Path, a Personal Social Network Based on Photo Sharing

In a time when new services and products rely on being viral to get as many users as possible as soon as possible, Path, a new photo sharing service, is going against the grain with a model that actually makes it hard to share photos with too many people. In fact, that's the whole appeal of the service, it wants to provide a private social network where people will be able to just be themselves.

The service is very simple at heart. You can't follow people at random and there aren't any profiles to speak of. You have to know the people you want to share with already and you can only add them by email or phone number.

There is also a hard limit of 50 friends or family members, though you can follow more than that.

With Path, you snap a pic with your iPhone, it's not available on other phones for now, though there is a website, and then share it with the friends you want or with your entire list.

They can't comment, 'like' or take any other actions on those photos, however, you will be able to see if they've viewed the photo yet or not. Users can add tags to the photos, though, and their location is also stored.

"Starting today, we hope that Path is the place you will always feel comfortable being yourself and sharing the story of your life with your closest friends and family via the photos you take every day with your mobile device," Path's cofounder Dave Morin announced.

"Path is the personal network. A place to be yourself and share life with close friends and family. The personal network doesn’t replace your existing social networks – it augments them," he explained.

"Path allows you to capture your life’s most personal moments and share them with the 50 close friends and family in your life who matter most," he added.

Path is getting quite a buzz thanks to its founders, Dave Morin, a former Facebook Platform Manager, and Napster creator Shawn Fanning, and the number of high-profile investors in the company. It remains to be seen though if the different approach can prove successful in the crowded market and in the long term.