If you're a conservative who wants to do something to help the country, Scott Rohter wants you -- to join his new site, WePlurbUS.net , that is. In an exclusive interview with Examiner on Monday, Rohter said that after simmering on the idea for four months, he finally bought the software and brought the Facebook-like site online in early December.
Rohter, a self-employed appliance repair technician who also writes for various blogs, said that Facebook became so punitive he couldn't share his work without having to endure multiple security warnings, and sought a way to get his conservative message to his readers without being branded a "spammer" or being reported by a liberal who didn't like what he wrote.
Rohter, like many grassroots conservative bloggers, relies heavily on Facebook to spread his message.
"All it takes is for someone to report you to 'daddy Zuckerberg' and you're out," he said.
A number of conservatives have complained bitterly about the treatment they have received from Facebook. Many have said the site has blocked them from sharing links or even commenting on other people's posts. Rohter said he believes conservatives are being targeted by the social media giant, although he said he couldn't prove his assertion.
Diane Sori, who blogs at the Patriot Factor , told Examiner earlier this month that she was blocked for two days after simply sharing a link to her blog.
Paul Robichaud, a Navy veteran who administers America's Freedom Watcher , posted a petition at the White House website seeking action on Facebook's censorship of conservatives . The petition was pulled after being online for just 24 hours.
So, Rohter said, he decided to start his own social network.
Rohter said that he is motivated by a desire to give conservatives a Facebook-like experience without the censorship or multiple security warnings.
One of the Facebook "features" that Rohter dislikes, for example, is the "friend" tool. Rohter said that he has been blocked several times for attempting to add "friends" who were suggested to him.
"You won't be blocked for adding friends at WePluribUS ," he said.
WePluribUS functions very much like Facebook, so those who are familiar with it will have no trouble navigating Rohter's site. There are no ads or pop-ups to irritate the user, and Rohter said the lack of ads is one of the things that makes his site different from many others.
Getting a site like WePluribUS working well comes with its own set of challenges.
Rohter told Examiner that one problem he faced involved a third-party "invite" tool. Although the tool had a button to let users add friends from other social media sites, the Facebook button didn't work. Rohter said he believes Facebook blocked the tool from letting users invite friends from their site.
Despite the challenges, WePluribUS has become a labor of love for Rohter, who starts work at 5 a.m. every day. Even though he has two friends who generously volunteer their time to help make things work, he is still looking (and hoping) for the right administrator to come along. As a result of the hard work by Rohter and his friends, the site has garnered nearly 1,700 members.
Eventually, perhaps in five years, Rohter wants to give members the option of buying into the network for the small fee of setting up their own page, which, by that time, should already be done. Those who do not opt to buy in, he said, may have to deal with some ads to help defray the cost of the site. Rohter said that unlike some, he is not motivated by money.
Expressing a desire to mentor young people, Rohter said he would love to see citizen journalists and others come to his site and start their own pages.
As for Facebook, Rohter was adamant that conservatives "should be getting out of there."
"What we all do by staying there is empower Zuckerberg," he said.
"Come over to WePluribUS ," he added.
Those who are interested can check it out here .
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