Minds announced the beta launch of its open-source social networking platform for iOS, Android and the Web. The app was designed in part to help users expand their viral reach, and it offers a points system, giving users control of their content sharing potential.

Upon signup for Minds, users are given 100 points for free, and they can earn more by interacting with content on the platform. Users can share their own videos, images or text messages with the community, and also have the ability to share these posts out to Twitter or Facebook.

During the posting process, users can spend some of their points to increase the post’s reach. Users can either boost the post to the entire network of potential viewers, or request to boost a post to the subscribers of a chosen user (who can either accept or reject). Each point is equal to one view from the overall community.

A discovery feed allows users to browse other users’ profiles or shared content. This allows users to easily find others to subscribe to, or to simply browse shared and/or boosted images or videos. Content is separated into suggested, trending and featured categories. When browsing images or videos, users can rate each item up or down, or tap “pass” to move on.

On the app’s home feed, users can track their own posts and view content from their subscriptions. Each post is listed alongside the number of views and votes, with an additional comment section allowing for more interaction between users.

If two users subscribe to each other, the app’s encrypted chat functionality becomes available for direct and private communication.

In a statement, Bill Ottman, founder and CEO of Minds, commented:

Humanity is clearly craving a global social network that respects freedom, democratization and rewards users as opposed to spying and manipulating algorithms. That’s obvious. Minds appeals to a full spectrum of users, from non-technical people who just want more views on their content, to serious developers who want access to the code to evolve the app how they want.

Minds is available to download for free on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. The service is also available on the Web.

Readers: What are your thoughts on Minds?