Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales Launches TPO, a Charitable Social Network Similar to Twitter

There's a new social network in town, and the man leading it is Jimmy Wales, best known as the founder of Wikipedia. TPO.com positions itself as "a whole new social network—similar to Twitter but better." TPO.com is operated by mobile phone network The People's Operator, of which Wales is co-chair. The People's Operator is a for-profit business that claims to pass on 10 percent of each customer's bill directly to causes chosen by the customer.

The social network will be advertising free and is banking on word of mouth to spread the word. In a manifesto posted on the website Wales depicts advertising as a big evil. Users of social networks, according to Wales, are treated as "a commodity to be sold to advertisers."