A Vine in the Social Video Space

 
  Twitter announced their latest acquisition- a new mobile feature called Vine, which allows users to create and post short, looping video to the social media giant’s site. Much like its tweeting counterpart, which also limits users to short posts, fewer than 140 characters, Vine only allows for six seconds of video. This makes Vine a very interesting promotional tool on social media platforms, in that it provides an easy-to-use platform for individual advertising, without having to create long videos- like those featured on YouTube. While the App itself has some drawbacks, the idea behind creation and sharing is exceptional.

 

   I first discovered Vine while doing a Social Media project, and as a newbie to the rapid-sharing social media scene, like tweeting, I thought this was an exciting tool. Although it’s not a new concept, as users of Viddy and other video-based apps know, its recent attention in the professional world has caused quite a stir. As Molly McHugh of Digital Trends had shown shown, along with many others in the fashion industry, this is “already becoming a New York Fashion Week staple.” While I’m not big into the fashion scene, I saw this as an incredible opportunity for our business, and industry as well- kayakers delight in the ability to capture raw video, especially on the fly, no uploading required!

"Vining" from the iPhone. Click here to download Vine with your iPhone!

 

   Vine gives the user total control of shooting, editing and creating short videos from a mobile device, and it is so easy to share across all social media platforms making it an ideal tool in my line of work. Not only does Vine allow video recording, the mobile software also captures audio during the six second run time, allowing users to create their own, customized commercial, or plug, in instantaneous Twitter fashion. Blogger Samantha Murphy explains to Yahoo News readers that,  “Users can start and stop their video recording as many times as they’d like during that six seconds, which gives them the opportunity to  include several different scenes, thus [giving users] the ability to create stop-motion video, moving the subjects slightly between each clip” (2013).

 

  This is a useful tool in my line of work, because I am always taking videos of paddlers, especially kayakers running high water. Several frames within a shot are often unnecessary to the viewer, and the longer a video is, the longer it takes to upload. It is also difficult to patch together shots to create a single video patch. This App makes it easy to craft together short snippets and transform them into a running video- right from my Smartphone, which is on me at all times, as compared to my digital camera. From there I would only need to click upload, as the new application software allows for instant upload to Twitter, Facebook, and the Vine platform, with options to add captions, tags, or locations, which is status quo for most mobile application similar to Vine and Twitter. The user only limits Creation, in that they choose how to use the six seconds of internet fame- all at once, or in snippets. I can’t wait to try this on the river, in real-time! Though this is an easy, exciting, and creative way to share, the App itself has some drawbacks, as well as concerns over its capabilities.

  

 Unfortunately, this application is only compatible with the iOS, which includes the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhones, limiting the availability of the platform to the cult-like Apple consumer, and excluding those who opt for Android or Windows-based operating systems. As with any new software application, there are glitches. Common to the mobile app industry, especially iOS platforms, simple commands to share and upload have been reported as being defunct and full of glitches, often failing to complete the users’ commands. According to Twitter, they are working out any glitches, and hoping to bring Vine to other platforms very soon. Here’s hoping, because I’m not an Apple lover (but that’s a story for another blog)!

   In the last two weeks, user participation has increased exponentially, and the number of Vine videos is creeping up. What do you think of Vine? Do you think it will last in the vast, ever-changing realm of the World Wide Web, or will it fizzle out like its counterparts? Create your own Vine by downloading the app and get to sharing! (I’d love to check it out too, so keep me posted!) 

  

 

Read/Learn more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/vine-and-ny-fashion-week/#ixzz2KgaGT7JE
http://blog.twitter.com/2013/01/vine-new-way-to-share-video.html