After just a few months on the market, Vine, is currently ranked fourth under ‘Free Apps’ in the iTunes Store. So what exactly is Vine?
Vine is a mobile app that allows users to share six-second videos within the app and on Twitter and Facebook.

The app’s description encourages its users to “share life in motion” by using Vine to create “short, beautiful, looping videos.” Originally created by Dom Hofmann and Rus Yusupov in June of 2012, Vine was bought out by Twitter in October of 2012 and released as a free application in January 2013.
Now, both people and brands are finding creative ways to use the app in order to share their work or personal lives. Mashable reported that musicians are using Vine to share their work and world with users, and a woman posted a video resume that helped her land a job.
Vine for Advocacy? Why not?
With a more diversified user base and demonstrated demand for the app, advocacy organizations have a unique opportunity to leverage the power of video and Twitter to promote their issues. After all, for every 1,000 email subscribers non-profits have 53 Twitter followers; a percentage that grew 264 percent over the prior year.
It only seems natural that advocates will look for new ways to engage their existing followers on the networks with short videos or GIF-like content – and who doesn’t like a good video?
Advocacy organizations and their advocates can use Vine to:
- Promote organizational events such as fly-ins and annual meetings
- Promote new initiatives and issue-based campaigns
- Share inspirational quotes from organizational leaders
- Capture activist testimonials about the organization and its work
- Personalize the organization by introducing staff
Our own Mike Panetta likes to use Vine to encourage people to come meet us at events.
Let us know how you’ve been using Vine in the comments section below or on our Facebook and Twitter pages!