The Next Big Thing: Periscope

So the other day a fellow crafty bloggy friend announced that she was on a new social media channel, Periscope. I immediately cringed inside…because, REALLY? I already juggle Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and am trying to get in the habit of Vine. But I took a peek at this app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device…and in minutes I was downloaded, signed up, and hooked.

Periscope is the new kid on the block in LiveStreaming.

Here’s a blurb from the website:

Just over a year ago, we became fascinated by the idea of discovering the world through someone else’s eyes. What if you could see through the eyes of a protester in Ukraine? Or watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia? It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation. While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around.

But here’s the thing- livestreaming isn’t really new. Google Hangouts have been around for quite a while, YouTube has a live broadcast function, and Meerkat is already in the app-based livestreaming space.

So why Periscope?

Well, first it was already acquired by Twitter, so it merges seamlessly. And I love that it’s easy to use, it’s in the moment, and connects me to folks where ever I am.

And as a crafter, this it’s just FUN.

Here are some of the particulars:

You can sign up with Twitter.
It will tweet out that you are starting a LIVE broadcast to your twitter peeps.
There is a built-in chat function so that I can read your comments and respond in real time.
You can tap the screen to “give hearts” or show that you like the content. That number is displayed on your profile page. It’s basically an endorsement.
You can flip the camera around in mid-stream to shoot selfies or away from you.
You title the broadcast BEFORE you begin- you cannot go back and edit it in any way once you start.
You have the option of saving the whole stream to your camera roll, which you then could archive or edit as you wish.
The videos only appear in the stream for 24 hours…after that they are dumped and lost forever. Timeliness is KEY.
Sometimes you get an audience, sometimes you don’t. It’s really hit-or-miss.

I’d love to see you there! @CraftTestDummy

So if you are an early adopter, and/or you like to chat in a more personal way than Twitter, I invite you to give the FREE app a go and meet me there- @CraftTestDummies/ Jenny Barnett Rohrs. I’m going to try to “schedule” some Live Broadcast times, mostly when I’m in the studio and testing some things out. But also when I do my Crafty Field Trips I’ll by streaming as I go. \

If you are interested in catching live streams, let me know what time/zone you are in that might work for you! 🙂