In October 2012, Twitter acquired Vine. Vine is a mobile app that allows users to create and post videos, called “vines”, which can only be a maximum length of six seconds. Since its debut, Vine has seen its fair share of success. According to SimplyMeasured, an analytics company, there was one week where over 100,000 Vine clips were uploaded. Vine has not had any competition, until today.
Weeks leading up to Facebook’s mysterious June 20th event, several different media outlets and reporters received the following message by snail mail,
“A small team has been working on a big idea. Join us for coffee and learn about a new product.”
As soon as photos of this invitation went viral, the rumors immediately began. They ranged from Facebook releasing a postcard service, allowing you to send copies of Facebook images to your friends through regular mail, to launching its own RSS feed and everything in between. Unfortunately, it was none of the above.
Instagram, acquired by Facebook in April of last year, just received an upgrade. The biggest news , as mentioned in the above photo, is that Instagram now allows users to record video.
The Highlights:
- Video clips can be 15 seconds long in Instagram
- Allows you to edit frames directly
- Cover Frames—Users get to select a cover photo that serves as a preview before your video begins
- 13 New Filters—exclusive for videos
- Cinema—Image stabilization technology
- Video on Instagram is perfect for advertisers who tend to buy 15 second spots
- Companies like Gap and Lululemon were the first to utilize this tool
How to record your first video on Instagram:
- Download Instagram or the latest update if you already have it
- Tap the camera icon as if you were going to take a picture.
- Click on the movie camera button on the right of the screen.
- Hold the red camera button down as long as you want to record (max 15 seconds)
- If you are satisfied with your video, proceed to choose a filter. If not, you can choose to delete segments or start over from scratch.
- Choose your cover frame to represent your video.
- Lastly, choose how you want to share your video.
I personally like video on Instagram over Vine. The points mentioned above are what seals the deal for me, especially its Cinema image stabilizing feature and the ability to film 15 second videos instead of six.
What are your thoughts on video on Instagram? Which do you prefer Instagram or Vine?
