During the first phase of Instagram’s domination, it has lived solely on mobile devices.  This made sense because of where your camera lives, but it was tougher to navigate.  Two days ago, Instagram announced that it is now expanding its mobile-only presence to the web.

The platform exists in a Facebook-style appearance.  Users will be able to navigate to a profile via the username, for example take a peek at my profile: www.instagram.com/melareiff.  Ooh La La!

The idea that Instagram was born on mobile and is now turning into a web-sized teenager (so to speak, despite its young age of two) is a strategy never before implemented in social yet extremely advantageous to watch and learn from considering its functionality and audience.

However, even the photo giant itself, which was recently purchased by Facebook for $1 billion, wasn’t the first to put Instagram on the web.

TIP: Have you ever heard of Statigr.am or www.statigr.am?  It’s the online tool for Instagram users to connect their mobile photos to the web.  Already a year old, it offers a plethora of tools that link to Instagram, including analytics tools.  Instagram would be wise to mimic some of the offerings to offer real benefit, rather than just start selling ad space.

Brand Opportunity: It is difficult to connect with your favourite brands on mobile Instagram.  The web-based channel will make it easier for brands to follow, like, comment and share photos with their audience.  The benefits of engaging users’ photos will be exponential on web-Instagram.  Keep watching this space.

And remember, Instagram is about moments, not words.