I’m not quick to jump on new social media. At least it’s usually quite unusual for any new fangled site or service to get any real traction with me. I was slow to join and regularly take part on Facebook, I don’t have a Tumblr account. I have this blog, a Twitter account (which I use less than I should do), and the previously mentioned Facebook account.
So why talk about Instagram? Because it is really nice, both as a software for the iPhone, and as an idea.
It’s all good and well to say “the best camera you have is the one that’s with you,” but the truth is, many people (myself included) just don’t like to carry my big cameras with me all the time, plus when you take the pictures, there is a price to pay with regards to convenience of transferring it from the camera to the computer and then to the internet etc, etc.
Where Instagram is king is that it allows upload of the pictures from where you are in a unified system that talks to Twitter, and Facebook (unfortunately, only one Facebook page – I’ve chosen my personal page this time), and other social media. I like it because even though you can upload any old picture, I’m trying to make each of them “count” as best as possible – using only the iPhone camera… So there’s automatic curation before I upload, and once the upload is done, the job is done. I like the completeness and the compactness of it. And I even like the filters, though some are a bit cheesy, the overall impression is quality.
I know I’m late on the uptake with this app, but I recommend it.