It was supposedly the next killer app that was launched in late Jan 2013 on the iOS. Of course, being launched by Twitter, the darling of social media was always going to get you top billing. At the launch, people were all going ga ga over it and almost all of them touting it to be the next Instagram. But it’s been 6 months since. And though I joined it using my iPad, I am still waiting for it to show me something interesting/ creative/ striking. I was not convinced at launch, and I am still not convinced that this app is for the masses. Just this month Vine was launched on the Google Play Store. My reasons are simple – getting something interesting/engaging in a short clip is extremely difficult. Most of the stuff I have seen on it is pretty damn stupid. Pictures capture a moment. Click! and its there. Vine requires you to spot something amazing for a full 6 seconds. And to capture a vine you need to have a device with great video capture and super quick focusing capabilities and also you need to be super still when recording so as to avoid the jerky clips.

So what do I think of the app? If you ask me, as an app, it’s really well designed. Just tap to record. But one has to be really gifted to make a clip of 6 second interesting. And after seeing the clips on Vine, this seems like a difficult task for most of us. Most vines end up being a clip of the mundane things in life.

So after it was available on the Android ecosystem, I did install it and also created my first vine, a rotating beer can. What do you think? I tried to make a few more, but they didn’t seen worthy of an upload. So, my 2 cents is that, it is difficult to see Vine becoming a huge hit like an Instagram or the likes. Where Instagram has millions creating content and millions more consuming it, Vine would need a few thousands of extremely creative people creating interesting clips for the masses. Maybe, the ad industry professional might find it interesting. Vines can play a supporting role for brands campaigns. Brands can put out short, high quality vines to supplement their media campaigns. While ads go through a whole process that involves filming, editing, post processing; Vines can be spontaneous, and involve mass social sourcing of clips for specific events.

Just my thoughts.