Originally founded on February 4, 2004 by a college student named Mark Zuckerberg (who has since become one of the most influential individuals in the world) and a few of his friends, Facebook actually had its starts as “Facemash”ーa program that was often compared to the site, Hot or Not. Seemingly an instant hit, Facemash attracted hundreds of visitors during its first few hours online. Later expanding on the project, he began writing new code for what would eventually become Facebook. Taking off almost immediately after its launch, the site attracted a number of big-name investors within the first few months. By 2007, Facebook had an estimated value of approximately $15 millionーnot too shabby for something that was originally intended to be a fun project by a college student. As of 2011, it was the second-most accessed website in all of the United States, second only behind the big G.

As amazing as it is however, Facebook has one draw backーit can be a terrible distraction. If you’re a student, then you’re probably familiar with how excellent the site is for procrastination; everything on there is just so much more interesting than what you’re supposed to be doing. Considering this, it’s no surprise that many schools have blocked or “banned” their students from accessing Facebook; they want their pupils to be focused on the tasks at hand after all. But what if you really had to access the site? Is there a way to do so without getting yourself in trouble? The short answer to that is, yes. If you want to know howーwhich I’m assuming you do, since you’re hereーjust read on!

Fun Facebook Facts – Did You Know?

• There are over 1.15 billion active users on the site daily
• The most common age demographic is Ages 25 to 34, at 30%
• Five new accounts are created on Facebook every second
• 300 million photos are uploaded onto the site every day
• The average user spends approximately 20 minutes on Facebook
• Over 500,000 comments are posted every minute

How do Schools Block Facebook?

Schools are able to place certain websites, Facebook in our case, on a “blacklist” using an Internet filter. As long as the filter is in place, students are unable to access the website. An ongoing process, blacklisting allows for the institutes to control what their users are capable of accessing on the internet as a whole. By putting Facebook on a blacklist, schools are effectively able to limit the amount of “obscene material” viewed by their studentsーwhich is in fact, mandated by the CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act).

Alternatively, a school can also utilize the use of Whitelists. Working the filters in the opposite way, they are considerably more prohibitive than blacklists in that users are only able to access websites that have been “whitelisted” by the institute. While it may serve as an effective way to keep students away from websites that have been deemed “harmful”, the sword is two sidedーit can also lead them to miss out on potentially useful resources.

However there is good newsーsuch lists can easily be bypassed by the use of a proxy.

What is a Proxy?

Since your computer has been blocked from accessing the server of a website, you’ll need to use a “middleman”, which essentially is a proxy. With it, users do not send direct requests to the site’s server itself (which is usually required for you to access a website); instead, your computer sends the request to the proxy, which then sends them to the site’s server for you. Giving the blocking software  the impression that the user is simply visiting the proxy website, when in fact, they are visiting the blocked website, Facebook, you are able to overcome the bypass.

There are generally two typesーweb proxies, and proxy servers. Let’s take a brief look at each of them.

A little more user-friendly compared to the second option, web proxies are easy to use in that all you have to do is type in the URL of the site (e.g. Facebook.com) that you’d like to access, from their page. Press the go button, and you’re ready to browse!

In contrast, using a proxy server can be a little more complicated; they require set up. Unlike the former option, they can only be accessed using its port number and IP addressーwhich you must configure your browser to for proper accessing of the website.

On this page, we’ll be going over eight different ways on how you can bypass your school’s block on Facebook. Some methods may be more straight forward than others; some may require downloads, others may not but one thing’s for sureー there is always a way to browse Facebook, even if it is blocked.

How to Unblock Facebook – Method #1: Access Facebook via its IP

The funny thing is, many of the filtering mechanisms mentioned above, only work to block Facebook in full url. To put it simpler, they are configured so that one cannot access http://facebook.com. Although this method depends on the specific type of filtering that your school uses, it’s easy and worth a try.

Step 1: To do so, first you’ll have to retrieve the IP address of Facebook, which can be found using the site various sites such as get-site-ip.com and ipinfo.info.

Step 2: Once you’ve got the IP address, the next step is simply to paste it into the address bar of your web browser. Easy peasy!

How to Unblock Facebook Method #2: Use a Secure Web Proxy

As mentioned previously, proxy servers are excellent at allowing you to access blocked websites by acting as a traffic middlemanーyou don’t even need to download anything at all! While many require paid subscriptions, there are several free options out there, just give it a google. (e.g. Proxify, Shadow, kProxy, etc).

Step 1: Visit the site of the Web Proxy

Step 2: Enter the URL for Facebook (e.g. http://www.facebook.com) on the main screen

Step 3: Press go and be free to surf Facebook!

How to Unblock Facebook Method #3: Use a VPN

What is a VPN?

A VPNーaka Virtual Private Networkーallows you to browse the internet, all while keeping your identity and browsing details private. By concealing your IP address and encrypting all of your data, nobody (e.g. the blocking system that your school has in place) will know where you’re accessing the site from nor what you are doing; to put it in other words, you’re basically connecting from an entirely different location, through a VPN. While this may sound similar to a proxy, there is a major differenceーVPNs encrypt all of your data, giving you a much safer browsing experience; not only do they route all of your traffic through their servers, but they also replace your ISP. When security or privacy is a concern, VPNs are almost always used.

Although they are powerful tools, there is a downsideーmany VPNs out there are not free. In fact, many companies charge a fee for these services (although some may offer a free trial). While you may be tempted to go with a free VPN (yes, they do exist), do keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for these companies to handle data insecurely by using outdated encryption or even sell your data to third parties! It goes without saying, be sure to do your research! Some of our favourites include: Surf Easy VPN, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN.

Step 1: Sign Up with your VPN service of choice

Step 2: Download and setup the necessary client software on your computer/laptop/mobile device

Step 3: Choose a location to connect from (the choices will be different for each VPN). If you want to maximize internet speed, you may wish to select a region that is physically closest to you although it is not necessary.

Step 4: Connect via the software. After doing so, you can open Facebook on your device.

Step 5: Easily surf Facebook now that you have unblocked access!

How to Unblock Facebook Method #4: Use Google Translate

As funny as it may sound, Google Translate can actually be a powerful tool when it comes to accessing blocked websitesーit’s a great workaround! As you’re probably aware, the site allows for you to translate a page into another language. If you’ve ever used Google Translate, you’ll have absolutely no problem accessing Facebook through this method.

Step 1: Head on over to Google Translate (translate.google.com) in your desired web brwoser

Step 2: From “Detect Language” on the left, select any language apart from English. For example, you can select “Albanian”

Step 3: Select “English” to be your destination language

Step 4: In the source field, type in the Facebook URL (e.g. http://www.facebook.com) and click the blue Translate button on the top right.

Step 5: You will now have full access to Facebook! You can thank Google for that one.

How to Unblock Facebook Method #5: Use a URL Shortener

In some instances, a blocked website can be accessed through a shortened URL. You’re probably familiar with such services (e.g. TinyURL or Bitly); these shorteners essentially shorten the URL of a website so that you have less to copy and paste. What you may not be aware of, is that aside from making the URL easier to ctrl c/v, it may also serve as a means of accessing Facebook. Here’s another super easy option for you guys.

Step 1: Go to your URL Shortener of choice

Step 2: Enter Facebook’s URL (e.g. http://www.facebook.com) into the source field and press enter

Step 3: Following that, you will be given a shortened link. Next, copy and paste that link to the address bar your preferred web browser.

Step 4: You’re done!

How to Unblock Facebook Method #6: Use Google Cache

As if Google wasn’t useful enough, they have another potential way for you to access Facebook. Every time their spiders index a website, they store a snapshot or a “cache” as a backup. By using said backups, you can easily access the social media site, given that you’re okay with viewing an older version of said page.

To use this method, simply click on the small downward arrow next to the URL of the page on Google, and press “Cached”.

How to Unblock Facebook Method #7: Use a Mobile Hot-Spot

Assuming that you have data on your phone, you can easily access Facebook by creating and tethering to a mobile hot spot. To do so, simply create a hot spot on your device (e.g. methods vary depending on your smartphone). After setting up a wireless password for said hot spot, you’ll want to connect to it via Wi-Fi from your computerーand that’s it! With this, you’re bypassing the block completely by using your mobile data, just remember to be careful with your data limitsーyou don’t want to be hit with over usage charges.

How to Unblock Facebook Method #8: Use the Mobile Version of Facebook

Like most websites out there, you can browse Facebook on your phone via its mobile page. When you open the site on your smartphone, you are always directed to m.facebook.com, which is its mobile site. Depending on whether or not your school has blocked this version of the site, you may be able to access Facebook simply by changing its URL by one letter!

The post How to Unblock and Access Facebook at School – 2018 Guide appeared first on Gazette Review.

Ello and Google Plus

Created to be a competitor with Facebook, Google Plus was unsuccessful and is used by a relatively small number when in comparison to Facebook and Twitter. Many companies are interested in looking at how they can take the fame and success of Facebook and generate that type of presence for their own mobile application or online website. The problem that many of these companies face is getting enough exposure to the public. If no one knows about your website or app, how are they going to download it and use it consistently. That was the problem with the website that was supposed to end Facebook altogether, urging users to hop on and switch over; this was Ello. Under the mindset that all things must come to an end, Ello feels that it is time for Ello to shine while Facebook slowly dies out as the previous social networks have i.e. Myspace.

What is Ello Social Media Network?

For those who don’t know what Ello is, lack of exposure, Ello is an ad free social media network launched in March 2014 by Paul Budnitz and Todd Berger in a merger. As of right now the website is still in beta meaning that it is only usable to select members who have been accepted into the beta to help point out where changes are needed. Originally Ello started as a private network for 7 artists and programmers but after a year it went public; or the intentions of going public that is. In January of 2014 Ello had sought out $435,000 in seed funding from a venture capital investor FreshTracks Capital. With the money in their hand and the desire in their eye, the developers of Ello went to work. One of the reasons Paul Budnitz wanted to created Ello was because of his absolute hatred of advertising and data mining found in the big name social networks.

Get an Ello Invite

One of the many reasons why someone may not have known about Ello is the original creation of the newfound social network. Starting solely online, Ello had no mobile application for about half a year. This meant that a user would have to use Ello on their computer or bumble around on a clunky mobile view on the user’s choice of mobile web browser like Chrome and Safari. However the lack of a mobile application has changed in the past couple of months. As of June 2015 Ello has finally created a mobile application allowing for a seamless interface that pleases users who want to use Ello on the go.

So how does Ello plan to stick out from the current social network giants? First let’s look at the algorithm that Ello uses to view content. On Twitter you can see other people’s tweets through retweets so long as the original tweeter isn’t private. This allows you to see the content of millions of users across the world. Ello will change that. The way Ello works is that you have to follow somebody, like Twitter and Instagram. The difference is that if you don’t follow the user on Ello, you will never see any content that post unless you search and navigate to find them and follow them.

How Does Ello Make Money?

In order to stay in business, whether it’s a mobile application or a restaurant, you have to make money to “keep the lights on.” If Ello is a completely ad free website how are they going to make revenue? In a recent interview, Budnitz claimed that Ello is making money now even though it isn’t profitable. Selling Ello t-shirts since the start of Ello, Budnitz is confident that they will eventually make money pointing out how it took Twitter six years to make their first dollar. In addition to the t-shirts, Ello is looking to provide a service for commerce that will allow business to “advertise” their products through posts. Budnitz claiming that on Facebook businesses pay in order for 1% of people to see their ad. On Ello, if someone is viewing the businesses posts, it’s because they want to not because it is sidebar advertisement. Due to his hatred of advertisement and data mining found in current social media websites, Budnitz feels the the biggest social networks aren’t even social networks anymore. Budnitz saying, “Facebook is no longer a social network. It’s an advertising platform. Tumblr is no longer a social network. It’s an advertising platform. Twitter is becoming an advertising platform… We’re a social network.”

Ello or Facebook?

Budnitz looks at the creation of Ello like throwing a party or rather the best party ever. At first the party is going to be invite only but if you want to join, you get that invitation soon. If you don’t want to join the party than Budnitz says “go f— yourself.” With a strong attitude for success, Budnitz sees Ello being the next in latest and greatest social media platforms; a true social media platform where there aren’t advertisements soiling the user’s experience because honestly no one likes seeing advertisements. That’s why chrome extensions like AdBlock are extremely popular. Hoping to move forward out of the closed beta, be sure to keep you eyes peeled for the surface of Ello to see if it sticks or flops like the many previous social platforms that attempted to overthrow the throne that Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Pinterest sit upon.

The post What Happened to Ello – Update on Status of Ello Now in 2018 appeared first on Gazette Review.