App.net or ADN or App dot Net: what is it?

by Sean Sharp · June 21, 2013

What is App.net?

From the developers:

App.net is your passport to great applications. Use your App.net account to access a network of amazing social apps. Talk to friends with group messaging apps, share pictures and documents with file storage apps, and tell stories with microblogging apps—all while controlling your own data. Find apps you love and explore the possibilities: your account is your passport.

For software developers, App.net provides infrastructure to build social applications. Want to see what you can build on top of the App.net platform? Check out our API spec.

App.net launched in August of 2012. It’s owned and operated by Mixed Media Labs, founded by CEO Dalton Caldwell and CTO Bryan Berg.

App.net is a social network with a few new twists and turns. It is most commonly compared to Twitter, and in many respects it is very much like Twitter. It is a social network that allows you to have 256 characters, instead of Twitter’s 140. Perhaps the most important aspect is the open API for application developers who wish to create applications for this platform. Some of the applications that have already been created can be found here: https://directory.app.net/

The one catch with this is that one needs to pay to receive all of the features that it has to offer. Currently it is $36.00 per year, although there is a limited “free” version, as well. The free version only allows one to follow 40 people, however. If you would like an invitation, please email me below.

If you have any other questions, please contact me at ssharp@uoregon.edu. Thanks!