Join Zurker, a social network you can own
Brad Chin

Join me at Zurker!
Zurker is a new social network that I was invited to today, and a concept that seems very interesting. Unlike Google+ and Facebook, Zurker gives its users partial ownership of the network through vShares.The concept seems like crowd-funding (like kickstarter) applied to a social network. Their intro video asks if you use social networks, or do they use you? Facebook sells user data to businesses, and while on the surface, this means better targeted, more relevant advertisements for users, it could be much more invasive. Just take a look at the Facebook user agreement, and tell me, do you know how to delete your account?
That's just the start. Facebook allows many applications developed by small firms to access most of your information, even when you aren't using the app. Facebook has privacy issues and has had security problems... and will again.
Zurker doesn't own your content or control your information. You can create pages for projects and businesses. The only caveat: you can only have the one account. But if you get in early, you can get more vShares, and get a nice username!
It takes a few minutes, and hey, Zurker could be the next big thing, and you can own a piece of it! That sounds like smart long-term investing to me... and the entry fee? A few clicks, email validation, and account setup. Simple.
Six degrees of separation.
Just think, if I invite you, you invite your friends, and they invite theirs, a few more steps, and voila! everyone has a new online playground. Zurker feels like LinkedIn and Facebook together, and is designed for adults. Members will be able to vote on the direction of the network and its features. Sounds cool to me.
Whatever you decide, please let me know what you think.