Periscope – Twitter’s video platform
Periscope, the mobile app for online video broadcasting in real time, acquired by Twitter in February 2015, is officially the most commented and debated platform for live video streaming.
Periscope is a great opportunity for all of us who want to have unlimited audience, who are willing to talk and shoot their videos from anywhere in the world (as long as you have a relatively good Internet connection) to communicate with their new and existing fans in real time. But is it worth using the application? In the end, you will have to face the downside of the unlimited numbers a live audience gives and you’ll probably want to look like a pro.
Well, the world of digital communications removed some of the factors that were a trademark only for the best presenters. Now everyone can be vlogger, writer, journalist, or whatever he wants … and all of this can happen live! Maybe not every idea you have will be loved by your fans, but even if you do not want to do video streaming, you can always track the broadcasts of interesting speakers such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Oprah, Jay Leno and others.
Periscope is an application that really takes advantage of its mobile nature, including notifications, location data, the mother of vlogging – social sharing (via Twitter, of course), live discussions and feedback. The idea of Periscope is to be a gateway to some truly interactive events.
After the direct broadcast, Periscope enables those who were unable to join the discussion live to see a replay, and even provide feedback within 24 hours. Then, the broadcast is removed from the app (like SnapChat, but for video. Cool, isn’t it?).
But wait… What will happen with that wonderful speech that you wrote down in 3 A.M in the morning? Calm down. Every one of your live shows will be recorded on your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) and once you take it, the video can be published and shared online, just like any other video.
Periscope for business?
There are many ways that you can use Periscope for business – from videos showing spicy moments from the kitchen of your business (let’s say you want to show people how you assemble a guitar) to live sessions with questions and answers and whatever else you got in your mind. Also, Periscope is a great tool to show your skills, especially if you earn a living from speaking to people.
In the last few years we are spectators of a real boom in video content on social platforms, which only will lead to the improvement of applications such as Periscope and their incorporation in the business world.
How to use Periscope?
Registration
The first step in using the Periscope is to download it to your IOS or Android device. The first time you launch the application, you will be asked to log in.
You can register through your Twitter account or you can use your phone number. If you want to make the most of the social aspect of Periscope, the best option is using your Twitter account.
If you have more than one Twitter, you can add additional accounts using the “Add Account” settings of Twitter for your device.
Sections
There are four main sections in Periscope. The first section shows two lists:
A list of people you follow on Periscope, currently “live” (You simply choose the particular person to join the program); A list of programs that you have visited within the last 24 hours. (You can repeat any of the programs included in the list by selecting one of them.)
The second section of the application is also divided into two parts showing the global list of live public broadcasts that you can join. You can switch between the two parts – a list and map using the selector at the top of the screen.
The third section is the most interesting of all – your “recording booth.” There you will have the ability with the push of a button to find yourself in the global world of live broadcasting.
The fourth section is the “social booth”, where you can search for people to follow. Note that the number of followers that are shown refers to how many Periscope followers you have, not how many people you follow on Twitter.
Viewing of broadcasts
To watch a live broadcast of Periscope, you can head to either the list or map sections for global broadcast and tap existing event, which interests you.
If your notifications are turned on, you will learn about the Live broadcasts:
- When someone in Periscope begins live broadcast;
- When someone is a follower in Periscope and shares a live broadcast of another person;
- When one of your Twitter followers is watching a live stream for the first time.
But how to watch a broadcast? First, select the broadcast by selecting it from the list. The transmission begins immediately and has few menus:
You can add a comment by entering it in the “Say Something” part at the bottom of your screen; Bubbles, which show comments from other people and from the person that started broadcasting. These bubbles float along the bottom edge of the screen and eventually fade; On the right, you will see the reward for all broadcasters – hearts, that appear when a viewer touches the right side of the screen and shows appreciation for the broadcast; The little man icon with a number in the lower right corner shows the number of viewers at any time during the live broadcast.
Share the transmission via Twitter or by copying the link from the transmission and then share it via email or other social network. Several restaurants in the US as PizzaHut and Domino’s Pizza are already broadcasting live from their kitchens, which is an excellent trick that ensures their customers will be confident that their food is prepared in front of them and has proven quality.
Broadcast Video
Let’s get to the essence of Periscope, namely – broadcasting your own live video stream.
When you first visit the display of the show that you are about to start, you will see a pop-up window that enables you to set three options. The first two are needed for video and audio, and the third can be switched off for individual broadcasts.
The interface is very simple. You will see places in which you will be able to set up your data (name, topic of the emissions), you will see the momentary number of people watching your video, and you will be able to divulge the news that you are live with a quick button that sends a link to the event on Twitter.
You might notice that apart from Periscope, your video will be available in the memory of your device, which in turn allows you to share it to other social platforms, but without the comments and interactions of the live video.
If you scroll down, you can see everyone who attended the live broadcast as well as those who watch the broadcast as a recording. In addition, you can see how many hearts your broadcast received and the people who have done that for you. You can thank them!
From that moment on, and for 24 hours, your followers will be able to share and watch the replay of the broadcast you where they can continue to give you hearts.
Final thoughts
Periscope quickly established itself as the only place that supports such a good interaction between broadcasters and viewers. Many TV stations already broadcast their live webcasts in Periscope, which is a great way to eliminate mobile stations and thousands of cables.
Since Facebook is a smart platform, they immediately dropped live videos to their platform, but let’s not forget that Facebook is a social platform with many branches and the effect of the live video is still kid of blurry. Periscope is only for video broadcast and that’s what makes the success of the application so huge and memorable.
