Oh snap!
Instagram feeds the photo frenzy with new user profiles on the web
This week, Instagram is sending a hip, snapshot-taking generation into an Internet frenzy by announcing its plan to add web-based profiles for users. "You’ve asked for Instagram on the web, and we’ve listened. Over the next few days, we’ll be rolling out Instagram profiles on the web," the company announced Monday on its blog.
Instagram web profiles, which have already started appearing online, will feature almost all of the beauty of Instagram with the click of a mouse — except for photo uploading and fun filter picking. You still need your smartphone for that.
If your photos are set to public, anyone can see them by visiting your profile on the web.
Featuring a design clearly gleaned from the Facebook timeline layout, the profile page includes a small profile image, a cover photo collage of intermittently rotating photos you've posted to the app, and a simple display of your Instagram archive. Aside from viewing a pretty display of your filtered photos, you can follow users, comment and like photos from the Instagram web portal too.
The profile "[gives] others a snapshot of the photos you share on Instagram," touted the blog. So now your mom, your beau — or anyone else who has not embraced the iPhone era — can check out your latest pics without downloading the app.
Important to note: If your photos are set to public, anyone can see them by visiting your profile on the web. If your photos are set to private, however, they can only be viewed by logged-in users. (This might be a good time to update your privacy settings.)
To find your online Instagram profile, just go the instagram.com/[username] (no "@" required). Profiles are rolling out all week, so have no fear: Your phone snapshots will soon have a home on the web.
While you anxiously await the roll-out of your own profile, Paloma Parrot and Nike are worth digging into to get your Insta fix.