We currently don’t offer the Instagram live feed feature. Although we might think about incorporating it into our development plan down the line, many photographers are distancing themselves from this functionality.
As a result, we’re not prioritizing its development at the moment. Here are the reasons why:
- Distracting Visitors: Integrating a live feed might encourage visitors to click through to Instagram. Once they’re on the social platform, they might get distracted by other content and not return to the original photography website, leading to a potential loss of business or interaction.
- Inconsistent Curation: You’ve invested effort in curating photos for your site. The casual nature of Instagram means that posts there might not always match the high standards you set on your website. As the saying goes: “Your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest photo.” Thus, connecting a live feed may not best showcase your craft.
- Reliability Concerns: Instagram’s API can be temperamental, leading to potential issues with displaying the live feed. If the feed fails to load or displays errors, it could reflect poorly on the photographer’s website, even if the problem is on Instagram’s end.
- Load Times: Integrating a live feed can increase a website’s load time, leading to a slower user experience. In a world where site speed impacts user experience and SEO, this can be a significant drawback.
- Visual Inconsistency: The layout and aesthetics of Instagram might not seamlessly fit with the design of the photographer’s website, leading to visual inconsistency.
- Dependency on Instagram: Relying on an external platform means that any changes Instagram makes to its platform, policies, or algorithms can impact how the content is displayed on the photography website.
A common trend among photographers is to feature a “fake Instagram” on their websites, displaying static ‘Instagram-style’ photos that aren’t connected to any live feed. This guarantees uniform quality and user experience.