If a picture is worth 1000 words then at four frames a second a short video, let’s say six seconds, must be worth 24000 words!
In effect this is what Twitter has just introduced with the Vine app. A standalone app for iPhones and iPods that allows you to record six seconds of video. Simply press and hold the screen to record as long as you like in the six seconds or tap to record a millisecond
You have the option to publish your work from three to six seconds which is then looped. Rather much like Twitter with its limited 140 character count or Instagram with its square photo framing the limit of six seconds lends itself well to creativity.
What can you do in six seconds? Many users choose to make stop frame animations by tapping the screen. Other choose to shoot very short bursts of footage less than a few seconds long. These short videos make it difficult to produce boring content. Let’s face it if you don’t like a video, which is only 6 seconds long, it is very easy to move onto the next.
Many in the social media world have tipped video as the next step in content sharing. YouTube is great at what it does but to produce great video content it has traditionally taken investment in good equipment and some technical know-how. Now all you need is an iPhone and an idea.
There are some flaws however. Already the app is awash with recordings of TV shows, YouTube videos and online content. This raises the continued debate, serious questions about copyright and sharing of third party content.
Some in the social media world are more concerned about the elicit sharing of pornographic material on the site. Something that has caused problems on Instagram. As with any social media platform this will have to be policed by the site admin and users alike.
However the biggest disadvantage of the app may be its limited release. Only available on iPhone and iPod means they are missing the massive Android market. Also their biggest competitor, Facebook, is likely to react. With over 850 million users a Facebook endorsed app would surely do well.
Have you used Vine yet? What do you think of it?
