Guide to Instagram Stories

On August 2, 2016, Instagram launched a new feature called ‘Stories’ that is much alike the Snapchat’s stories experience- difference being is that Insta’s Stories feature is ‘better’.

Instead of posting selected photos, you can share multiple photos or videos that you click or capture throughout the day, as a compilation in a slideshow format.This will automatically disappear after 24 hours so that you can start fresh again, tomorrow.

You can share as much as you want, throughout the day, thus forming your own story of the day. It certainly makes the Instagram more ‘happening’. Also, new ways have been provided in the stories feature to make your story more alive. Like, the text and drawing tools, emojis and swipeable color filters, that you can apply to your photos and make them more expressive.

It alleviates you from the pain of over-posting. So now instead of posting your highlights of life only, you can bring your whole everyday life on Instagram. The sharing is easy and more efficient. You also don’t need to build an audience for you stories, as your story is displayed at the top of the old feed, where everyone in your follower list is going to see it. You can consider it as an expansion of what Snapchat instituted.

Like how Instagram is loved by everyone, Stories has also made ways in the habit of people of almost all the ages. It is growing popular and likable every day. Instagram Stories has also become a brand favorite. According to Nick Sheingold, associate director of strategy at Laundry Service, "Instagram is really brand friendly, so that's a huge opportunity.” For instance, Nike grabbed 800,000 likes in just 24 hours through an Instagram story that it posted on the very first day of the launch of Stories. It is far more than its video got on the Snapchat which is around 66,000 likes.

Now about how can one create a story on Instagram, here’s the process:

• You need to first tap on the plus button located at the top left-hand side of the home screen or just swipe in left to the feed. You can also access stories directly by quick launching it through swiping right of the main screen.
• At the bottom of the screen, you will be able to see a circle button to take photos or videos (hold).
• After when you are done, capturing photos or videos, you can edit them by adding text, emoji, or a drawing.
• Tap did save your story.
• Lastly, tap the check mark button to share your story.

The stories thus created can be accessed by all your followers and they can swipe through all your photos and videos for a time period of 24 hours. The story update is notified to your follower by a colorful ring around your profile picture and it will also pop up at the top of your followers' Feeds. All they need to do it tap on your profile picture. You can also delete your story anytime you want if you don’t want any particular photo for people to see, by clicking on the three dot at the bottom of your photo or video and then hit delete and confirm.

If you like a story in particular and has become your favorite, you can save that story directly to your phone and then you get to refresh that memory forever. You will get a save button in the three dot menu, the same place where you get the delete.

Instagram stories can be shared to all and also can be held private. It follows your current privacy setting of the account. When the settings are at private, the stories are visible only to the followers. Also, you can hide the story from anyone or Barr anyone to respond to your story you don’t want to share the story even if he/she follows you. You can check for who has watched your story and who hasn’t. These all inclusions in the story feature make it more flexible and user-friendly than the Snapchat’s story feature.

So in a nutshell, we can say that Instagram stories add a place for you on the Insta-world, where all your contents that are more ordinary or not ‘good enough’, can be reflected everyone only for a short period of time, after which it disappears and you won’t be judged. If you had are ashamed of an awkward photo or an embarrassing face that you made or some played a prank with you and got it on camera, it all will vanish within 24 hours, leaving behind laughs and fun, without being a permanent memory, unlike the highlights. So now you can share highlights along with almost everything happening with you in your daily life and you won’t have to worry about cleaning up of the mess as it already takes care of it.