Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Be Like The Makers of Instagram

As much as some people complain about the over saturation of social media, we diligently create new accounts and profiles to deliver folks with a daily dose of our lives. During your time online, you've  likely seen some once  hot tools die a quick and painful death...MySpace anyone? But IG won't go down without a fight, which makes it my tech muse. Here are three ways in which you need to be like the makers of Instagram.
1- Know Your Worth
When IG first hit the scene people were clamoring to upload pics then sit back as the hearts streamed in, and then it happened, the birth of Vine. Instead of still pics we could send short videos, which some people seemed to love even more. Some believed Vine to be the death of IG, as people moved in droves to open Vine accounts. Those behind Instagram didn't seem to fear this exodus, and I believe it's because they knew the worth of their tool. They saw its potential even if others didn't. They didn't allow IG to become an afterthought. They kept the tool running with very little if any downtime. They kept pushing even when the bright lights of the shiny new kid on the block attempted to blind them, they simply  threw on shades and kept pushing.
2-Learn and Grow
Then one day IG announced its new video feature, which rivaled Vine and had people closing accounts faster than they opened them. The makers of Instagram learned what their audience liked in Vine, and while staying true to what people initially loved about  IG, they incorporated the new video feature. They learned, adapted and grew in ways that made sense for IG.

3-Never Stop Learning 
 All was good in the land of IG until Snapchat surfaced and garnered attention from a large audience. The lure of filters attracted many but the resilience of IG wouldn't allow it to be shaken. Today, IG released a new Snapchat like feature, minus filters, that has some vowing to delete their Snapchat accounts. After the Vine victory they knew it wasn't time to rest in their laurels. While we all need a moment to enjoy our accomplishments, we should never think that we have learned or grown enough. Keep believing, learning and growing. 
Now head out into the world to live well and prosper, like Instagram. 
PJD

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Excellent commentary. It will definitely be interesting to watch the next chapter in the life of IG. You hit the nail on the head regarding continuing to grow and not resting on your laurels. Can you still say, Yahoo!?

Unknown said...

Excellent commentary. It will definitely be interesting to watch the next chapter in the life of IG. You hit the nail on the head regarding continuing to grow and not resting on your laurels. Can you still say, Yahoo!?

Unknown said...

Hey PJD,

Great article! I think Mark Zuckerberg is on a mission to make everything social media better. He sees which companies are successful, and examines why and how he can make improvements and apply it to his current apps.

Product Junkie Diva said...

HI Ladies
Thanks for commenting.
I love the direction that IG has gone in over time, I can't wait to see what's next.
PJD