Most social networking sites are built and sustained by selling their users' personal information to advertisers. In addition, Facebook and other platforms provide nearly as much space to flashy ads as they do to the work of helping people connect to their friends and family. Ello, which was created by designer and entrepreneur Paul Budnitz and was released in August 2014, seeks to be the antithesis of all that. The social media site does not sell its users' info or host ads. While one wonders how the company will ever make money, the resulting production is refreshingly simple and unflashy, with an artsy emphasis on beauty over profit. Sign up takes only minutes and the only requirement is a working email address.