Pakistan's 'halal' Facebook experiencing financial crunch

Daredevil

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Pakistan's "halal" version of Facebook, launched nearly two years ago after authorities briefly banned the social networking website over blasphemous cartoons, is in dire financial straits and seeking donations to pay server hosting bills.

MillatFacebook sought donations to pay for its US-based servers in an email sent to its users on December 10.

However, the email was riddled with "factual errors and highly suspect claims" that cast doubts on the integrity of its owners, The Express Tribune reported.

The website still insists on calling itself "the only Facebook rival", ignoring the existence of social networking sites like Google Plus, and claims it is spending thousands of dollars for web hosting.

MillatFacebook sought donations to "help us towards our goal of keeping this Peaceful Social Network run forever and defeat blasphemer Facebook".

"As you can imagine, cost of running a social network is never easy and very costly. Current month we are facing a shortfall of 581 USD in server payments. (We are paying 1000s of USD in server payments ourselves and now need your helping hand to meet this shortfall)," the email said.

According to websitetrafficspy.com, a leading source of internet traffic information, MillatFacebook attracts an average of two users a day.


Experts believe that with such low traffic, it would be unlikely that MillatFacebook would need to buy expensive web hosting facilities.

The website's Chief Operating Officer Umar Zaheer Meer acknowledged that the fundraising drive was not going well.

He claimed donors were reluctant to give money via credit cards owing to "cyber laws".

Meer claimed MillatFacebook had over 476,000 members but did not specify how many are active.

When it was launched in May 2010, MillatFacebook had claimed it would not have any paid advertising. However, it now has advertisements.

In contrast, Facebook has over one billion active users, including more than eight million Pakistanis.

MillatFacebook was launched soon after the Lahore High Court banned Facebook over a competition for blasphemous cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

Muhammad Azhar Siddique, who filed a petition that led to brief ban on Facebook, convinced Meer to start the website.

Soon after the launch of MillatFacebook, the High Court restored access to Facebook after authorities put in place measures to block webpages featuring the blasphemous caricatures.
 

Daredevil

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Ha ha, Pakistan's 'halal' facebook becomes 'haram', technologically speaking :rofl:
 

Bangalorean

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2 visitors per day? Like, really? And they still call themselves "competitors"? :crazy:

I'm sure the only visitors are the owner and someone else with him.
 

A chauhan

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Soon after the launch of MillatFacebook, the High Court restored access to Facebook after authorities put in place measures to block webpages featuring the blasphemous caricatures.
Oops! :D फ़ोकट में खर्चा करवा दिया फ़ेसबुक वालों ने, गुगली :D
 

Yusuf

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Owned by defpk guy by any chance? Just asking. Defpk guy expert in asking for donations and making a living out of it.
 

sorcerer

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Brazilian Evangelicals Create 'Sin-Free' Version of Facebook

A group of Brazilian Evangelicals has created their own version of Facebook social network named ‘Facegloria’ where reportedly the sinners are not welcome and where you click ‘Amen’ instead of ‘Like.’

Fluffy clouds flow in a blue sky on the main page of the Facegloria site, and when you receive a message a Gospel melody rings out. The Facegloria design resembles Facebook not by mistake; it was supposed to become a better and "sin-free" version of the world’s most famous network, one of the co-founders Atilla Barros told journalists.

"On Facebook you see a lot of violence and pornography. That's why we thought of creating a network where we could talk about God, love and to spread His word," Atilla Barros said.

The site was made by people who had worked at the mayor's office in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, near Sao Paolo. The goal of the religious group is to attract those Brazilian Evangelicals, who use other social networks, according to creators.

"We want to be morally and technically better than Facebook. We want all Brazilian Evangelicals to shift to Facegloria," Mr. Barros stated.

Over 100,000 users from Brazil have signed up for Facegloria in its first month of operation, according to creators’ statistics.

At the moment, signing up to Facegloria is free and anyone can join the network, but they should behave appropriately, following Evangelical religious rules of morality. There are 600 forbidden words and images depicting sexuality and violence are banned. About 20 recruited volunteers monitor the site for violations and to remove offensive posts.
"Our public doesn't publish these kinds of photos," said one of the volunteers, Daiane Santos, who is working for Facegloria for free six hours per day in addition to his regular job.

The reporter Chris Matyszczyk wrote on Cnet.com that such a site “is just another example of how people feel the need to gravitate to their own "kind" on social networks, rather than commune with the great unwashed and immoral.”


The creators of Facegloria are optimistic about the future of the site. They aim to reach an international audience, attracting to Facegloria people from all around the world. The target for the next two years is 10 million users.

"Our network is global. We have bought the Faceglory domaine in English and in all possible languages. We want to take on Facebook and Twitter here and everywhere," Atilla Barros said.

Brazil remains the country with the largest Roman Catholic population. But the number of Evangelical Christians has increased from 6 percent in 1980 to 22 percent in 2015. With dynamics like this Evangelicals will become the majority by 2040.




Read more: http://sputniknews.com/science/20150706/1024250133.html#ixzz3f4h6vmli
 

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