I still don't get the popularity of instagram. Is it the filters or sharing? There are tons of apps that let me apply a filter and instantly share to FB. As someone who doesn't use instagram have I missed something?
I loved using Instagram on my iPod Touch, and have patiently waited for it to show up on my Android. I think there are a few things at work that make Instagram so popular. First, it is incredibly simple to use, including the filters. I'm also pretty sure it came along pretty early for this kind of application and was timed just right to handle the rise of smartphones, Facebook and Twitter.
Back to the filters. There are lots of people who love (and hate) those filters. I like the filters, but always take an unfiltered photo, then crop and sometimes use a filter in Instagram. In terms of the filter haters, I guess that shows that it's better to have a group of people that love your product and some that hate it, rather than a whole bunch of people who are just "OK" with it.
The API has also boosted Instagram's success, with YC's jazzychad and stammy producing picafight, among other apps.
The Instagram team just managed to produce something that got people's attention and build a community around it. It's not easy and requires some luck. With continued luck, they'll figure out how to monetize all that traffic.
I still don't get the popularity of Starcraft. Is is the blowing things up or the playing against friends? There are a ton of games that let me blow things up while taunting my friends. As someone who doesn't play Starcraft am I missing anything?
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Or, with less snark: Instagram is fun. Using it makes me smile. Do I need a better reason?
You don't. I wasn't challenging why you use it, I was trying to understand why it was a big deal on Android since I've seen really good filter share apps.
It seems the differentiator is its own social network.
It does make wonder if apps built on FB or Twitter should usually also expose their own network so you can't be as easily commodified.
I think he gets that Instagram is fun and easy. He was saying there are other, similar, fun and easy services. What makes Instagram special? Why didn't the other services make you smile?
"Starcraft::everything" isn't what he was asking about. He wanted to know about "Starcraft::All RTS Games".
He said it was quick, not that it was fun or easy. That's probably what he was missing in the top post. What is it specifically that makes it fun and easy?
Brand name. Instagram is very well loved on the iPhone by many users and has been something Android users wanted.
Anecdotally, my friends who use Instagram typically verbify the word as well, e.g., "I'm going to Instagram this cup of coffee." That, to me, illustrates the brand penetration Instagram already has.
The filters mostly just add a little zazz and personality to the photos. It's more about sharing. I kind of liken it to Twitter but with photos as the centerpiece instead of 140 characters.
I wouldn't underestimate the power of hype at this point either. That is, people using it simply because others are and they want to be just as hip, or people like you and me trying it to see what the fuss is about and perhaps staying because it's good enough and we're already there.
came along early and people dont even know there's other apps. its like the "i want an iphone4!" meme.
they dont care to search (and the app stores aren't all that well organized anyway), they just care to have "the app people talk about".
Even if it's actually not very special in any way, technically speaking.
This is actually the reason why I'm downloading it right now and giving it a chance. I don't have a (personal) Facebook account and I don't ever plan on having one. That effectively lowers the barrier of entry for me significantly.
Didn't know that. Interesting. So are you generally sharing with friends or strangers? I've never had anyone ask me to join instageam to see a picture, which is why I ask.
You post them in your stream, you can choose to only show your photos to people who you've friended or you can choose to post them all publicly. There is no middle ground.
You can share the photos outside of instagram on Twitter, Facebook, Posterous and via mail. People can view the images in their browser if you send them a URL or if they use a third-party website to browse photos.
It's quite flexible and a lot of fun sharing and commenting on other's photos. If you want to get more activity on your photos, you need to #tag them. Some people go overboard with obnoxious 20-30 tag posts.
But you can link it to FB and get notified when friends join.. which I must say has likely been a large driver of their growth. How else would you know which friends are already on the service?
