What are the unspoken rules of instagram?
July 30, 2017 1:05 PM
What are the unspoken rules of instagram? What is seen as too much or try hard? Tell me about the unspoken rules that govern post frequency, hashtag use, selfies, etc. Please tell me all of the unspoken rules, and please avoid debating other people about how PC or ethical an unspoken rule is. I am someone who has no experience with instagram and would like to know more.
I prefer putting hashtags in the first comment directly below, so they don't clutter up the post. Others prefer the
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#hashtag version. Basically if you put five full stops + linebreaks, the post is truncated and, again, doesn't look so cluttered. I use IFTTT to cross-post, so I want to avoid the line breaks (that don't crosspost and look messy, imo), but ymmv. I am personally very allergic to #blessed and such hashtags, but others like them a lot.
There are a tonne of good tutorials and best practise posts out there — it all depends why you are using Instagram and what you want to do with it. It took me a long time to get into Instagram, but now it's one of my favourite social media channels.
posted by kariebookish at 1:48 PM on July 30, 2017
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#hashtag version. Basically if you put five full stops + linebreaks, the post is truncated and, again, doesn't look so cluttered. I use IFTTT to cross-post, so I want to avoid the line breaks (that don't crosspost and look messy, imo), but ymmv. I am personally very allergic to #blessed and such hashtags, but others like them a lot.
There are a tonne of good tutorials and best practise posts out there — it all depends why you are using Instagram and what you want to do with it. It took me a long time to get into Instagram, but now it's one of my favourite social media channels.
posted by kariebookish at 1:48 PM on July 30, 2017
Depends on what you intend to use instagram for. ananci's notes above are good to keep in mind if your goal is self-promotion or gaining followers. If you are only using instagram as a way to keep up with friends, then I think a different (or additional) set of rules applies.
For example, my and most of my friends' accounts are private so using anything like 10 hashtags would be overkill and obnoxious. Don't like friends' (like people you actually know) posts that are older than a couple days because it might look like you are stalking them by doing a deep dive into old posts (not actually stalking, but inappropriately prying. Everyone does this, but you don't want anyone to know you do it). It's okay to like old things posted by businesses or bands or whatever, bc they want promotion and followers.
posted by greta simone at 1:51 PM on July 30, 2017
For example, my and most of my friends' accounts are private so using anything like 10 hashtags would be overkill and obnoxious. Don't like friends' (like people you actually know) posts that are older than a couple days because it might look like you are stalking them by doing a deep dive into old posts (not actually stalking, but inappropriately prying. Everyone does this, but you don't want anyone to know you do it). It's okay to like old things posted by businesses or bands or whatever, bc they want promotion and followers.
posted by greta simone at 1:51 PM on July 30, 2017
I don't think there's a minimum amount of hash tags to use. Less is more IMO.
Don't constantly comment on any one person's pictures (depending on how close I was to someone, I wouldn't comment more than once or twice a week). If someone posts like 20 pictures in a day because they're on an adventure or something, they'll get about 3 likes from me until I start scrolling through the rest. Pick your favorites to post, don't go overboard.
posted by blackzinfandel at 2:02 PM on July 30, 2017
Don't constantly comment on any one person's pictures (depending on how close I was to someone, I wouldn't comment more than once or twice a week). If someone posts like 20 pictures in a day because they're on an adventure or something, they'll get about 3 likes from me until I start scrolling through the rest. Pick your favorites to post, don't go overboard.
posted by blackzinfandel at 2:02 PM on July 30, 2017
If it's your personal Instagram keep the topics to personal. If I start followmy by you to see photos of your adventures and then you start trying to sell me MLM crap I'm going to unfollow you really quickly.
The nice part of Instagram is that people are following you because they want to see your pictures. So if you just want to post photos of your baby all day that's fine! I'll probably stop following you because I don't really care about baby photos and that's the point of Instagram - seeing pictures of stuff that interests you.
If you have a bunch of photos from one event (birthday, hiking trip, etc) you can post up to about 3 individual posts a day before I start getting annoyed. The other cool thing you can do now is make a little mini album and put about 5 photos together so it doesn't crowd up someone's feed.
Generally don't "like" things immediately after they happen- you make look a little stalky (my friends don't care but as a woman if a man was liking all my photos quickly I'd be creeped out, context matters).
If you're present for someone's BIG event (like wedding or birth) they get first rights to post on social media. For example, a friend proposed at a party (we were all in the know) and we all took photos of the proposal. All those photos got sent the fiancée and nothing went online until she posted something first
posted by raccoon409 at 2:26 PM on July 30, 2017
The nice part of Instagram is that people are following you because they want to see your pictures. So if you just want to post photos of your baby all day that's fine! I'll probably stop following you because I don't really care about baby photos and that's the point of Instagram - seeing pictures of stuff that interests you.
If you have a bunch of photos from one event (birthday, hiking trip, etc) you can post up to about 3 individual posts a day before I start getting annoyed. The other cool thing you can do now is make a little mini album and put about 5 photos together so it doesn't crowd up someone's feed.
Generally don't "like" things immediately after they happen- you make look a little stalky (my friends don't care but as a woman if a man was liking all my photos quickly I'd be creeped out, context matters).
If you're present for someone's BIG event (like wedding or birth) they get first rights to post on social media. For example, a friend proposed at a party (we were all in the know) and we all took photos of the proposal. All those photos got sent the fiancée and nothing went online until she posted something first
posted by raccoon409 at 2:26 PM on July 30, 2017
I agree that instagram accounts, and I only can speak for private instagram accounts here because that's the only kind I have experience of, tend to be more 'curated' than Facebook posts. So don't flood your friends' feed with pictures indiscriminately.
Say you're on a trip or some other kind of thing that means you have a number of photos you want to share, it's better to do one multiple-picture Instagram post (either by using the slideshow/album function or using Layout or a similar app to create a collage) than do many consecutive posts each with one picture.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:29 PM on July 30, 2017
Say you're on a trip or some other kind of thing that means you have a number of photos you want to share, it's better to do one multiple-picture Instagram post (either by using the slideshow/album function or using Layout or a similar app to create a collage) than do many consecutive posts each with one picture.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:29 PM on July 30, 2017
Instagram doesn't have some sort of 'real names' policy like Facebook, so you are free to make as many accounts as you want. If there's something that you want to post about constantly but it's threatens to take over your account, you can make an account that just hosts those photos. People who don't want to see it don't have to follow, and people who want to see it will follow you + separate account. I've seen this for things like cats or food, which have a greater appeal (but are obviously less personal) so you don't necessarily have to have your "personal" account being super public.
One post/album per event so interested people can see more, but others.. don't have to.
Don't post pictures of text or generic images to get people to read your description, Instagram is specifically about photos.
posted by meowzilla at 6:46 PM on July 30, 2017
One post/album per event so interested people can see more, but others.. don't have to.
Don't post pictures of text or generic images to get people to read your description, Instagram is specifically about photos.
posted by meowzilla at 6:46 PM on July 30, 2017
No rules, but just a tip: Beware of the double-tap/double-click to "like" mechanism, because if you get deep into someone's old photos and you accidentally "like" one of them, they will know you were lurking in their archives!
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:30 PM on July 30, 2017
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:30 PM on July 30, 2017
It really depends on how you want to use Instagram.
For personal use/keeping in touch with friends/acquaintances:
- Please don't post a million pictures in a row if you're at an event. If you must, group them into a carousel. I want to see the *best* picture from wherever you are. One a day max.
- If you do want to document your experience with more posts, Stories and Live Stories are good for this purpose.
- I am ambivalent about hashtags. I just roll my eyes if someone uses a lot of meaningless ones or use them to caption an inside joke.
For building followers around an interest:
- Post regularly, post consistently. Develop a photographic 'style' and stick with it.
- Stick to your subject. I find it annoying when the topical accounts I follow post their personal life (except if it's cats, I'm fine with anyone posting cats, anytime).
- The exception is again Stories. I am far more tolerant of people going 'off-topic' in their Stories.
- If you re-post GIVE CREDIT to the original account. I actually like when my topical accounts use #followfridays (ie post other accounts you would recommend) as it's a nice way to discover new quality accounts.
- Understand how Instagram engagement algorithms work and work them. Tag accounts in the picture. Tag location. Add meaningful hashtags. Respond back to comments.
posted by like_neon at 1:25 AM on July 31, 2017
For personal use/keeping in touch with friends/acquaintances:
- Please don't post a million pictures in a row if you're at an event. If you must, group them into a carousel. I want to see the *best* picture from wherever you are. One a day max.
- If you do want to document your experience with more posts, Stories and Live Stories are good for this purpose.
- I am ambivalent about hashtags. I just roll my eyes if someone uses a lot of meaningless ones or use them to caption an inside joke.
For building followers around an interest:
- Post regularly, post consistently. Develop a photographic 'style' and stick with it.
- Stick to your subject. I find it annoying when the topical accounts I follow post their personal life (except if it's cats, I'm fine with anyone posting cats, anytime).
- The exception is again Stories. I am far more tolerant of people going 'off-topic' in their Stories.
- If you re-post GIVE CREDIT to the original account. I actually like when my topical accounts use #followfridays (ie post other accounts you would recommend) as it's a nice way to discover new quality accounts.
- Understand how Instagram engagement algorithms work and work them. Tag accounts in the picture. Tag location. Add meaningful hashtags. Respond back to comments.
posted by like_neon at 1:25 AM on July 31, 2017
Oh also, keep in mind that Instagram takes what you 'like' to build recommended stories in your Discover/Search tab. On my personal account I sometimes post skincare posts and my friends have told me that they're sorry they can't like them anymore because their feed is becoming inundated with topics they are not interested in. I don't mind at all, but I found it really interesting in a psychological/sociological way that they had to apologise to me for not liking my posts.
posted by like_neon at 1:28 AM on July 31, 2017
posted by like_neon at 1:28 AM on July 31, 2017
I often post more than one picture from a particular event or outing, and I don't mind it if friends do it. I think there is some number beyond which it gets a little bit much, but I don't have a hard and fast rule to offer. Maybe three or four.
After playing around with filters and formats for awhile, I am now pretty much just posting pictures as they are, unfiltered. Sometimes I adjust the brightness or contrast.
posted by mai at 7:52 PM on July 31, 2017
After playing around with filters and formats for awhile, I am now pretty much just posting pictures as they are, unfiltered. Sometimes I adjust the brightness or contrast.
posted by mai at 7:52 PM on July 31, 2017
How to do Instagram right, according to 15-year-olds
posted by 1970s Antihero at 5:18 AM on August 11, 2017
posted by 1970s Antihero at 5:18 AM on August 11, 2017
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Use hashtags, at least 10, but not more than 20. Some people are really hashtag averse, which puzzles me because that's they only way new people are going to find you. Just make sure they're relevant to the photo, and don't use only promo tags (ie #followforfollow #likeforlike etc)
Answer as many DMs as you can, thank people for nice comments, or respond to their questions. Insta is a two-way street when it comes to communicating. If you don't reply frequently people will be less likely to engage in the future.
Reposts from other people's Instas are fine, as long as you credit the source, or put their handle in the description (at the beginning so it's obvious).
Cross posting to FB is a good way to get your pics seen by more people, though the follow rate from FB is obviously way lower.
posted by ananci at 1:32 PM on July 30, 2017