Slinger: Snapchat's new BFF, and why you'll want to use it

Are you a Snapchat addict, obsessed with capturing your most creative snaps, whether it be with iPhone photography accessories, Snapchat lenses, or filters?

If you put a lot of time and effort into your Snapchat stories, you're not alone. Plenty of people spend the energy to put together clever snaps in order to hold the attention of their Snapchat audience, but after 24 hours, your handwork vanisher... forever (dun dun dunnnn). But what if you wanted to save a video you worked especially hard on? What if you captured Snapchat gold, only to realize your genius would disappear after a cycle of the sun?

Enter Slinger: The new home to share your vertical Snapchat videos!

What is Slinger?

Slinger was created by Snapchat storyteller and celebrity, Chris Carmichael, who makes his living and spends his days sharing his life with his 1.3 million Snapchat followers. After realizing how much effort he puts into his Snapchat stories (a 24-hour slot to store videos so all one's friends and followers can watch), Chris created Slinger, a permanent home for creative Snaps and vertical videos.

How does it work?

After capturing your Snapchat video gold and posting it to your story, you can choose to save the individual video to your camera roll or download and save your entire Snapchat story in one go. Then simply post it to your Slinger profile and your Snap story will live on forever.

Sure, that's cool, but this literally just seems like Vine

Well you're kinda right and you're kinda wrong.

While Vine videos only allow users to capture six and a half seconds of footage, some Slinger videos posted have been as long as 78, 99, or 112 seconds – and they're not just one Snapchat video from a single story.

Some people upload their entire Snapchat stories in one go, meaning your wild night of partying or that amazing concert you couldn't stop snapping can be replayed over and over again and displayed for the world to see.

But why should I download it if I already have Snapchat?

Think of Slinger as the Instagram of Snapchat: while regular Snapchat can be as messy and as ridiculous as you want, Slinger takes everything that's polished and pretty and displays it on your profile for as long as you want, just like you would with your best Instagram snapshot.

Another cool, unique feature that Slinger offers is the ability to browse through profiles and view content before you subscribe to that person (unlike Snapchat). You can also follow and interact with emerging social media influencers who are making cool Snapchat stories, and even brands you may not want to clutter up your Snapchat feed with, but don't mind visiting casually on Slinger.

What do you think?

Is Slinger the next big thing, or does it seem like a silly new social media platform? Let us know if you'll be downloading Slinger (and keep your eyes peeled for the Mobile Nations Slinger account coming soon)!

Cella Lao Rousseau

Cella writes for iMore on social and photography. She's a true crime enthusiast, bestselling horror author, lipstick collector, buzzkill, and Sicilian. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @hellorousseau