The Ello app is here

Remember Ello? It’s the social network built on the promise of no advertising that people desperately wanted to sign up to last summer. To prevent the site from shutting down, the company made the site invite only, which seemed to make people want to sign up more. Shortly after receiving our invites and signing in once, most of us forgot about it and carried on using Facebook.

Now, nearly a year later, Ello has launched a new mobile app for iOS. Sleekly designed – much like the website – the app uses your phone’s contacts to find and invite friends, and allows you to post content, comment on posts, and follow others.The app will also soon offer direct messaging.

When VentureBeat asked Ello founder and CEO Paul Budnitz if he has a strategy for reengaging some of Ello’s early adopters who may have dropped off, he shrugged.

“When Ello is right for you, you’ll use it.”

One of the most asked questions about Ello’s business model is how the network will monetize. Without advertising, Budnitz has devised an alternative route to creating profit: e-commerce play. The founder confirmed that Ello will allow people to sell their creative services through posts, and artists and small businesses will be able to post products for sale on their page, with Ello facilitating the transaction for a percentage of the sale.

Will the new app get people thinking about Ello again? We’ll keep you updated.