If you’re plugged into the social media scene or at least maintain a solid Twitter presence, you’ve likely heard about our new best friend Periscope. Like any trusted ally, it will tell you exactly what’s going on, when it’s going on. The feature supporting this coveted omnipotence? Periscope is a live streaming video app that allows you to tune in to different “channels” or users all over the world.
Bursting onto the scene in early March, Periscope received a lot of hype due to its acquisition by Twitter and the early success of its competitor, Meerkat. If we’re talking in Mean Girls analogies (and why not?), Meerkat is the Regina George and Periscope, the Cady Heron. Bottom line: the masses have clearly embraced Periscope, because of its relationship with Twitter and because its features are more social media-friendly.
What Periscope does is allow users to shoot live video and then stream it from their phone. I can watch the sunrise in Australia as it’s setting in Florida because it’s LIVE. How does Periscope see it? “It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation.” Add that capability with other features, and Periscope becomes seriously mind-blowing.
To create a Periscope account you have to have a Twitter account which is fine because you should be on Twitter anyway (GET WITH THE TIMES!). Once you download the app you can subscribe to the Periscope broadcasts of those you follow and you’ll get notified when they are streaming live! You can comment during broadcasts and show love (literally) by double-tapping on your screen to create floating hearts.
Another major plus of Periscope is that you can view a broadcast for up to 24 hours after it’s recorded. Similar to Snapchat, but a couple shades cooler… with all due respect for our snap-chatting compulsion.
What this means for our business and yours is that we can stream live events and create more buzz. It also gives people who are unable to physically attend, have the ability to virtually attend. (Haven’t you always wanted to issue the “Beam Me Up Scotty” command?) Oh, and did I mention Periscope automatically tweets out a link once you start recording your own video? You can however limit this availability if your content is more exclusive.
LIVE on #Periscope: Take a #BuzzFeedMusicBreak with @Ph0ebeRyan! https://t.co/lsm8cs39gl
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) June 15, 2015
What we suggest is that you download the Periscope app right now and just start playing around. Once you start viewing the content that is out there, you will see a lot of people who have a firm handle on the app — but you’ll also meet a ton of users just trying to figure it out. So go forth and experiment. We know you’ll love it! Don’t forget to follow @TheCRUSHAgency for all of our exciting behind-the-scenes videos!
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