timeline?