I like Vine. I like Instagram with Videos. I love competition.
But unless Vine adds these features to their app in the next 30 days they may soon join Viddy in the land of forsaken apps.
Custom URL’s
Yes, I know services like Google+ have eschewed custom URL’s (aka Vanity URL’s) for the masses and are still thriving.
But honestly without a way for outsiders to easily visit you online it’s difficult to convert the digital heathens into Vine disciples.
With Instagram I merely tell people to visit me at Instagram.com/Darnell and next thing you know Facebook has stolen another cyber soul into their photo portal.
Vine on the other hand I have to tell people to search for “Darnell” amongst the sea of Darnell’s).
If you can’t see why that is a problem try searching for Barack Obama and tell me which one is the official account! I’ll wait…
Sharing Is Caring
Vine shares to Twitter. So does Instagram! Vine shares to Facebook. So does Instagram!
Vine needs to embrace simple sharing to Tumblr, Pinterest, et al (and yes that wonky embedding is a start but alas only geeks will use it).
Instagram has coldly embraced several services with video (by linkage only) and Vine could surpass Instagram Videos if they fully embrace sharing to more platforms (especially blogging ones beyond Tumblr).
Editing Past Clips
Do you know how many times I’ve deleted a Vine because of one bad clip?!
Instagram actually recognizes that I’m human (instead of a Cylon) so I naturally make mistakes.
Since I’m posting Vines to the World Wide Web I at least would like them to look decent (as this isn’t Snapchat).
This is probably one of the reasons why the masses are hopping on Instagram Video as they can capture the perfect moment minus the frustration.
Adding this feature alone would bring me back into the Vinosphere.
Special Effects Please!
Vine is to Instagram videos what a Cylon Centurion is to a Terminator (excuse my Battlestar Galactican please!).
Vine doesn’t need filters (as they ruin the video) but what what Vine really needs is special effects.
A few suggestions would include voice overs, slow motion, rewinds (play the video clip backwards) and non-cheesy sound effects.
This would not only help Twitter’s little brother gain an advantage against Facebook’s enforcer but also help Vine carve out a niche of their own (all within 6.5 seconds).
Etcetera
There are a few other features (like spam control, 2-factor authentication, et al) but those are merely icing on the cake.
What I really need is for Vine to be the sweet spot of the Internet again as it’s one of the few services not owned by Google, Facebook, Yahoo, or Microsoft that is not only fun to use but also not NSA approved.
