VineI’ll admit it: when it comes to new technology, I’m not always among the early adopters.

Why not? Two reasons:

  • Having been married to a software developer for nearly 15 years, I’ve learned exactly how buggy technology can be when it first rolls out. So I prefer to let other brave souls deal with the “barely out of beta” version while I wait until it’s ready for prime time.
  • If I plunged headlong into every new app, add-on, widget, and gadget that came along, I’d never get any work done. No work, no clients. No clients, no money. No money, no shoes. Ya feel me?

So believe it or not, I’m only just getting to know Vine, the mobile app that lets you create and upload six-second videos that appear embedded in your Twitter feed.

Vine gained a huge amount of press when the company was snapped up by Twitter in October 2012, and the app caught on like wildfire. In fact, recent analytics from Topsy show that Vine has surpassed Instagram in the number of links posted daily on Twitter.

Sure, a lot of those Vines are of the hey-check-out-my-new-pedicure variety (about that … stop. Please, in the name of all that is holy, stop.), but many are acting as smart, clever content vehicles for social-savvy brands.

For example, check out how Lowe’s is using Vine to convey a simple home improvement tip:

Brilliant, no?

So yesterday, I got inspired to jump in and check out Vine for promoting my next speaking gig, and here’s what I came up with:

(Hover over the video and click the speaker icon to activate the audio.)

It took me a few tries to get the knack of Vine—you hold your finger on the screen to record and release to pause—but the whole process, including several retakes, took less than five minutes.

And unlike a YouTube link, it appears embedded in your Twitter feed, so there’s no need for an extra click or tap to see it.

I have to admit, when I first heard about Vine, I scoffed “Six seconds? What the hell can you communicate in six seconds?”

And now I have the answer: a lot.

So, how about you—are you using Vine microvideos to deliver or promote your content? Share your ninja-like secrets with us in the Comments. We’d love to hear from you!