by Photo-sharing network Instagram is giving up on its smartphone app exclusivity and rolling out Facebook-styled Web profiles for all its users over the next few days. The Facebook-owned social network says the new Instagram profiles are designed to make it easier for you to share your profile with others and find new users to follow. Previously, Instagram offered limited Web functionality, only letting you see publicly-shared photos online if you could find the photo’s URL through third-party search engines and other means.
Profile breakdown
The main feature of your new Instagram Web profile is a Facebook-like cover photo area featuring seven of your recent photo uploads. Just like on Facebook, your profile photo is also placed in the lower left corner of the cover photo area. The new Instagram Web profiles also feature a short bio (if you added one), your complete Instagram photo archive organized by date, and your follower/following count.
When ready, your profile will be available at instagram.com/[YourUsername], similar to Twitter. Instagram says the new profiles will be rolling out to all users over the next week, so if you don’t see your profile yet it should appear soon.
Instagram’s Web functionality will be relatively basic at launch. You will be able to like and comment on photos from other users, follow people, and edit your profile. It appears you won’t be getting an online news feed similar to what you see within the Instagram app, and Instagram won’t be offering any type of search function to find other users. Instead, you’ll have to either navigate to profiles based on username or wait for third-party Instagram search alternatives to fill the void.
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