Instagram iPhone Photo App Developing a Following: Brands Take Notice

By Dennis Kuba
September 16, 2011

• Instagram, an iPhone-only photo app, has become a darling of the fashion world.
• Started only 11 months ago, Instagram already has nine million users who take photos on their iPhone and apply effects from 15 filters. They can then share their photos in a stream.
• Some professional photographers feel the app is “cheapening the art,” but the results can be quite striking and have already been used in magazines.
• Kevin Systrom, chief executive and co-founder of Instagram, says the company is not yet profitable. However, the app is starting to draw attention outside the realm of amateur photo enthusiasts and social networkers.
• “The top request Instagram gets from corporate users is for custom filters,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Brands want to create filters specific to their own aesthetic, so that Instagram users can echo a brand’s look — seeing the world as designer Kate Spade does, or Vanity Fair magazine. Mr. Systrom says the company has had other priorities but hinted new filters are coming soon.”

Twitter Goes Live with New Photo Sharing Feature

By Rob Scott
August 12, 2011

• Twitter has made uploading photos possible for its users with a feature that shares images (up to 3MB).
• Users can access the new feature on the Web version of Twitter by clicking on the camera icon (support for the mobile version is still in the works). Images are hosted by Photobucket and appear as links within the Twitter feed.
• Hashtags can be added to the tweet to include images in Twitter’s search function. Users will also have the ability to comment on images.
• “The founder of TwitPic, who turned down a $10 million dollar offer for the company in 2009, can’t be too happy about today’s feature launch from Twitter,” comments Digital Trends.