An 'Instagram for Words': Next Big Thing?

Tech2Go: The Whims app lets users make artistic statements with their status updates.

(The Root) -- We've all shared them on Facebook: images of those inspiring quotes or those funny status updates. The interesting fonts and cool colors instantly attract your attention, and they tend to get a lot of "Likes," too. Now there's a new app that can turn your status updates into works of art.

Whims is a free app for iOS that has been described as "Instagram for words." Developer Alex Khorram explained his motivation for creating Whims in the context of the evolution of social media. "Now that everyone is at the social media party, how do you get noticed? Whims puts you at the party in a better outfit."

Using Whims is simple. Once you enter your Whim, which doesn't have a character limit, you can let your creative juices flow. There are 30 stylesheets to choose from that act as color and font templates for your Whim. For example, typefaces named after the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carrie Bradshaw, Willy Wonka and Barack Obama resemble the graphics and/or logo used by each brand or are thematic representations of those figures. You can adjust the font size, line height, justification and color scheme to your preference.

Add a comment or tag, then save and share your Whim to Facebook or Twitter, email it or store it on your phone. And of course, with this being social media, you can join the community to follow, "Like" and comment on other Whims. New stylesheets are added regularly, and other updates -- like the ability to text a Whim and an Android version -- are coming soon.

I've been using this app for about a week now, and I have to say I think it's pretty cool. While I won't be using it for every single status message, it definitely helps to highlight something I really want people to notice. These days, the more visual you can make something online, the more attention it gets, and Whims certainly fits the bill.

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