Instagram launched its 3.0 update this week, the first major update since their acquisition by Facebook. There are a few new features which change the way users can view their photos.

The main update is the ability to view photos geo-tagged onto a map. This potentially could be used by brands to showcase their snaps from road shows or experiential activity.

This new feature will also allow you to quickly view historical posts, rather than having to scroll tediously back in time on your feed. Instagram have reassured users about privacy settings for the new feature, with the ability to opt-in to geo-tagging. This should prevent people inadvertently tagging their home or work online.

Kevin Systrom, co-founder and CEO of Instagram has also hinted that users will soon have the ability to browse pics from key events. This new feature will roll out along with hashtag and location pages. These are potentially really exciting features for brands, who will have the opportunity to properly collate content created by users at their experiential or PR events.

While Instagram are still not pursuing any paid for partnerships with brands or agencies, these new features could be explored on third party sites and apps using Instagrams own API. I predict a lot of brands and agencies will be rushing to test out the new features over the coming weeks.

It’s tricky to see how Instagram are going to make money any for Facebook at the moment. But as they approach their 200 millionth sign up, it seems they are putting the user first and are resisting the urge to cash in on their loyal fanbase.

Thom Binding is a Planner at Jam and an Instagram enthusiast.