The big news from Facebook today (May 24) isn't that it has a new photo app resembling the one it's currently buying, Instagram. The news is that "social media" is just that: socializing our media.
Facebook has distilled what users really like to share — photographs — in its new standalone Camera app for iPhone. One stream of all the new photos your friends have posted, with the ability to like and comment. No more clutter — because, after all, photos tell a story best on a small screen.
Even if a picture weren't worth a thousand words, it conveys more than a 100-word status update. And for someone skimming their Facebook stream, a photo is much more inviting than a block of text.
Next time you go on Facebook (if you still do), look at your feed and see how many of the posts are photos. If your friends are parents of young children, perhaps most of them will be pictures or albums. And if they are young singles showing off their exciting lives, that may be the case, too.
Could Facebook Camera replace Facebook mobile? Absolutely. Not only does it show the best part of the network, it frees you from the unwieldy and notoriously buggy Facebook mobile app for iPhone and Android. An Android version of Camera is undoubtedly on the way.[ Americans Like Android Phones More Than the iPhone ]
The Camera app has a tight integration with the iPhone's camera roll, which appears at the top of the home screen. A tap brings up your camera roll app, where you can select photos, add tags and post as an album. Facebook Camera's editing capabilities are modest but really are all you need to make your shots more attractive. [ 6 Tips to Use Instagram Like a Pro ]
And best of all, using Camera doesn't involve joining yet another social network and persuading your friends to follow you. This time Facebook got it right.
