The Islamic State (IS) launched its own social media site on Sunday, but the fledgling page is off to a rough start.

The 5elafabook.com website was down by Monday, and its Twitter account was suspended as well.

According to Reuters, the website displayed a globe with the terrorist organisation's logo on it, and was created by the social networking platform SocialKit.

A message displayed on the error page said that the site would be temporarily down to "protect the information and details of its members and their safety," and that it was not affiliated with the extremist Muslims.

"5elafabook is an independent site and not sponsored by the Islamic State," the statement read. "We reiterate that the purpose of launching the site was to clarify to the whole world that we do not only carry guns and live in caves as they imagine ... we advance with our world and we want advancement to become Islamic."

It is unclear how many members joined 5elafabook, or who created the page. Supporters of the website said that online activities, whether or not they are related to terrorism, should be treated with caution.

"There is no secure website, even if it did belong directly to the Islamic State, because the servers are controlled by the governments, which can take all the IP addresses of those who visited the website," a user named Taqni Minbar wrote in an online forum.

Jihadist social media expert and Brookings Institution fellow JM Berger told Congress last month that the Islamic State has over 45,000 Twitter accounts to attract followers from around the globe.

The accounts consist of thousands of automated bots that use popular hashtags and celebrities to attract attention.

"Its highly organised social media campaign uses deceptive tactics and shows a sophisticated understanding of how such networks operate," Berger said.

Twitter has been working to suspend the accounts since fall 2014.