Connecting with your grand children on Instagram

The iphone app, Instagram has brought out some groovy new functionality this week called Video on Instagram adding to its already very popular photography taking, editing and sharing capability.   If your Grandchildren are equipped with an ipod touch (which most children are these days)… you might find you can join their online community (or they can join yours) and keep up with what is going on in their worlds on a day to day basis a little more.

Instagram has been THE most popular photography app in the world for the past three years.  If you havent used it before,  we have provided a short overview below.   This move to include video is a big step forward.   

 The new feature lets users create and share 15 second video clips with a choice of 13 new filters and editing options. To date, this has been the greatest fundamental shift in the company since its inception three years ago.  You can find out a lot in 15 seconds… you can share a lot in 15 seconds.  This is probably worth a look… 

Check it out here:

If you’re not sure exactly what it is or how to use Instagram, here is the low down…

The easiest way to describe Instagram is a worldwide digital photo album. It is the largest photo sharing app in the world with over 130 million users to date! It allows you to take a photo on your phone, choose from a range of filters to enhance and transform it, edit and then share. It is commonly regarded as the “artists choice” as a way of capturing and sharing moments with the world.

You are able to use the Instagram in a very similar way to Facebook  through following, reading the news feed and sharing. The difference is that it is a photo sharing, now video sharing, ONLY platform. No status updates!

The easy steps to start your Instagram:

1. Download  the app from the Apple Store or the Play Store on Android.

2. Create your  free Instagram account

3. Then “follow” your grandchildren and friends . This will mean that their uploaded photos or videos will come up in your news thread on a monthly, daily or even hourly basis.

This video will explain a step to step guide that will answer all the hows and whys of Instagram for you. It’s a little shaky but it does goes through everything you will need to know about how to edit a photo.

Connecting with your grandchildren, whether they are in the same house, state or country is getting easier with every new technology. These social networking sites have become such a fantastic way for many grandparents to get actively involved in their grand children’s everyday life. Precious moments can now be shared no matter how far or close you are.