More than two years after ditching the reverse chronological feed, Instagram finally sat down with tech journalists in their San Francisco office to discuss the new, personalized algorithm. As TechCrunch reports, they were also kind enough to bust some myths and rumors spreading throughout the content creators’ community. 

We think this should have happened way earlier, if not for transparency reasons and to put an end to all the hustlers trying to cash in on promises to “break the algorithm” for you, then just to make life easier for the primary source of Instagram’s revenue — brands and content creators. But anyway, let’s dive in. 

The Algorithm is Here to Stay

Besides confirming the apparent fact that the algorithm “uses machine learning based on your past behavior to create a unique feed for everyone”, Instagram product lead Julian Gutman crushed the rumours by saying that Instagram is not planning to bring back the reverse chronological feed any time soon.

Despite a massive uproar by a part of its user base, Instagram says that the new algorithm has led to users spending more time on the platform and seeing 90% of their friends’ posts, compared to only 50% with the reverse chronological feed. 

First off, it is unclear what Instagram defines as “friends,” but judging by what we know those are the accounts that you interact with the most, meaning that even some brands that you regularly engage with can fall into this category. We would argue that the personalized feed is primarily beneficial to users who are not on Instagram regularly, or those who follow a lot of accounts, so their feeds are constantly swamped with new content. 

From our experience, being active on Instagram daily (or hourly) and following only 277 accounts, the personalized feed hasn’t fulfilled its purpose. It only got us annoyed by showing tons of posts by highly-engaging feature accounts, some even days old, and often down-ranking new content from users who don’t post as often. Remember, if the algorithm keeps showing you content that you don’t like, your best options are to unfollow the account in question, stop engaging, or just use the new Mute account option. 

How The Algorithm Works

The exciting part of the meet-up was the revelation of main factors that the new algorithm uses to determine what content you will see first see on your feed. Instagram defined three factors: 

#1 Interest
This factor predicts how much you’ll care about seeing a post, by using machine vision and your past engagement with similar content. For example, if you like a lot of photos of beach babes, Instagram will show you more posts of random girls at the beach, even by accounts you’re usually not engaging with. Also, you can expect a lot of those same babes to fill out your Explore Feed. 

#2 Recency
This prioritizes new posts over the old ones, although no more details are currently known. We can only hope that problems Instagram used to have with their code and showing week-old content at the top of the feed are now definitely a thing of the past. 

#3 Relationship
This factor prioritizes the accounts that you’ve interacted with the most, regardless of their content. Interaction is measured by the frequency of likes, comments, tagged photos, profile visits, private messages, and much more. Here we are talking about your favorite accounts: friends, family, celebrities, artists, etc.  

While #1 and #3 may sound similar, #1 predicts how much you like a particular type of content, while #3 predicts how much you like the person/brand that shared the post.

Besides those, Instagram also identified three additional “signals” that influence feed rankings:

• Frequency — prioritizes the most relevant content posted since you last visited Instagram,
• Following — following lots of accounts will make Instagram choose from a bigger pool of users, which may result in not seeing posts of some users, even if you engage with them,
• Usage — users who browse Instagram in short sessions will see only the most relevant posts, whereas users who spend more time scrolling will be shown a larger variety of posts, even from accounts they don’t interact with as often.

While none of these factors come as a surprise, it is nice to finally hear an official explanation of how the notorious algorithm functions. Of course, this has only scratched the surface, and while we will never have a full grasp of the algorithm, this is a good step towards building a better relationship between Instagram and its users. 

Busting Instagram Myths and Rumors

Instagram team also took the time to do a little Q&A, finally addressing some burning questions and rumors spreading through the community: 

The new Instagram algorithm does not hide posts in the feed

This means that if you keep scrolling, you will eventually see all the content. Although this is nice to know, it still feels that some accounts I’m following have such low priority that I keep missing their posts all the time. There have been many issues with this part of the user experience, and I hope that Instagram team will keep working on it. 

Videos do not perform better than photos or vice versa

However, content is adjusted for each user depending on past behavior. For example, we’ve been posting only photos on our account from day 1. Finally, when we uploaded the first two videos after more than 200 posts, the engagement rate and reach dropped significantly. Despite the same travel-related topic, it seems that our audience didn’t relate to the videos much. 

If you want to make a switch to videos or just change your style of content, we recommend making a gradual transition not to damage your engagement rate.

Instagram Stories and Instagram Live will not increase your post performance

A lot of people (including us) thought for a long time that Instagram Stories might help increase post reach. Although we now know that’s not directly true, Stories are still a great and simple way to share content and behind the scenes in a less saturated environment, consequently increasing audience engagement. 

Although Instagram Stories allow for a more informal touch, they should still be visually attractive and loosely follow the theme of your account. We also suggest placing a poll or a catchy call to action on the first story, which should help keep the bounce rate low. 

You won’t be punished for posting too frequently

However, if you share a few posts in succession, Instagram might place other users’ content in between yours, which is only significant to high-posting feature accounts that are known for posting as many as 10 posts per day. 

So remember, other than looking like a total douche with three posts in five minutes or posting a 9-piece photo collage, Instagram might down-rank some of your posts and put other content in between yours. Our advice would be to find a steady rhythm of posting and follow it to create a habit with your audience.

Switching to business account will not kill your engagement

If Instagram is to be trusted, this is great news for all businesses and content creators. We highly recommend switching to a business account because it offers many advantages, such as analytics, best posting times, sharing external links in Stories, paid partnership links, and various data that you can include in your media kit. 

Instagram shadowban doesn’t exist

This one is huge news, as many users swore that shadowbanning permanently harmed their reach and engagement. For those of you who don’t know, shadowban is basically filtering out users’ content from Instagram hashtags and Explore page, which is detrimental to account exposure and growth. People got shadowbanned for being spammy, abusive, posting inappropriate content, using too many hashtags, or for other unknown reasons. 

However, if shadowban or similar measure of limiting people’s visibility never existed, then we are dealing with a nasty bug in Instagram’s code. 

With Instagram still being the biggest and best photo sharing app out there, it was wonderful to finally hear some insights on the new algorithm and other important questions. However, the news we’ve got further prove that Instagram, with its new personalized algorithm, is heading to a dangerous territory where engagement and post reach will inevitably decrease, as more content is produced and average browsing time remains the same. Therefore, it has never been more important to create quality content, have clear goals and well-defined Instagram strategy. For more on that, check out our roadmap to Instagram success. 

What are your thoughts on the new algorithm and the direction in which Instagram is heading? Let us know in the comments below.

[10-minute read]

Isn’t it ironic that the symbol of a country best known for its art and fashion is an engineering feat? Constructed for a temporary exposition back in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was about to be destroyed soon after. But somehow, it remained standing and became one of the most unique and recognizable buildings in the world and the symbol of French ingenuity. 

Today, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid-for landmark in the world, with more than 7 million yearly visitors. It is also the most photographed one, attracting thousands of photographers to Paris in pursuit of that unique shot. Of course, on such saturated market achieving that is close to impossible, but there are many spots offering interesting perspectives that will help your photos stand out.

Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to visit the City of Light multiple times. In this article, we share our favorite spots and times of day to photograph the Eiffel Tower. 

Place du Trocadéro

Located just across the Seine to the northwest, Trocadéro Square offers the cleanest and most spectacular views of the Tower. The current layout dates from 1937 and consists of Palais de Chaillot, once the headquarters of NATO, and the garden area, known for its powerful fountain system, which unfortunately seems to be closed more often than not. Trocadéro is also known as a spot where Hitler was photographed after the surrender of France, which became one of the most iconic images of the Second World War. 

Leading to the Tower in perfect symmetry, the square is ideal for clean compositions and postcard photos. Furthermore, details like statues, beautiful marble floor, fountains and garden flowers provide endless opportunities to play around with perspectives. 

Of course, such a magnificent place is no secret to tourists, so expect to be surrounded by hundreds of selfie sticks and hustlers ruining your shots at any given moment of the day, especially after sunset when the Eiffel Tower light show starts. Therefore, your best option is to be there for sunrise, before the first tourist buses arrive. Your efforts will be rewarded with the whole square only for yourself and a few other photo enthusiasts. Also, as the Tower is located to the southeast, on clear mornings you might witness some spectacular colors in the sky. We recommend bringing along both a wide angle and a fast lens. 

• Metro station: Trocadéro (Line 6, 9)

Bir Hakeim Bridge

Built in 1905, the bridge was renamed to commemorate the Battle of Bir Hakeim in Second World War. It has two levels – lower for motor vehicles and pedestrians and upper for Line 6 of the Paris Metro. 

The bridge offers great views of the boats cruising on the Seine with the Eiffel Tower in the background, whereas its steel structure sets up an ideal setting for moody photos on rainy days. 

During spring and summer, the sun rises exactly behind the Eiffel Tower and casts long shadows from passers-by. Unlike in Trocadéro, Parisians regularly cross the bridge both on foot and on bicycles, thus making it an excellent spot for intimate shots. Other than a handful of wedding photographers who don’t mind blocking the traffic for a photo, the place is relatively empty and doesn’t require special planning to visit.

I used a 16-35 mm lens to frame the Tower with the bridge structure, and a 50 mm for intimate close-ups. 

• Metro station: Bir Hakeim (Line 6)
• Bonus tip: Metro Line 6 from the direction of Trocadéro passes across the bridge and allows you to take photos through the train windows

Champ de Mars & nearby streets

Champ de Mars is a large public park extending from the base of the Eiffel Tower to the southeast. Along Trocadéro, it is probably the most cliché photography spot in the entire city. Other than its location, the park is far from spectacular, especially during cold months. Also, it is a huge construction site, so expect to have your views obscured by a variety of fences and containers. Nevertheless, it is crowded with visitors at all times of the day. 

With the arrival of spring, the blossoming trees bring the place to life and create plenty of interesting details to shoot. Also, warm weather brings out many people who have picnics on the lawns, providing plenty of opportunities to capture spontaneous moments with the Tower in the background. 

If you find yourself here, make sure you go all the way to the base of the Tower. Once you pass the control point, you will be able to shoot some stunning lookups, especially when the Tower is illuminated.

The surrounding streets, like Avenue Rapp, might not offer the cleanest views, but nevertheless, give an excellent opportunity to shoot the Tower in combination with the everyday life of Paris.

Arc de Triomphe

As one would expect, there is no lack of observation decks in Paris. The most notable locations from where the Eiffel Tower can be seen are Arc de Triomphe, Montparnasse Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral. While each of those decks offers a unique perspective of the famous Parisian urban landscape and is worth visiting, we found the experience at Arc de Triomphe to be the most authentic and memorable. 

Located on Charles de Gaulle Square, Arc de Triomphe is the meeting point of twelve straight avenues that form a star shape, and one of the finest examples of Haussmann’s renovation of Paris. Also, this iconic monument is an essential part of French history, honoring the famous victories of French forces during the Napoleonic Wars. Besides a great close-up view of the Eiffel Tower, this viewpoint also offers a majestic view on one of the most famous avenues in the world – Champs-Élysées, ending with the Ferris wheel at Place de la Concorde. 

Make sure to bring an ultra-wide lens for panoramic shots of the avenues. Although a telephoto lens would be great to have too, 70 mm should be enough for a nice close-up of the Tower. Tripods are not allowed, at least not officially. However, I extended mine loud and proud, which didn’t seem to bother the security guards. 

• Tickets: paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr (12 EUR)
• Metro station: Charles de Gaulle – Étoile (Line 1, 2, 6)
• Bonus tip: stay after sunset to see the Eiffel Tower light show (every full hour for five minutes)

Tour Montparnasse

Standing 210 meters tall, Montparnasse Tower is the tallest building and the only skyscraper in Paris. The top two floors feature a popular 360º observation deck. 

Although the skyscraper itself is quite impressive, with 59 stories, 7200 windows and the fastest elevator in Europe, Parisians mostly know it as the ugliest building in the city. Its proportions and out of place architecture have been a favorite topic of criticism and ridicule, with locals famously stating that it is a place with the most beautiful view in Paris because it’s the only spot from where the building itself cannot be seen. 

The observation deck extends on two levels – the 56th floor and the rooftop panoramic terrace. And just as one would expect from such a tall building, it offers spectacular views of the city. You are allowed to bring a tripod, but keep in mind there are glass walls on both levels, which tend to create annoying reflections from the inside.

Also, due to its somewhat remote location, you will definitely need a telephoto lens for close-ups of the Eiffel Tower. The best time to visit is the evening when you can capture the sunset behind the Tower, as well as the impressive maze of city lights. 

For those of you who are still reluctant to pay 10+ EUR for the view of the city, Lafayette Gallery offers decent views at no cost.

• Tickets: tourmontparnasse56.com (17 EUR)
• Metro station: Gare Montparnasse (Line 4, 6, 12, 13)

Honorable mentions

Along the Seine

Passing right through the heart of the city, the Seine divides Paris in half. With the Eiffel Tower and many other landmarks conveniently located right on the riverbanks, a large stretch of the river features great opportunities to take photos. Whether just a stroll or a cruise along the river, make sure you include it in your Paris schedule. 

Street views

With its height of 324 meters, the Eiffel Tower is hard to miss, and even some far-away streets offer surprisingly clean views. Although, for the most part, that requires a telephoto lens, places like Place de la Concorde let you get away with some nice urban photos even with shorter focal lengths. 

We are sure that this list barely scratched the surface of designated Eiffel Tower photography spots, but our time in Paris was limited and often featured long stretches of bad weather. Do you know some other spots worth visiting? Let us know in the comments below.

[8-minute read]

This article was originally written in 2016 as an attempt to capture the essence of problems the country and its people were facing. Two years later, it still serves as a painful reminder of how little has improved. 

Bittersweet Freedom

It’s been more than three years since I, as a 23-year-old, left Croatia in search of new life challenges. Ever since, I’ve changed cities, countries and life perspectives, traveled extensively, found new friends and forgotten old loves. Still, one thing somehow always remained the same – I rarely visited my country.

When people ask me why I don’t come home more often, I usually offer some generic work-related excuse, trying to avoid being seen as ungrateful or adding to their misery. Unfortunately, with those few who I feel like sharing my thoughts with, no discussion is needed. They have already chosen to find their luck in some other place or just built a bubble of friends and interests to keep them oblivious to the sad reality of life in Croatia.

How bad can it be, you might ask? After all, Croatia is a popular tourist destination, an EU member, and, by any metric, a relatively decent place to live in. That is all true. We don’t have dictators or people dying of hunger. Our last war ended more than 20 years ago. By any definition, we are a free country. Still, our economy is stagnant, the perspective non-existent, and the feeling of hopelessness terrifying.

I love statistics, as you will notice in this text. But numbers and logic fail to describe the Croatian problem. It lies in the unmeasurable: rampart nationalistic indoctrination, the habit of allowing problems of the past to forge our future, and the chronic lack of self-criticism. It is ingrained deep in our DNA and cannot be solved by any government measure or EU-funded project.

The New Diaspora

The most painful illustration of these words was the Croatian ascension to the European Union in 2013. Despite the government’s promises of prosperity and the overwhelming support of the people, it turned out to be nothing more than a catalyst for a wave of mass emigration; statistics say more than 200 thousand emigrated, the rate comparable to those during war times. However, unlike the past when it was mostly low-skilled workers, a third of the new diaspora are university graduates, twice the rate of the national percentage. In other words, young people who got tired of empty promises and demagoguery, and decided to take their lives into their own hands.

Here in Germany, the Croatian language can be heard on a daily basis. There are Croatian bars, stores, lawyers, mechanics, hairdressers, notaries, football clubs, Facebook groups, companies specialized in immigration issues; you name it. It is estimated that Germany is home to around 300 thousand Croats, only counting those who are here legally, which is about 7% of the current population of Croatia. If they were all to return and found a city, it would be the second most populated, right after the capital Zagreb.

On a rare occasion when I visit my hometown Rijeka, I have a habit of just walking around the city on my own. Familiar places trigger a weird mix of emotions – on one side, I enjoy all the childhood memories of the place that made me who I am today. On the other side, I cannot fail to notice how everything has stayed the same: empty train station, old paper factory, once famous shipyard, the local corner store – all steadily decaying.

The Way Backwards

What hurts the most is that Croatia is not only a beautiful country. It has the prerequisites to be a prosperous nation. Its geographical position as a link between Western and Eastern Europe and the exit to the Mediterranean Sea give it the potential to be a strong player on the regional geopolitical scene. Combined with the pro-European mentality of its people and enormous tourism potential, one could easily expect to see Croatia as one of the leading states formed after the fall of communism.

Instead, the situation is only getting worse. It wasn’t so long ago that countries like Poland, Hungary, Latvia, and Lithuania were lagging behind in every relevant economic indicator. I vividly remember how we used to make fun of their “poor” tourists who would come to our coast in cars packed with canned food, enough to feed the whole family for a week. Today, those countries are experiencing constant economic growth, after successfully overcoming the 2008 financial crisis. At the same time, Croatia’s economy was plummeting, having witnessed its first GDP growth only in 2015. It is estimated that, at the current rate, Croatia’s standard of living will soon be surpassed by Romania – our favorite laughing stock and a stereotype for poverty. That will place us at the bottom of the EU chart, higher only than Bulgaria, recently named the unhappiest country in the EU.

Who is to blame? Politicians, bloody war, or maybe the leftovers of our communist heritage? I think that no matter how inefficient and corrupted the system is, the real problem lies in people, and the government is merely our reflection.

Croatia is about to hold a general election later this year. Despite all the numbers above and the insane unemployment rate of 15%, an average Croat, who, by the way, moves out of their parents’ place at the age of 32, the highest of all EU countries, doesn’t know the first thing about political parties’ programs. Instead, they waste energy arguing about Partisans and Ustashas, or opposing gay and abortion rights, while their sons and daughters are buying one-way tickets, running away precisely from that mentality.

With all this on my mind, my plane landed in Split. It was mid-July, and my face was melting. The luggage was late, so I sat outside and watched taxi drivers trying to rip off tourists. At the same time, the sun was shining, and the landscape was as beautiful as always. Seeing my mother’s smile after so long chased the heavy thoughts away. Croatia was still my country, and I wasn’t ready to give up on her yet.