Social video sharing is gaining new traction thanks to Twitter’s brand new service, Vine. The app’s users (iOS-only, at least for now) can create and share looping videos that span six seconds or less. But don’t let Vine’s size fool you — already sending the tech and social world atwitter, we have a feeling this little app is going to make it big.
Getting Vine up and running can happen in just a few minutes, which, in today’s fast-paced world, is part of its charm. Here’s how to start:
- Sign in with your Twitter handle or your email address — having a Twitter account isn’t mandatory, but it streamlines the process
- If you choose to sync up with your Twitter handle, grant access to your account
- Create your account. If you’re using Twitter, Vine will pre-populate your profile photo, bio, and name (you can edit later if you feel so inclined). If you’re an email user, you will need to manually enter that information.
- You’re just about set — you can take a tour of how things work, or skip over the tutorial
- Find friends. In its first few hours, Vine allowed searching for email contacts and connections on both Twitter and Facebook. However, Facebook quickly nixed that option, so just email and Twitter remain.
- Get to filming! Once you’re satisfied with your masterpiece, you can name it, hashtag it, and/or geotag it.
- Finally, you’re ready to share. Right now, Vine users can select between making their clips for Vine eyes only, or pushing to Twitter or Facebook as well… well, maybe. Soon after Facebook prevented users from searching for friends via Vine, many people reported their loops were nowhere to be found when shared to Facebook. However, Mashable points out that the service has had delays in general, so it’s hard to say whether this is due to sour grapes or just an innocent technical issue.
While private users are embracing Vine for its user-friendly interface and creative fun factor, big brands are seeing a new way to connect with fans and become early adopters of the next big thing in social media. Power players like Urban Outfitters, Lucky magazine, Gap, PBS, and Moose Tracks ice cream have been taking Vine by storm with clever content, much to the delight of fans (and we’re willing to bet they had fun in the process). Strategists already know that video content is social media gold as far as engagement is concerned, and when it’s as easy and quick to create as Vine makes it, there’s no question this will be a huge asset for brands moving forward. How will Vine impact your brand’s bottom line?
Sources
Long, Mary C. “Twitter Lets You Share Vines To Facebook Despite Friend Finder Snub – Or Does It?.” mediabistro.com/alltwitter. N.p., 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/facebook-twitter-vine_b35008>.
Murphy, Samantha. “Twitter Introduces Vine for Creating GIF-Like Looping Videos.” mashable.com. N.p., 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://mashable.com/2013/01/24/twitter-vine/>.
Price, Emily. “Facebook Cuts Down Twitter’s Vine.” mashable.com. N.p., 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://mashable.com/2013/01/24/facebook-blocks-twitters-vine/>.
Price, Emily. “How to Use Twitter’s Vine to Create and Share Videos.” mashable.com. N.p., 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://mashable.com/2013/01/24/vine-how-to/>.
Wasserman, Todd. “Brands Are Already Experimenting With Twitter’s Vine.” mashable.com. N.p., 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://mashable.com/2013/01/25/twitter-vine-brands/>.
