What is Vine? Think of it as the Twitter of videos, but instead of 140 characters you only get 6 seconds of video to express yourself. There’s no effects, no editing, no fancy graphics or a soundtrack allowed, just video sharing pure and simple. Vine allows users to capture six seconds of video on their device (this excludes the camera roll) and shares it in much the same way Instagram does images even, relaying your moment through Twitter.
This last weekend saw over 113 897 videos shared on Twitter. Impressive stats for such a new service, despite some inconvenient teething problems. Vine was acquired by Twitter in October 2012, and has only been an active service for less than three weeks. For the time being the app is exclusive to iPhone and iPod touch but according to the Vine blog they’re currently working on servicing other platforms.
Widely compared to the animated GIF, Vine videos are set to loop after the 6 sec mark, which should allow for some really creative works. The possibilities are quite exciting. Check out these stop motion creations:
Who doesn’t like a good old-fashioned flick book? #vine #flickbook #stickman #character #animation #stopmoti… vine.co/v/b1LTZYhpUDn
— Animate & Create (@animatecreate) February 4, 2013
and for brands that don’t want to pay the hefty price tag of a Super Bowl ad:
Our #firstpost on Vine! Definitely a strike, thanks to some last pin #magic. vine.co/v/b52z6ljw1F1
— Dove (@Dove) January 25, 2013
Even Sir Paul McCartney’s PR team are getting in on the act:
Name the song and film yourself playing/singing the rest of that riff #quiz #loop vine.co/v/bnDdDqv3v6B
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) February 7, 2013
Whether Vine will enjoy the kind mass popularity that has until now been reserved for Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram, only time will tell…
Updated: It is interesting to note that Vimeo has just recently acquired a company called Echograph, a start up that allows users to create and share tiny animated photos or what they call “echographs” (Sound familiar?). This clearly indicates a move into mobile for the YouTube alternative; and with the appointment the Echograph creator Nick Alt as Vimeo’s new VP of mobile, the writing’s on the wall.