Diaspora* came out last year in alpha, in september 2010.  It’s a decentralized open-source social network. Diaspora* is still in alpha and beta should be around november so there are some missing features like photo albums. It should launch in december.  It’s sad to see Google has stolen many features from Diaspora* to create Google+.

Diaspora* is a decentralised open-source social network that makes you the owner of your content. I mean that unlike Facebook and Google(+) who gather, use and sell your informations and own the content you post on their social networks (yes, you give them the copyrights of everything you put there from infos to photos), on Diaspora* there is no big corporation using your infos and the content you post are fully yours. Diaspora* cares as well about privacy and do not demand that users give their real names anywhere. You can keep your anonymity and privacy on Diaspora*. For anyone who thinks people asking for anonymity are fools, here is an article that shows why anonymity is a must on the internet and that it should stay that way: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Who_is_harmed_by_a_%22Real_Names%22_policy%3F

You can create aspects and put your contacts in them and post only for certain aspects or just make your posts public if you want. When Diaspora*’s alpha launched in september 2010 it already had all these features, so if you’ve seen them more recently on Google+ from their “circles” as well as their look, it’s because Google stole them from Diaspora*.

You can associate your Diaspora* with Facebook, Twitter, Cubbi.es and Tumblr so like that when you post on Diaspora* you can decide to post too on Facebook and/or Twitter/Tumblr . More integrations should come with time.

When I talk about invitation to the main pod/server, the software being open-source, that means that anyone who has a website and has the knowledge necessary can use the code to start their own pod/server, so other people out there have done so and some of those pods do not require an invitation to register.

The main pod/server is here, it’s the one I’m on and can give invitation for: https://joindiaspora.com/

This Twitter gives invitations as well for the main pod/server: https://twitter.com/#!/DiasporaInvites

The main website is here: http://diasporafoundation.org/

http://blog.diasporafoundation.org/

http://getsatisfaction.com/diaspora

http://podupti.me/

http://pod.sargodarya.de/

http://www.whatisdiaspora.com/

Guides and tutorials

http://diasporial.com/

http://differentcomputers.com/diaspora-user-tutorial

http://www.diasporaforum.org/

https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/wiki/FAQ-for-Users

https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora/wiki

http://www.diasporatest.com/index.php/Main_Page

http://pastebin.com/FwHwfgDN

http://fr.wikibooks.org/wiki/Diaspora_:_Le_guide_du_parfait_débutant

Twitter

https://twitter.com/#!/joindiaspora

https://twitter.com/#!/DiasporaInvites

https://twitter.com/#!/DiasporaChat

https://twitter.com/#!/DiasporaReplies

News in French – Nouvelles en français

http://www.spicqiim.fr/actu/diaspora-ca-avance/

http://ntdroit.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/diaspora-prend-forme-sera-t-il-un-concurrent-serieux-pour-google-et-facebook/

http://www.stephanebataillon.com/diaspora-le-nouveau-reseau-social-libre-un-choix-politique/

http://pro.clubic.com/blog-forum-reseaux-sociaux/facebook/actualite-448520-facebook-open-graph-2-risque-centralise.html

http://technaute.cyberpresse.ca/nouvelles/internet/201109/22/01-4450288-et-si-votre-reseau-social-vous-appartenait.php

http://www.clubic.com/diaporama/photo-diaspora-le-reseau-social-decentralise-se-devoile-en-images-11340/

News in English – Nouvelles en anglais

http://refractionaldarkness.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/checking-out-diaspora-a-future-facebook-contender/

http://www.srcnix.com/2010/05/27/is-diaspora-the-future-of-social-networking/

http://annewalk.me/?p=18

http://rich.kavanagh.it/2011/07/diaspora-share-what-you-want-with-whom.html

http://hayesandgrey.co.uk/14.html

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/diaspora_project_building_the_anti-facebook.php

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/death-of-anonymity-online-has-net-users-fuming-20110905-1jtda.html

http://news.techeye.net/internet/diaspora-still-trying-to-reinvent-social-networks-with-open-source

http://onsoftware.en.softonic.com/diaspora-facebook-for-smart-people

http://www.shoutmeloud.com/diaspora-is-live-did-google-steal-ideas-from-it.html

http://brajeshwar.com/2011/diaspora-an-open-source-social-network/

http://hayesandgrey.co.uk/16.html

http://thecopypasteblog.com/diaspora-cool-impressive-social-network-town

http://www.itworld.com/it-managementstrategy/197329/will-real-anti-facebook-please-stand

http://cityofnidus.blogspot.com/2011/07/diaspora.html

http://ryanbrockey.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/diaspora-germinating-a-new-social-web/

http://thooghun.hubpages.com/hub/Overview-Diaspora-Social-Network

http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/columms/why_you_should_join_diaspora_now_your_freedom_depends_it

http://thechrisvossshow.com/review-of-diaspora-social-network-facebook-competitor/

http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=1478&doc_id=232901

http://nydeuces.wordpress.com/2011/09/20/nydtvs-exclusive-interview-with-new-social-media-site-diaspora/

http://wir-sprechen-online.com/2011/09/18/diasporas-first-year/

http://www.launch.is/blog/remember-these-guys-diaspora-eyes-potential-october-launch.html

http://technorati.com/blogging/article/diaspora-not-just-another-social-network/

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2111213/diaspora-post-social-web

http://www.patheos.com/community/paganportal/2011/09/21/facebook-its-not-me-its-you/

http://www.eleven2.com/blog/2011/09/22/diaspora-social-network-set-to-rock-the-internet/

http://paroledipolvere.tumblr.com/post/10634777413/diaspora-the-social-network-that-rocks

http://ryanbrockey.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/more-on-diaspora-and-im-weeding-my-garden/

http://miccx8.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/new-social-networks-diaspora/

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/radiorahim/2011/09/fed-facebook-ticked-twitter-diaspora-and-running

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/28/140879480/who-are-you-really-activists-fight-for-pseudonyms

http://www.socialtech.biz/blog/first-thoughts-on-diaspora-–-the-distributed-social-network

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312158

http://cityofnidus.blogspot.com/2011/07/diaspora.html

http://cityofnidus.blogspot.com/2011/10/taking-diaspora-seriously.html

http://jasonpaul.net/2011/10/the-promise-of-diaspora/

http://theg33kshow.blogspot.com/2011/09/facebook-alternatives.html

http://blenzseymour.com/?q=node/68

http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2011/10/the-state-of-diaspora-and-fund.php

http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/12/diaspora-passing-the-hat-again/

http://allthingsd.com/20111013/at-lunch-with-diaspora-the-non-profit-open-source-social-network-built-by-outsiders

http://www.myriamrobin.com/2011/10/diaspora/

http://www.marianomalisani.com/?p=309

https://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2011/10/5-reasons-mozilla-should-fund.php

http://slow-news-day.net/2011/10/diaspora-and-the-shame-of-getting-paid/

http://slow-news-day.net/2011/10/alternative-geeky-growing-diaspora/

http://www.seobesttips.com/social-media/diaspora-a-better-social-network/

http://allthingsd.com/20111013/at-lunch-with-diaspora-the-non-profit-open-source-social-network-built-by-outsiders/?mod=tweet

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/10/31/103111-biz-diaspora-1-3/

http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/13/diaspora-redesign/

http://thewebalyst.com/can-diaspora-compete-with-facebook-and-google/

http://thewebalyst.com/google-versus-diaspora-blog-post-interaction-analysis/

https://axel668.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/diaspora-a-better-google-plus/