English content Originally posted on ELLO

I just wanted to share my thoughts about IG, since I've been conducting a few experiments during the last two weeks.

IG claims to have one of the biggest photo community (which I believe is true) and I don't really know why, but I keep feeling attracted by IG. I think it's basically the feeling of wanting to 'be part of it', that a lot of people seems to have fun there and that I deserve some of this fun too.
Then comes the thinking, and once I have the overcome the simple idea of getting likes for likes, I tried to figure out what would be the purpose of IG, not in general but for me. Sharing my reality with friends and relative is not an option since I'm really concerned with privacy and I don't want to share anything on a platform owned by Facebook and with no clear statement about the way data is used. So I had a simple approach, more business oriented and I tried to see if I would be able to use IG as a network allowing to get a new collaboration, meet new models.

So I started using the marketing tools like Iconosquare which analyze the postings, likes, engagement and propose some optimization. I manage to dig the most effective hashtags, the best time to post, link other social network like twitter properly, and play the rules of advertisement, auto post well crafted posts (with latergram.me for instance).

I don't pretend I have done it right but this is what I have discover on my own very level:
- These tools are pretty effective since I managed to have a huge bump in so called engagement on IG.
- Transformation on a visit to my website: NULL.
- Transformation for a new collab, at least new contact: NULL.
- Interaction: non worthy.
- Discovering new profiles: NULL. Basically everybody I encountered, I had already seen on other networks
- Rule about Nudity: can do with censorship, it's pretty accepted but when you cross post to twitter, you might ruin your twitter followers feed. Not a so good idea.

Lastly, I think there is a big difference on the engagement level and benefits depending on your location. It's obviously just my thought and opinion, but I feel it's different trying to engage people in Paris, France where it's not really common to travel than in the US for instance. Size of the country, travel habits, relationship to money vs art, connection between people are pretty different and I believe this has an impact.

This experiment was really useful to me because basically it reassured me: I do not need Instagram. This is just not the network for me, like VSCO isn't neither (due to their nudity policy), I'm not missing anything and I don't want to pretend.
I just want to create art without any advertisement or marketing policy, I'm not doing it as a professional, I do not need to (for now at least); and I'm happy there are some places like Ello where people are really interested in sharing this.

Note: Cet article a été initialement créé sur Ello. Voir le lien direct: Ello, angestudio thought about Instagram.