Have you backed App.net with $50 yet?

I’ve just committed to give $50 to the team behind App.net. They’re running their very own ‘Kickstarter’ to help get their service rolling.

Here’s the overview:

App.net is a different kind of social platform.Were building a real-time social service where users and developers come first, not advertisers.Our team has spent the last 9 years building social services, developer platforms, mobile applications and more.We believe that advertising-supported social services are so consistently and inextricably at odds with the interests of users and developers that something must be done.Help us create the service we all wish existed.

via Join the Movement – App.net.

Whilst I think Twitter and Facebook will still continue to skyrocket, I think there is definitely a space for a service like App.net.

I’m very much drawn to the idea of a service that ‘puts users first, not advertisers.’

Fundamentally, I’d like to see a third way. An alternative to the biggies of Google+, Twitter, Facebook.

So I’ve stuck $50 down.

If you’re anyway involved in social and mobile, I think it might be worthwhile doing the same and seeing where App.net goes.

There’s a bit of background from Dalton here that’s worth a read.

Oh, and if you’re looking for another reason for splurging $50, you can choose your own username at the moment. I’ve got ‘ewan’… [Which means my (highly respected) social-username-nemesis, Ewan Spence, will need to do some innovating of his own! But seriously Mr Spence, if you want ‘ewan’, I would be happy with ew4n.]

What’s also rather interesting is that the Alpha service is currently filled with the who’s who of mobile-social-valley-coolaid-smart-folk. My colleague Ben Smith is already live on the service interacting with the other cool dudes and dudettes. I’m hoping my account will be active shortly so I can do so too. I might see you there…