At the start of the month, Instagram introduced a feature that Snapchat users are too familiar with, Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories is just Snapchat Stories but, well, for Instagram. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom even admitted in an interview that Snapchat had inspired its most recent feature addition. An Instagram Story is a compilation of photos and videos that a user can share with their Instagram followers for 24 hours before they disappear.
Instagram has in the recent past focused on Video seeking to allow more users on its network to consume this content. To further enhance this shift, Instagram launched a new feature in April called Video Channels. Video channels allow users from within the Explore tab to experience what videos people are sharing on the social network. The tab has features such as Videos You Might Like which recommends a bunch of videos that you may like to watch.
There was also talk that Instagram would launch Featured channels with videos that are arranged into 64 channel categories. This will allow the user narrow down on topics they are most interested in which may drive them to watch more content. The test feature looks somewhat like Pinterest for Video and features among other categories Animations, bakers, Makeup tutorials, comedians and even yoga.
The new feature is in addition to another announced last week, in which Instagram is looking towards rolling out a new feature that allows users to save a draft post. Currently, if you exit an instagram post before posting it, Instagram deletes it. The new feature will prompt users to either delete or save their work of art as a draft or entirely discard it. If one wants to resume, Instagram will let you pick from where you left, prepare your photo and then publish it.
