Instagram is that photography sharing social platform that allows you to add cool and trendy filters to your photographs and publish them to a network of people. Your photographs can be followed by anyone, and you can follow the pictures of the rich and famous (or just your friends if you're not into following celebrities).
However the question is: is Instagram actually useful? Lots of folks claim that we do not need another picture sharing platform because we already have Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Should we just use this for the filters and publish on our established social networking platforms, or is it actually a good way to connect to and engage people for both personal and branding purposes?
Trendy, Fun, Interactive
Instagram is undeniably interactive and now it's accessible by the majority of mobile users since they released Instagram for Android on April 4, 2012. Now instagram is not just a special club for iPhone users, but includes Android users.
It isn't difficult to comment, like, and publish to other social networks. There are options to add filters to make your photos more vibrant or antique looking along with a toggle option to mechanically brighten your picture. They also have a smart camera that allows you to take pictures that are automatically cropped to the instagram signature square.
But is it worth signing up for and using as another social network?
Instagram Pros: Instagram opens you up to a totally new network of people. I just joined yesterday (when it was released on Android) and already people that are not in my other networks are liking my photos and commenting on them. It's the best way to open your network and brand yourself based mostly on your mobile photography talents. You can simply import your chums list and share on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Tumblr.
Instagram Cons: My most important consideration is whether or not this app will have longevity. At this time it is the hip thing to do to recolor and share pictures, but it may not stick as technology develops, etc. Plus it will be easy for other copycat programs to come out with the equivalent or something better - Instagram got fortunate because they branded themselves as hip. It is almost a genius marketing ploy to only be released on iPhone as it makes the Android users (stereotypically less trendy overall) want the artsy app that all of their iPhone pals are using.
The Verdict
While instagram might not be the best platform in terms of the potential spread (it's limited to people who download the app), it's still shared on other social networking platforms. If you're "connected" at all online and are working to engage with others and build a brand, you can't miss out on instagram (regardless of if it could be short-lived - but then again aren't most social networks on a timeline, like MySpace?). And (at the very least on the new Android app) it saves all of your photographs to a friendly little folder on your cell phone. Why don't you give in to this trend? It's fun, and makes everybody feel a tiny bit more creative.
However the question is: is Instagram actually useful? Lots of folks claim that we do not need another picture sharing platform because we already have Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Should we just use this for the filters and publish on our established social networking platforms, or is it actually a good way to connect to and engage people for both personal and branding purposes?
Trendy, Fun, Interactive
Instagram is undeniably interactive and now it's accessible by the majority of mobile users since they released Instagram for Android on April 4, 2012. Now instagram is not just a special club for iPhone users, but includes Android users.
It isn't difficult to comment, like, and publish to other social networks. There are options to add filters to make your photos more vibrant or antique looking along with a toggle option to mechanically brighten your picture. They also have a smart camera that allows you to take pictures that are automatically cropped to the instagram signature square.
But is it worth signing up for and using as another social network?
Instagram Pros: Instagram opens you up to a totally new network of people. I just joined yesterday (when it was released on Android) and already people that are not in my other networks are liking my photos and commenting on them. It's the best way to open your network and brand yourself based mostly on your mobile photography talents. You can simply import your chums list and share on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Tumblr.
Instagram Cons: My most important consideration is whether or not this app will have longevity. At this time it is the hip thing to do to recolor and share pictures, but it may not stick as technology develops, etc. Plus it will be easy for other copycat programs to come out with the equivalent or something better - Instagram got fortunate because they branded themselves as hip. It is almost a genius marketing ploy to only be released on iPhone as it makes the Android users (stereotypically less trendy overall) want the artsy app that all of their iPhone pals are using.
The Verdict
While instagram might not be the best platform in terms of the potential spread (it's limited to people who download the app), it's still shared on other social networking platforms. If you're "connected" at all online and are working to engage with others and build a brand, you can't miss out on instagram (regardless of if it could be short-lived - but then again aren't most social networks on a timeline, like MySpace?). And (at the very least on the new Android app) it saves all of your photographs to a friendly little folder on your cell phone. Why don't you give in to this trend? It's fun, and makes everybody feel a tiny bit more creative.
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