Tech Wars: Vine Updates to Battle Instagram Video

Vine has launched an update that offers a host of new features as it battles with Instagram video. The Twitter-owned company brings this update just two weeks after Facebook’s Instagram announced they were launching video-sharing. Vine has made some noticeable changes, according to techcrunch.com:

“To start, you’ll notice that the camera has been redesigned to make it even easier for hard-core creators to frame their shots, which is especially important with stop-animation (something that’s become a bit of a hobby for many Viners). The redesign brings a grid, the ability to focus, and “ghost tools.” Ghost tools let you view your previous shot, but unlike Instagram video, there is no editing within Vine.

The update also brings with it new ways to explore and be noticed on Vine. For one, Vine now includes 15 channels, letting you submit posts to the Explore screen with a better chance of being noticed. These categories include music, nature, comedy, and more. Each one has its own theme and popular feed, which allows for a number of different ways for you to be discovered on Vine.”

Also included in the update is a feature that has been missing from both Vine and Instagram,  the ability to repost other people’s content. Which makes perfect sense seeing that Vine’s parent company invented the “retweet.” As reported by mashable.com:

“In addition to the app enhancements, Vine’s update also adds the ability to “revine” Vine posts to your followers, much like you might retweet a tweet on Twitter, as well as the ability to create a protected account on Vine that can be seen only by specified users.”

As video is not as forgiving as still photos since it captures far more information, users will also appreciate the new privacy settings on the app as well. In what was a glaring omission on the original app pcworld.com now says:

“The update also includes a setting called ‘protected posts’  that will reduce the amount of sharing on the service. Most Vine posts today are public, but people can now turn this setting on so that only people who users approve can see their posts.”

Since video is the next logical step in social media, all tech companies are trying to stay relevant in the space. Even Yahoo! jumped in on the action this week ,according to pcworld.com:

“Yahoo is also looking to become a strong player in mobile video. On Tuesday the company announced its acquisition of Qwiki, an app that makes short movies out of people’s previously shot photos and videos.”
These updates are a step in the right direction for Vine, and a solid answer to the Facebook-owned Instagram launch of video two weeks ago. As reported here when Instagram launched video, they had 5 million uploads in one day, and instantaneously became a threat to Vine.

Time will tell if these updates are enough to keep Vine relevant vs. Instagram and whether 6-second clips will hold up to 15 by their rivals.