Hello! If you’re reading this article, it’s probably because:

1 - you have literally never heard of instagram

or…

2 - you have heard of instagram, but have literally no idea how it works

Given how popular instagram has become in recent years, the balance of probability says you’re more likely a 2 than a 1. Maybe you’ve vaguely heard about it through friends. Maybe you’ve heard that DGHUK has joined it. Maybe you’d just like to know more so you can impress the grandchildren. Whatever the case, this article is for you.

What is instagram?

Instagram is a social networking service, like Facebook, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). It has a particular focus on photos and videos. When you start an account, you can add images and videos of your own for others to view. Or you can follow other people’s accounts to see what they’re adding. The most popular instagram accounts have millions of followers and publish several times a day.

Who uses instagram?

All kinds of people - organisations, companies, individuals. Some people post a lot of material. Others don’t post at all. Many instagram accounts are themed around a particular topic. If you’re interested in Indian food, for instance, you could search for accounts that focus on that. Like this one. Instagram also has a younger demographic than some other social networks. Of its two billion users, about 85% are under 45; a third are under 25.

Why has DGHUK joined instagram?

Most charities now use social media to connect with people - both supporters and people who might be interested in supporting them. Instagram is a great platform for telling stories, in a very visual way, that help people understand how a charity works and why they’re passionate about what they do. It’s a good way to reach out to people who may not know so much about us.

How can you follow the DGHUK instagram?

Glad you asked that question! To get the best out of instagram, you need an account. (It’s completely free to set one up, by the way.) Bear in mind that most people use the app to access instagram, and in many ways instagram prefers it that way. If you have a smartphone or a tablet, you can get this by going to the App Store (on iPhone) or the Google Play Store (Android). But you don’t have to use the app. You can also create and use your instagram account on a home computer. Head to instagram.com and look for the “Don’t have an account? Sign up” link towards the bottom of the page.

Useful sidenote: If you already use Facebook, you can sign up with your Facebook account. That’s because both networks are owned by the same company (Meta). For how to do this, go to this article on the instagram website, Create an instagram account, and scroll down to the section titled “To create an account if you have a Facebook account”.

OK, you’ve signed up! What next?

(Congratulations. You’re making excellent progress here.) Now that you’ve joined instagram, what are you seeing? At the bottom of the screen (or the left side, if you’re on a computer), you have a series of icons. Click the Search option to find DGHUK’s account. Type in “drgrahamshomesuk”. (This is known as our instagram “handle”.)

Alternatively, if you’re reading this article right now on the same device, you can click this link instagram.com/drgrahamshomesuk to get there.

What can you do on the DGHUK page?

When you get there, you’ll see something similar to this (click the image below to expand it):

If you’d like to start following us, click the blue Follow button (1). (Subtle hint: please follow us!) What this means is that any updates we publish will go straight to the top of your Home page (look for the little house icon). Other options here allow you to send us a message (2) or share our page with others - click the three dots to do that (3). (Subtle hint 2, please share our page!) Next you have our Bio, with a one-line summary of what we do, and a website link (4). This link, by the way, is known as the “link in bio”. You’ll see it quite a lot on instagram. It’s basically a simple way for organisations to point you to useful information. Click it and you’ll see something like this. Useful!

How do you view new articles?

So, lastly, you have the posts themselves. By default, these are arranged in a neat grid of squares. If you see a little icon in the corner (5), it’s telling you there’s more than one picture within the post. The heart and speech-bubble icons (6) indicate where people are adding an approving “like” to the post, or if they’ve left a comment about it. The newest updates are at the top of the page. Just click or tap on any square to open it. Below the photo or video, there’s a caption. If you so choose, you can like, comment, or share the post using those 3 little icons under the picture.

A quick word on those other icons:

The Home button, as we mentioned, is where you go to find new content. If you start following other accounts, they’ll appear here. The Search icon is the place to go if you’re looking for new themes and accounts. The Play button serves up a stream of videos (known as “reels”) that instagram, in its wisdom, thinks you might like. The Send icon shows you messages people have sent you. The final Account icon is your very own page. If you were to add any pictures or videos, this is where you’d see them.

And that’s it! You’re now a highly qualified instagram user, ready to astonish friends and loved ones with your technological expertise.

A special request to DGHUK supporters

We’re keen to use instagram to reach new people - to inspire them about Dr Graham’s Homes and show how they can support our sponsored young people. We would love you to be a part of that. Please (1) follow our account. And (2) encourage friends and family members to sign up too. It will make a huge difference to spreading the word about the work of DGHUK and The Homes.

Main photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash