Instagram is apparently worth a bil

Instagram is apparently worth a billion dollars to Facebook, so it has to be good for something. For most of its life, it was an iPhone exclusive. But it recently launched on Android, and it made front-page headlines around the world when it sold to Facebook this month. Its user numbers are skyrocketing. What's all the fuss about?

Instagram is a photo-sharing app. Those are a-dime-a-thousand, but Instagram was the first, best one. It's known for its square image format, its virtual lack of a website and, of course, those nostalgic filters. Instagram is for taking pictures, yes. But that's not the whole point. Sharing is the fun part.

People & Their Pictures

Instagram uses a follower model just like Twitter. It's easy to find your Facebook and Twitter friends and follow them on Instagram, but it has its own accounts. The way to find new people to follow on Instagram is through the photos themselves.

The point of Instagram, just as much as taking photos, is finding new photos. Instagram gives you four ways to do that.

The photos from people you follow are in a feed on the "Home" tab. The screen only shows one photo at a time, and you scroll through the list.