Vine today unveiled a web version of its popular video sharing mobile application. The web version has similar features as the mobile version which includes the capability to scroll through the feed, comment on videos, as well as like them. Moreover, users can visit profiles of those who they follow and scroll through their Vine videos. That said, the web version doesn’t allow users to post videos (users can only post videos through the mobile app), search for one another, and search for channels as it doesn’t have an “explore” feature. 

 

The web version has a web-only feature called ‘TV Mode.’ What this does is allow users to click on a small TV-shaped icon in the upper-right corner of a profile that they follow to display that user’s videos in full-screen mode. Once the videos appear, half of the screen is dedicated for the video and the other half is utilized to show the video’s title and description. 

 

The web version’s layout is also similar to the mobile app’s with just a few minor differences. For instance, actions on buttons are now spelled out instead of labeled which means that users can see “Like” and “Revine” instead of icons. Moreover, the comments section now has a small message which says “Say something nice.” The message vanishes when a user start writing a comment.

 

The roll-out of the web version will be a stepping stone for Vine, which is owned by Twitter, to introduce display advertisements or video commercials. Social networks and content applications such as Vine and Twitter are constantly thinking of new ways to enhance their advertising experience for both the user and advertiser because after all, there are no other revenue streams available for these businesses to garner cash to the company. By unveiling the web version, Vine can induce its users to consume video content through their desktops which can help Vine encourage advertisers to place display or video ads on Vine’s website. After all, ads on Vine’s website are more likely to have a positive impact on users as they’re solely watching videos which means that they’re more focused on consuming digital content, including ads. Additionally, since ads on desktops are larger and have better graphic quality than on mobile devices, ads will more likely garner a greater return through this channel. Hence, it’s no wonder that Vine has released a web version and disallowed its users to publish any video content from their web profile.