The Pros And Cons Of VERO
I’ve been using VERO for the last two months, and I have a few thoughts. I mean, of course I do. So yeah, let’s get into it.
The Pros
No Ads
The Home Feed Filter
Potential For Community
It’s Not Instagram
Account Verification Is Easy
Support Team Is Responsive
Somewhat Easy To Navigate
The Cons
Spam Accounts
The Home Feed Filter
Lack Of Community
It’s Just Another Social Network
Account Verification Is Easy
Support Team Isn’t Helpful
UX/UI Could Use Some Work
As you can see, some of the Pros are the same as the Cons, and that’s because some of the features that I really like on VERO, could use some refinement. Overall though, VERO is an ok place to post your photos. It isn’t mind-blowingly good (after the newness wears off) nor is it incredibly bad. It just sits somewhere in the middle of mediocracy. It has certainly pulled some great features from other social networks, but I didn’t really find that it brings any great innovations to the table, besides the absence of ads. It has potential though.
Anyway, some of you have been asking how I like VERO, so I thought I’d give you my humble opinion on it. So let’s dig into the bullet list, shall we?
VERO has no ads, but it also seems to have a spam account problem that I found support less than helpful on. Which ties into my sixth bullet point that support is responsive, but it’s all just lip service really. Several spam accounts that I reported (I don’t take that lightly and report just any account. I’m not a Karen!) have actually ended up getting verified! Which also ties in with my fifth bullet point that verification is easy, but maybe too easy if spam accounts are getting verified. I mean if you’re going to verify everyone, what’s the point really? It all left a bad impression.
The home feed filter that allows you to limit what you are seeing to just photos, videos, links, etc… at first seemed quite helpful. I mean wouldn’t that be a great filter on Instagram?! But, when you filter your feed it then shows everything in thumbnails that have to be clicked on individually. Which means you can’t just scroll through them. This is clunky and unenjoyable, so instead I am left scrolling through everyone’s book recs and links just to get to the photos I’m there for. This could easily be improved, which leads me to my seventh bullet point, the UX/UI. At first the different gradients behind everyone’s posts didn’t bother me, but as time has worn on, I find myself wishing it was all a more uniform style and a light background, because for me, reading white print on darker backgrounds really bothers my eyes. I also find myself adding white frames to all my photos because they showcase better that way on the color gradients.
The potential for community is there, but I didn’t experience it. Finding people to follow is not easy beyond VERO’s hand selected crop of featured users. It requires scouring the following/followers lists of people you follow as well as looking through hashtags. It’s kind of exhausting, if you aren’t carrying over a large following from another social network. Which means it’s difficult for people to find you as well. Thus making it difficult to build community.
Lastly, most of us are there because we found ourselves sick of Instagram moving away from photography to push video, #TikTokRipOff. But it doesn’t really replace Instagram, so what’s the point? It’s just another social network and do we really need another place to post the same photos we just posted everywhere else? I think not.
Which is why I have deleted my account. In the end, for me, it was just another social network to distract me and waste my time. It didn’t replace any of my current networks such as Twitter or Instagram, nor did it give me a way to create a photography community. So, it was needless to have the account. And that folks, is what I really think about it. I hope this answers some questions, and helps those of you wondering if you should give it a try make an informed decision.
Until next time… be loving, be kind, be better!
I for one am glad I didn’t go back to VERO. I decided that once I left Instagram, I wouldn’t want a replacement. My experience with IG over the years (and subsequent social media platforms) has just left a bad taste in my mouth. I decided a while ago that I didn’t need to be filling my time with it. I keep Twitter because I think it fulfills a different type of need for me, but that’s it. It goes beyond the just pictures thing and delves into the media a bit which for me is a bit more interesting.
I agree. It seems like every “replacement” that comes out just does not really make it. I have found some new photographers to there, but also notice many that ask you to follow them on instagram. Leaving me with the feeling that perhaps they share mostly on instagram and then once in a while on VERO. I haven’t really found it to be that much better than Instagram. I avoid the ads and reals by just using the Following and Friends feeds. I think we are stuck with the social networks we have.
I also have found it is very hard to move followers from one network to another at least when you are as famous as me (basically a nobody 😂). It’s the same as when I tried to get people to move to google plus. Impossible. So each new network is basically like starting over.
I am losing interest in VERO as well and probably will just stick with Instagram.