I have been using Twitter and Facebook for years… and I make lots of jokes about one of them being my husband the other my boyfriend… But there’s a new guy in town, and I am smitten. Oh, okay… I’m totally obsessed!
My new love? It’s Instagr.am! This is an app for your iPhone. It allows you to take photos (or edit existing ones), add cool effects with built-in filters, and them share them instantly via your Instagr.am feed, as well as through Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and more.
So why am I so obsessed? Well, I’ve always been photo crazy. I’m a scrapbooker, and have been for years. So any app that lets me edit photos in a cool new way is going to get my seal of approval. Add the social network aspect, and you can see why it’s a done deal.
Now, I know that I recently put up a post about how I was kind of getting sick of all this social media bandwagon stuff, but hear me out. I have some very good reasons on why you should be joining the Instagr.am craze (if you have an iPhone, anyway).
1. It’s a new (quick and easy) way to connect. I know, I know, I know. You are already connecting… but you know what they say. A photo is worth a 1,000 words. By putting up one photo a day, you are saving yourself the trouble of writing 1,000 words!
2. You don’t have to worry about crossing the line between personal and business. I get a lot of questions from people who are concerned about posting too much personal stuff on their blogs and making themselves sound unprofessional. Well, if you are at the Famer’s Market and you Instagr.am a photo of some apples you just purchased, you don’t have to worry.
It’s a photo of some apples. It’s personal – it shows your followers what you are doing at that moment. But it’s not some long, drawn out story about your Aunt Bertha. It’s not boring anyone. It doesn’t make you look unprofessional. It’s a picture! It’s no big whoop!
3. It’s a new way to showcase the goods. Many of you who are reading this blog make physical items. Pictures are what showcase your work. Many of you probably have a Flickr account – so why not add Instagr.am to the mix? Like I said, you can post directly to Facebook and Twitter, but it also goes into your Instagr.am stream, and people who may not know you from your other social networks can find about you and your work this way. Just be sure to leave a comment with the photo so that they know where to purchase!
If you decide to join Instagr.am, or are already a member, you can find me at @crissyherron
Looking forward to seeing you on there!
Crissy, I am hooked too! I just love using it as another creative tool to capture my world. It has made me visualize everything so much differently now, and I am always looking for my next shot to share.
okay. you have me convinced. and i don’t even have an iphone yet.
I am loving the effects created with Instagram but I only have an HTC Evo andriod phone. Have you heard if they will be making an app for that? I am hoping so!