As it currently stands, Instagram is only available via mobile platforms. That means, if you don’t regularly use an Android or iPhone device, then you cannot participate in the Instagram community. Sure, you can “Like” photos that people post from Instagram on Facebook, but that interaction only applies for Facebook.

It would be convenient if you had the option to interact with the Instagram community via a web browser also. It would allow friends and family to see your Instagram content even if they don’t have a smartphone. It would also allow you another viewing alternative because some folks would love to see the many beautiful Instagram images on a larger screen.

Pretty soon, all of that will be possible! Public profiles are actually coming to Instagram, and they look remarkably similar to the Timeline composition of Facebook. That can probably be attributed to the fact that Facebook acquired Instagram some time ago.

Public Profiles Coming to Instagram

Instagram Web Profiles will be a new way to share Instagram content and photos with everyone, not just mobile users! Your web profile will undoubtedly contain a personal image, a short bio, and all of your uploaded images and content all within a relatively neat, and attractive, interface.

The new web profiles will allow you to share your content (obviously), but will also allow you to interact with the Instagram community right within a web browser. You will be able to follow other users, comment and love photos, and manage your own profile all through web access. This essentially means, you don’t need just a mobile device to use Instagram anymore!

At launch, there will be no way to upload images from within the web profile or standard browser. That means you will still need to use your mobile phone to upload images to the Instagram community, at least until they implement web upload support. It will arrive at a later time as the developers progress and update web account functions.

What Content Will Be Shared?

Only images set to “public,” will be visible to everyone browsing your Instagram web profile. Any photos that you have set to “private” will only be visible to Instagram users who are logged in to their account, and who you’ve also allowed to follow you.

All of the photos you’ve uploaded to Instagram will be visible via your web profile. The only exception is that they will be visible to select audiences based on what sharing preferences you’ve enabled. Again, private photos will only be visible to users currently logged in, who are also subscribed to you.

Why Do Instagram Web Profiles Look Like Facebook Timeline?

Instagram web profiles do resemble Facebook’s new Timeline format, but even though they are remarkably similar, they are not quite identical.

We can only speculate and make an educated guess as to why Instagram developers designed web profiles this way, but our response directly ties to the Facebook/Instagram acquisition.

We would be willing to bet that eventually, Facebook will natively tie Instagram support in with its key features and functions. What we mean by this is that, eventually Facebook will probably include Instagram as part of its direct service. If this is the case, then Instagram developers would like to keep the basic design of its services similar to Facebook. It would make for a much easier integration process if both layouts and general designs are similar.

Of course, just by looking at Nike’s Instagram web profile, we can also conclude that the layout is downright sexy. Even the mobile style of Instagram is incredibly attractive, it’s one of the main reasons the service became so popular in the first place. Aesthetics is a significant part of the Instagram experience.

How Do I See my Profile

The social web profiles are not currently active for most users, and will not be ready for everyone until another week or two goes by. In other words, Instagram Web Profiles are currently undergoing a Beta stage, for a small number of accounts. Full public web profiles should become available “in the next week or so,” as per the official Instagram announcement.

When the web profiles do go live, you will be able to access your profile by using a pretty standard address, or at least one you’d expect. For example, a web profile link looks something like this: “www.instagram.com/username.”

If you want to take a quick peek at a profile that is currently working, Instagram has made Nikes web profile public. It can be accessed at: “http://instagram.com/nike.”