An online six second video app is taking the world by storm

Six seconds. That’s the sort of time it takes for a luxury sedan to hit 100 kmph, or how long most recruiters look at the average resume before making a ‘fit or no-fit’ decision. Of late though, six seconds has assumed a whole new meaning in the social space courtesy Vine, a new app released by social networking titan Twitter. What Vine does is let people shoot and share six-second looped videos, turning the person on the street into a mini-movie-maker. Sounds like you’ve heard this pitch before? Sure, tonnes of apps have tried to bring mobile video sharing to the mainstream, but where Vine excels–its secret sauce, so to speak–is its simplicity. (Of course, having the backing of Twitter and a direct connection to its hundreds of million active users doesn’t hurt either!) At its core is the idea that sharing a video can be almost as simple as sending out a tweet, and just as Twitter’s 140-character limit forces people to write more efficiently, Vine’s six-second limit challenges you to use visuals that convey (and get to) your point faster. But besides that incredibly simple premise, it’s pretty easy to use as well. Touch the screen to record. Lift your finger to stop. Fill six seconds, write a caption and post immediately, either to Twitter, Facebook, or Vine’s own network. That’s it. Sounds simple enough, right? What’s more interesting is that compared to social video apps that have been around recently, Vine is as easily characterized by what’s not there. For example, there’s no way to edit your video, no Instagramlike filters, not even a playback button to review your video. The focus is frontand- center on the short stop-motion video you shoot. Heck, forget editing your video, you can't even upload a video from your phone’s media gallery, and the final Six seconds. That’s the sort of time it takes for a luxury sedan to hit 100 kmph, or how long most recruiters look at the average resume before making a ‘fit or no-fit’ decision. Of late though, six seconds has assumed a whole new meaning in the social space courtesy Vine, a new app released by social networking titan Twitter. What Vine does is let people shoot and share six-second looped videos, turning the person on the street into a mini-movie-maker. Sounds like you’ve heard this pitch before? Sure, tonnes of apps have tried to bring mobile video sharing to the mainstream, but where Vine excels–its secret sauce, so to speak–is its simplicity. (Of course, having the backing of Twitter and a direct connection to its hundreds of million active users doesn’t hurt either!) At its core is the idea that sharing a video can be almost as simple as sending out a tweet, and just as Twitter’s 140-character limit forces people to write more efficiently, Vine’s six-second limit challenges you to use visuals that convey (and get to) your point faster. But besides that incredibly simple premise, it’s pretty easy to use as well. Touch the screen to record. Lift your finger to stop. Fill six seconds, write a caption and post immediately, either to Twitter, Facebook, or Vine’s own network. That’s it. Sounds simple enough, right? What’s more interesting is that compared to social video apps that have been around recently, Vine is as easily characterized by what’s not there. For example, there’s no way to edit your video, no Instagramlike filters, not even a playback button to review your video. The focus is frontand- center on the short stop-motion video you shoot. Heck, forget editing your video, you can't even upload a video from your phone’s media gallery, and the final stitched together video is decidedly lowdefinition to boot! The videos even remind me of the animated GIF files people have been putting up on the Internet for well over a decade now! Yet, in less than a couple of weeks since Twitter launched the Vine app for the iPhone (an Android app is in the works), media houses have used it to report stories, brands have used it to create ads and contests and designers at New York Fashion Week have broadcasted real-time backstage clippings during the show. Celebs like Paul McCartney and Arnold Schwarzenegger are already on it, sharing snippets of their lives. Not to mention the bad press the app has gotten for initial glut of smut uploaded by users, leading Apple to slap it with a 17+ rating. You see, like everything else online, Vine users shared inappropriate videos on the network a.k.a porn. But that’s not the biggest of complaints I have with the service. Basic features, such as the ability to find people to follow, are broken. You can’t change the title or tags of the video once it is posted, or block people who post offensive comments. You can’t save or export content. You can’t use the front facing camera on your iPhone to record the Vine, only the rear camera. And oh yes, the service isn’t available on any other platform other than Apple’s, which cuts out a ton of folks who could be vine-ing today! If you get a feeling it’s a rushed service without all basic features of today’s social networks, that’s not entirely incorrect.

VINE @ BUSINESS

Not surprisingly, it’s easy to get hooked onto the service, watching streams of sometimes inane, sometimes remarkable videos that creative minds across the world are dishing out. But is there more o Vine than cute puppy, cat and baby videos? Is there a professional connection to the service, as businesses grapple with how they can best leverage their 6-seconds- of-fame on this new social network? Absolutely, if the past few weeks are anything to go by. Already, marketers and retailers are pushing out how-to videos of their latest products, showing off the product in action. Restaurateurs and coffee shops are pushing out recipes for the day, promoting their menus and giving their brands a video fillip. Tech startups and media houses are promoting company culture by offering Vines on behindthe- scenes-looks at their offices. So, how can you make Vine work for you? First, bear in mind that it is a new service, so pretty much everyone is learning their way around. Don’t let the hype machinery make your decisions–use the app only if you have a clear purpose of being on the network. Your business must have a clear reason to present videos to the world before your first Vine is posted. Think of Vine as a micro-storytelling app – clearly, you must know what story you are to tell for it to interest the audience and result in commerce. Remember to keep the content original–don’t “vine” clips of movies or material that is subject to copyright–showing other people’s copyrighted works, even for those six seconds, could result in legal action. Once you’re on the platform, plan for it much like any other medium–keep the content fresh, and keep it coming! And as always, keep an eye on what others from your industry are doing on the platform. Know what’s trending on Vine, pay attention and take notes and incorporate the really compelling ideas into your own Vine strategy.