One of my tasks at my new communications job is to re-activate and improve our social media channels. I've used Twitter and Facebook for many years, so that was easy. Now, I need to work on Instagram.
I've never really been into Instagram (or Pinterest), but I needed to learn and start Instagramming. I had a few pictures from a recent event, and I was all set to upload them onto Instagram from my Windows 10 desktop, but Instagram is a mobile-driven application. I couldn't find an upload button on the browser; I tried Chrome, Firefox, and Brave. Hmmm. OK. Let's try the Microsoft Store and install the handy app. Uh-oh, same problem.
Whenever I'm faced with a computer or software challenge that I can't solve on my own, I turn to the internet and begin my search with "open source [solve my #@$^!@# problem]." That was easy! I searched for "open source Instagram upload from Windows desktop," and the answer appeared immediately. Google directed me to an article on OMG! Ubuntu! by Joey Sneedon about Ramme. Once again, open source to the rescue!
What is Ramme?
Ramme, the solution to my Instagram conundrum, is an MIT-licensed app for Linux, MacOS, and Windows.
opensource.com
Ramme, "frame" in Danish, was developed by Terkelg and is based on Electron, a framework for creating native applications with web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Ramme enables users to view Instagram on a desktop, and most importantly, lets you upload images from the desktop. This is vital for me, as I needed to upload images that weren't taken with my mobile device.
Ramme installed quickly on Windows 10 and MacOS High Sierra, and I was up and running in seconds. It was easy to log into my Instagram account from the Ramme app and simply select images from my desktop, add captions and locations, and post.
opensource.com
One difficulty I had was changing users. Once I was logged in with one account, I couldn't switch to another user account. Uninstalling, restarting, and logging out didn't work. The feature was requested on GitHub in October 2017 and is supposed to be included in version 4.0 (the current version is 3.2.3).
Ramme is just one example of how open source solves all the world's most pressing problems (well, my social media management problems, at least). What's your best open source solution for a vexing communications problem? Let us know in the comments.
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