SOUABE IS SO THERE

ByTedJanusz

!ntroducing lnstagram

is a Mobile photos always come out looking n.rediocre. phone, Our awesome looking filters transform your photos that may be into professional_looking snapshots. better or at least more interesting than the shot you I sharing on multiple platforms is a pain. we help could have taken with that expensive birthday present you take a picture once, then share it (instantly) on you have sitting back home? multiple services. o Most uploading experiences are clumsy and take
free application that now available for either your iphone or Android you can actually show your staffa picture
a

hile traveling on business, you see a unique parking facility feature thatyou wantto share withyour colleagues back at the-office. You wish you had your digital camera with you to capture that sho! but then remember that the camera in your mobile phone is available. Thinkingyour phone,s camera is not that great but still better than simply having to describe the feature ,o staff, you take the picture. Do you realize
that, thanks to

y#

The app is called Instagram, and it has become wildly popular. Launched originally for the iphone on October 6,2OlO,Instagram became the top downloaded appli_ cation within just 24 hours. As of May 2Ol2,Instagram
had more than 50 million users and is gaining 5 million newmobile photographers each week. The app produces quirky, square images similar to the ones thrt yor.

forever. We,ve optimized the experience to be fast and efficient.,, With Instagram, you can give your photo a title and then easily share it on Facebook, TWitter, Flickr, and even foursquare.

Why is it a Hit?
"The 'cool, factor of Instagram,,, says Kelly Lux of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse Universiry "is the fact that they have ll different filters you can use to up the interest ofyour pix. Filters range from retro to futuristic.,, In addition to being a photo manipulation and photo _ sharingsite, Instagram is also a social network.,,Instagram, like any other social network, is based around having friends or followers,,, Lux continues. ,,On Instagram you follow people. At the top of your profile (or"anyone,s profile) you will see the username, profile picture, how many photos have been uploaded, how many followers
the account has, and how many they are following. When you follow someone, their photos show up in yourit eam.,,

Kodak Instamatic or polaroid camera took, but now ridiculously easy to share using the Internet.

old

The $1 Billion photo Bug

You may know Instagram as the mobile photo sharing application Facebook recently acquired for approxi_ mately gt billion. Under the deal, Instagram
an independent application that is separate from Face_ book, buttheir services will become tightly integrated. Facebook apparently valued Instagram,s com*rr=rriay of

wiliremain

TED JANUSZ is a professional speaker

on the topic of

photographers and photo lovers, and that community

may have threatened Facebook,s position as the king photo sharing, so it purchased the app.

"Social Media for

Baby Boomers,,, author, and marketing consultant. He is the author ofthe Socral

of

Why The Name,,tnstagram,,?

According to Instagram,s founders, Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, ,,We loved how different types of old cameras marketed themselves as,instant,_something
people were taking were kind of like telegrams in that they got sent over the wire to others, so wJfigured why not combine the two?,, "We always assumed taking interesting photos re_
we take for granted today. We also felt that the snapshots

How can I downtoad the app for my mobile phone?

Simply go to the Instagram website (at instagram.com),

Media Marketing
Guide for parking Professionals, which
is a free publication

for lPl members and

can be downloaded from parking.org/
soc ialmedia guide. He can be reached at red@
la n

click either the App Store or Google play button at the bottom of the screen, then use your mobile phone ancl click away!

Lrspresentatio ns.

orn

or 614.aA0.7481.

we...created Instagram to solve three simple problems:

quired a big bulky camera and a couple years of art school;' Krieger and Systrom continue. ..But as mobile phone cameras got better and better,

Editor's Note: Inspired? Grab that camera and enter The Parking Professional,sfrstphoto contest to win afree IPI Conference & Expo registration, seeingyour photo published in the magazine (maybe eren on-th" cover;, and all sorts ofparking Mattersts suagl Seep. 13 or visit parking.org/photocontest more details

for

and to enter.

14

INTERNATTONAL pARKtNG INSTjTUTE I

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