Instagram Introduces Photos of You Feature
Instagram has added a new feature to their photo sharing app that allows you to add people to…
Nike Phot iD - Nike Lets You Decorate Shoes Based On The Colors Of Your Instagram Photos
Sportswear brand Nike has unveiled a web app that lets you use your Instagram photos to customize your sneakers. ‘Nike PHOTOiD’ lets you select the image on your personal Instagram account you’d like to use and pick your style of kicks, and the app will decorate the pair of shoes based on the colors of the Instagram photo of choice.
http://bit.ly/15lRxeK
Instagram Today: 100 Million People
Instagram’s first office had few redeeming qualities—and insulation was not one of them. There were only two of us, so we rented desks in a co-working space on a pier over San Francisco Bay. At night, it was common to find us working in winter jackets huddled over our laptops where the air was so cold we could see our breath. It was October 2010 when we launched Instagram, and San Francisco had dealt us a particularly unforgiving and chilly fall.
One night soon after launch, about a half-mile away, the Giants’ stadium was full of fans cheering on their team in a race for the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies. You see, having so little insulation in the office had an unintended consequence of being able to hear the crowd roar every time someone hit a long ball out towards McCovey Cove. Back in the office, we’d lift our heads up from code with every eruption of the fans, wondering who was at bat, what had happened, and whether the ball had made it or not. We never knew, but that wasn’t the point.
While we may only have had a few thousand people around the world using Instagram that night, we had a sense that maybe through Instagram we could tune in to what was happening just a few steps away. With a few quick commands at his terminal, my co-founder Mike’s screen filled with images of the game: the bullpen, dugout, concession stands, cheering fans and a panoramic view from somewhere up high. In a matter of hours, the people in that stadium had recorded moments in time through Instagram and allowed us to tune into an event while we sat a half a mile away, working—winter coats and all.
For the first time, we understood why Instagram was going to be different. We understood the power of images to connect people to what was happening in the world around them. And, although Instagram had a fraction of the user base it does today, that night we saw a preview of what Instagram would enable at a much larger scale down the road.
Now, nearly two and a half years later, over 100 million people use Instagram every month. It’s easy to see this as an accomplishment for a company, but I think the truth is that it’s an accomplishment for our community. Now, more than ever, people are capturing the world in real-time using Instagram—sharing images from the farthest corners of the globe. What we see as a result is a world more connected and understood through photographs.
Of the 100 million people on Instagram, there are stories that awe us: stories like Kathryn Mahoney’s (@nineteenfiftyone). Kathryn is an aid worker for the United Nations in the most remote refugee camp in Southern Sudan. She shares vivid photos of the day-to-day life of the people who live in Yida as well as the struggles and triumphs of the UN’s work there. From thousands of miles away, Kathryn reminds us of the power of images to educate and inspire.
There are love stories that move us, like the story of Cory (@withhearts) and Bethany (@bethanyolson) who began following each other a year and a half ago at the suggestion of a mutual photographer friend. After trading likes on photos, meeting for coffee, and finally joining up for a photowalk, a mutual interest in photography turned into dating. To this day, they still go on photography adventures and explore the world together with Instagram in tow.
And there are inspiring stories of small businesses and artisans. Mission Bicycle (@missionbicycle), a small, independent manufacturer in San Francisco, has amassed nearly 50,000 followers as they share the photos from their daily work of making beautiful bicycles by hand. Similarly, Sightglass Coffee (@sightglass) shares photos from their harvesting grounds in El Salvador and Ethiopia to remind us that even a local business has global connections.
Images have the ability to connect people from all backgrounds, languages and cultures. They connect us to aid workers halfway across the world in Sudan, to entrepreneurs in San Francisco and even to events in our own backyards. Instagram, as a tool to inspire and connect, is only as powerful as the community it is made of. For this reason, we feel extremely lucky to have the chance to build this with all of you. So from our team to the hundred million people who call Instagram home, we say thank you. Thank you for sharing your world and inspiring us all to do the same.
Kevin Systrom, Co-founder, Instagram
Also, worth reading »
Instagram only seems to get better with age. Last December, Instagram successfully defused a minor revolt over changes to its terms of service, suggesting that even under the wing of Facebook, the company remains nimble and autonomous.
So, you can get 19k ‘Likes’ on your pictures even if you’ve only 200 followers on Instagram.
The iPhone SLR Mount gives you the real thing. It’ll set your phone photos apart from everyone else’s on Instagram in an unprecedented way!
Instagram learns how to Move Fast and Break Things
Instagram backtracks on privacy changes following “Move Fast and Break Things” ethos of parent company, Facebook - Tech Tonic on Reuters TV
After major outcry from individuals and organizations concerned with language Instagram included in their new Terms of Service, which will go into effect January 16, 2013, the company responded.
The Guardian, and manyotheroutlets, reported concerns that users’ photos could be “used in advertising, without reference to the owner, with all the payments going to Instagram”.
For media companies, this raised major questions about how their staff photos could be used, and if Instagram planned to sub-licence photos, making a profit off of photos that were shot for agencies or media outlets.
Instagram responded in a blog post:
To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear […] The language we proposed also raised question about whether your photos can be part of an advertisement. We do not have plans for anything like this and because of that we’re going to remove the language that raised the question. Our main goal is to avoid things like advertising banners you see in other apps that would hurt the Instagram user experience.Even with the update from Instagram, some news organizations are still wary. Notably, National Geographic has suspended their account until the new terms come into effect, and may remove their account.
What do you think about the new Instagram terms? Will your news organization continue to use the service? Did the update from Instagram change your organizations stance?
Though this “PHOTO FILTER WAR IS HELL” and the pundits are talking about filters like Benghazi… what’ll really when filters stop being a fad?! Here’s some further readings on photo filters »
Redesigned Flickr for iPhone adds filters two years after Instagram
Yahoo has released version 2.0 of its iPhone Flickr client, which features a new UI and Instagram-like photo filters.
If you’re wondering what’s going on over on the East Coast, #instacane is gathering photos of Hurricane Sandy from Instagram. What kind of photos will you see? Memes, Jersey Shore reality stars looking bored, and actual photos of the storm!
#Instacane — Hurricane Sandy Told Through Instagram
via Laughing Squid
Instagram: Two Years Later
Two years ago today, Instagram launched to the world. Since then, we’ve seen people in all different parts of the world – from Hollywood to Bhutan – join Instagram to share their lives through photos. Every day, we’re both thrilled and humbled to see the Instagram community continue to thrive, and we look forward to the many years to come.
