Is Unthink.Com The 'Anti-Facebook'?

COMMENTARY | The new social networking website Unthink.com began beta testing on Wednesday, Oct. 26. It's calling itself the "Anti-Facebook".

The Tampa, Fla.-based startup wants to be everything that Facebook and rival Google+ are not, but will it catch on? They are not the first social media site to think they could pull off the feat.

The site was over capacity for most of Wednesday, partly due to savvy advertising and a hype-promoting YouTube campaign, but users are always excited for a new thing. When that new thing comes in a pretty, rebellious package like Unthink, it's no surprise that it will be popular.

But whether or not the popularity will last is the real question. Could the surge of popularity just be curiosity or hype? Here are some early impressions of Unthink.com.

When you first sign up for Unthink, the website tells you "It's FREE and you maintain your FREEDOM."

With such a profound statement, it's easy to see why people are getting into it. In a society full of corporate greed and injustice, the people want to take back what's theirs and this is a site designed to do just that. But can it live up to all the hype and promises?

Only time will tell for certain but at first glance, it's pretty solid. While it's still in beta so there are certainly bugs here and there, it's pretty polished overall. I participated in beta of several other social media sites as well as Gmail's email service (which I still use today) and I beta video games on a regular basis, so I know how to look past the bugs and to the true meat of a site or product.

The basic interface of the site is really busy - lots of windows everywhere and tons of options. This is going to be overwhelming to your less-savvy user but it's a necessity since it's all about customization and your own personal information. You have complete control over how much information you share and to whom you share it. All the default options are restricted (opposite to Facebook) and you will need to open them up as you choose.

You have to create four profiles to start with - basic, social, professional and lifestyle - which seems cumbersome but again is about your control. The site definitely has potential but it's a little rough around the edges right now, difficult to navigate and there seems to be no help functionality. You have to figure things out with trial and error for the most part.

The potential is there, but I'm not convinced yet it's going to be the end of Facebook. It could prove to be an excellent alternative, however.