Most Facebook users have static photos that really don’t convey who they are or what they want people to see. For business people or those who network a lot, or just those who want a really cool profile, it’s now possible to display a video as your profile pic instead of a static photo.
This is where FlipYourProfile comes in. Flip is the company that introduced Flip Cameras that are really easy to use and create great quality videos.
This Facebook app acts very much like a browser plug-in that lets you create a video and upload it in place of your regular photo. Go ahead and greet people who visit your profile page. Offer a walking, talking welcome to any business networking associates. Be creative and show off your designs, book covers, website image, or favorite tunes behind some compilation photos of you.
Of course, it remains to be seen if it’s possible to use this cool app to Fan-pages. This would offer plenty of opportunities for musicians, artists, or business people to show off their latest products or releases and really increase the engagement level of their intended audiences.
Downsides
While it is a really cool idea to be able to show video on your profile, it’s wise to remember that only those people who have installed the plug-in too will be able to see it. If they don’t have the plug-in yet, they’ll just see your regular default static photo.
You have the option of encouraging people you know to install the app themselves so they can see it and maybe even leave video profiles for their own pages too.
There is another downside that is a bit of a pain: once you’ve installed the app, it will automatically publish an update to your Facebook wall that is more of an ad for the app than an update.
With all that aside, if you’re still keen to create a cool video to use as your profile pic, just follow these really easy steps.
Step One: Download the Plug-In
Head on over to http://www.facebook.com/FlipSG and download the plug-in for the browser you normally use (i.e. take your pick between Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari).
Step Two: Restart Your Browser
Shut down whichever browser you were using and re-open it again.
Step Three: Connect the App to your Profile
You’ll need to connect to the Flip Your Profile Facebook app to make this work, but it only takes a few seconds.
Step Four: Create Your Video
Go ahead and get creative. Create your video using a Flip Video camera and have a bit of fun.
What If You Don’t Have a Flip Video Camera?
Okay, so not everyone owns a flip video camera. So what happens if you want to swap your boring pic for a profile video but you don’t own a Flip Video cam?
It’s no problem. The guys at Flip Your Profile have created a convenient profile maker that can allow you to upload your video directly. You can find it here: http://www.facebook.com/FlipSG#!/FlipSG?v=app_166864450026079.
Keep in mind that if you want to use a different video camera, such as your iPhone or other video recorder, you may need to film your video using horizontal mode. This is because your video will show up sideways instead of the right way up on your profile.
It’s also important to find a converter to change the format over to one that is compatible with Flip Your Profile’s format. You can use Get Miro, which is a free file converter to do this for you.