时间:2025-04-26 13:00:41 来源:网络整理编辑:休閑
Let's be real: Social media as we know it is all about the followers. The more followers, the more l
Let's be real: Social media as we know it is all about the followers. The more followers, the more likes, and we yearn for those double-digits on Instagram, triple-digits on Facebook, and the increasing follower count on Twitter and Snapchat.
Imgur (pronounced Image-ur) is trying to change that. Imgur, founded in 2009, began as a photo-hosting utility, but has been been pushing toward a new identity as a community-powered entertainment platform for awhile. It took a big step forward Wednesday when it unveiled new features like a news feed and its own spin on GIFs. It's avoiding an essential part of other social media platforms, though: followers.
"Imgur isn't about following a celebrity, and it's not about following a person in real life," says Alan Schaaf, Imgur's founder and CEO. "You don't have to build up a massive following and use that to get your distribution. The only thing that matters on Imgur is the quality of the content."
SEE ALSO:1.7 million accounts hacked in 2014 Imgur data breachThe site aggregates and displays the content that has received the most likes, comments, and views -- there is no way to "friend" other users, and while there are abstract metrics to indicate reputation, it's impossible to know how many followers another user has.
This, says Schaaf, is what makes Imgur a perfect candidate for the next big entertainment platform -- one that focuses on short, humorous media. With several new features launched Wednesday, Imgur is making a push towards a new, meritocratic vision of social media: one which centralizes the content, and decentralizes the reputation of the user.
The features are for iOS only, but will roll out to other platforms soon.
The first new feature is a news feed. In addition to the list of the "Most Viral" content for which Imgur is already known, you'll be able to view a feed of images personalized for you, based on tags and users you follow.
But unlike Facebook's news feed, Imgur's will actively push you out of your comfort zone. Your feed will consistently suggest tags and users to add, based on what you've been liking, clicking on, and browsing.
"We want to break you outside of that friends list." -- Imgur's Roy Sehgal
"We want to break you outside of that friends list," says Roy Sehgal, Imgur's chief operating officer. "You're missing the world by only seeing these fake experiences your friends are sharing. Our content is authentic."
Authentic is a term overused by many social media players, so it's O.K. if that last sentence made you instinctively eye roll. And to be fair, it must be mentioned that other sites, like Reddit, also champion content based on its own merit, not the clout of the user who posted it. In fact, Imgur was created by a Redditor as a gift to Reddit because at the time the site couldn’t host photos on its own. Reddit rolled out its own image hosting last year to compete with Imgur after it began forming its own community.
Another new feature, Snacks, is Imgur's first venture into video content. Snacks are short, soundless videos that loop automatically. Unlike GIFs, which Imgur already features, snacks can be enlarged, rewound, and paused. Imgur will feature the site's best snacks right below its search bar.
Favorite Folders are another part of Imgur's new look, though they rolled out two weeks ago. Before Favorite Folders, a "like" on a photo was just a statistic that pushed it higher or lower in the "Most Viral" list.
Now, users can save their favorite images in folders that they can go back to at any time -- a feature that would be out of place on an image-hosting utility, but necessary on a social network.
Finally, the desktop homepage has gotten a major redesign. Imgur hasn't been updated since 2014, and it was so difficult to navigate that I tried to join several times but just couldn't figure out what to do.
The new Imgur looks like a very well designed Tumblr blog -- it's colorful, sleek, and intuitive. It's still in beta, which you can join here to test and provide feedback. Not all users will receive beta access immediately, but the pool will expand over time.
Image thumbnails are much larger than they were before, and include a caption, description, and statistics so you know what you're looking for. If you don't know where to start, the list of recommended tags will help you on your way, and the accompanying art is colorful, eye-catching, and adorable. A number of cute phrases welcome you to the site, and introduce you to its culture. Highlights include "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog," "Wholesome Memes and other wares," and "Where memes are born and selfies come to die."
Sehgal and Schaaf hope that the new layout, more befitting of a social network, will make Imgur more accessible to new users accustomed to the likes of Tumblr and Twitter.
"Imgur is going to help people discover the internet's magic," says Sehgal. "That's our new tagline. Imgur helps you discover the magic of the internet."
TopicsSocial Media
Dog elected for third term as mayor of Minnesota town2025-04-26 12:51
【波盈世界杯】 索肖 :我們確信有給曼城驚喜的武器,而他們也會有所準備 ( 曼城,最好的 )2025-04-26 12:37
【波盈世界杯】 熱刺韓文官推曬孫興慜、內馬爾合照 :韓國7號vs巴西10號 ( 世界杯,韓國 )2025-04-26 12:29
【波盈世界杯】 隨隊晉級8強,曼城官方為福登等5名隊內英格蘭球員送上祝賀 ( 英格蘭,曼城 )2025-04-26 11:58
Balloon fanatic Tim Kaine is also, of course, very good at harmonica2025-04-26 11:40
【波盈世界杯】 鄧弗裏斯談切爾西傳聞 :我隻專注於國米和荷蘭 ,為效力國米而自豪 ( 國米,切爾西 )2025-04-26 11:28
【波盈世界杯】 羅馬諾 :張伯倫將在23年合同到期後離開利物浦 ( 利物浦,張伯倫 )2025-04-26 11:09
【波盈世界杯】 C羅離隊無任何薪資補償 若同意降薪切爾西有意引進 ( 曼聯,伯利 )2025-04-26 10:29
Visualizing July's astounding global temperature records2025-04-26 10:21
【波盈世界杯】 熱刺邊鋒再談穆帥:最喜歡與穆帥合作,他直言不諱 ,非常透明 ( 球員,都是 )2025-04-26 10:20
Olympian celebrates by ordering an intimidating amount of McDonald's2025-04-26 12:45
【波盈世界杯】 記者 :利物浦皇馬並列領跑貝林厄姆爭奪 ,多特要價1.3億英鎊 ( 世界杯,利物浦 )2025-04-26 12:06
【波盈世界杯】 格拉利什:盧克肖說他一眼就能認出曼城球員,因為我們總帶著足球 ( 球員,帶著 )2025-04-26 11:57
【波盈世界杯】 羅馬諾 :曼聯已經在探索轉會市場,尋求一月引進前鋒 ( 曼聯,前鋒 )2025-04-26 11:50
This German startup wants to be your bank (without being a bank)2025-04-26 11:37
【波盈世界杯】 ESPN:阿森納冬窗有巴西後腰達尼洛 ,需和摩納哥 、阿賈克斯競爭 ( 帕爾,拉斯 )2025-04-26 11:34
【波盈世界杯】 一場22025-04-26 10:49
【波盈世界杯】 續約?列維破天荒接受從未妥協的條款 !到時已31歲 熱刺坑死凱恩 ( 托特納姆熱刺,凱恩 )2025-04-26 10:47
Researchers create temporary tattoos you can use to control your devices2025-04-26 10:31
【波盈世界杯】 從金靴變中場 ,凱恩0射門另有任務,英格蘭植入熱刺模式大獲成功 ( 英格蘭,凱恩 )2025-04-26 10:16