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What is CommonRoom?

CommonRoom is a social network designed to promote insightful discourse in a safe environment free of internet advertising. Unlike other social network products, it is not open to the general public. To join, members must be invited and pay a monthly fee.

Who runs CommonRoom?

CommonRoom is a product of Think Computer Corporation, which was founded by Aaron Greenspan.

Does it cost anything to sign up?

Are there banner ads on CommonRoom?

No.

Is there political advertising on CommonRoom?

No.

Is there a secret whitelist of rich and famous people who are exempt from the rules on CommonRoom?

No.

What are the rules on CommonRoom?

We're working on formulating them, but the guiding priciple is that contributions should promote constructive discourse or at least not cause any substantial harm. Duplicate and fake accounts are not permitted.

Can my company or brand use CommonRoom?

Yes, eventually. Any posts made on behalf of a company or brand will need to be visibly associated with a real person, however. There will be nominal fees for business/brand account setup and for company and brand tags.

Can I use a pseudonym on CommonRoom?

Yes, eventually you will be able to use a psuedonym, but you will need provide the system with proof of your real identity in order to do so, and rules are strictly enforced.

Is CommonRoom specifically for left or right-wing politics?

No. Users are encouraged to share any political views they have that are rooted in fact.

What makes CommonRoom different from other social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn?

A lot. Since CommonRoom doesn't depend on banner advertising for revenue, it has a fundamentally different business model than other social networking sites you may have heard of. Here are some other differences:

• Think Computer Corporation isn't funded by venture capital. That means we have the option of growing our products at a slow, reasonable pace—or not at all.
• Instead of treating everyone you know as a "friend" or a "follower," we let you break down your connections to other people in ways that make intuitive sense.
• Tags are part of what makes CommonRoom unique: you can associate tags with people you know, messages, posts, and even files.
• We don't track your use of other websites.
• We don't lie about our user numbers.
• We don't care how often you use the product because the monthly fee is the same no matter what.

Does CommonRoom use cookies?

Yes, but only on the CommonRoom website. Our cookies simply tell our site that you're signed in and make the site function. It would be really difficult to make anything work without them. We do not use advertising tracking cookies.

Could all of this change?

Anyone who isn't concerned about bait-and-switch tactics from social media companies hasn't been paying attention. Anything on this page could change, and it should be expected that some things will over time. But if and when they do, there will be a good reason and we'll explain it to you.

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