What is Periscope and How to Use It

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks checking out Periscope and I am pretty excited about it. What is Periscope, you ask? It’s a newish live broadcasting app that was recently acquired by Twitter. Periscope allows content creators to instantly broadcast video with their phone from anywhere and to anyone in the world. Viewers can watch live broadcasts from across the world.

What Makes Periscope Cool

• Periscope allows users to broadcast live from anywhere  by simply using their mobile phone. That means no equipment or mics and allows for both spontaneous and planned broadcasts.
• Periscope adds the power of video to the real time features that Twitter is popular for. Broadcasters can create vlogs, show off their vacation or film real time events as they unwind.

How to Get Started Using Periscope

• Download the Periscope app. It’s available on both the iTunes store and Google Play.
• Sign up for a Periscope account using your Twitter ID.
•  When you login, you’ll see a list of live broadcasts that you can view.
• Follow friends and influencers. Be sure to enable notifications on your mobile device. Broadcasts are typically short and often spontaneous so notifications will alert you when people you follow are live.
• Like a broadcast you are watching? Tap the screen to add hearts and show your love for the broadcast.
• Tap on the Say Something message to send quick messages to the broadcaster.

How to Get Started Broadcasting on Periscope

• Access the  broadcast tab by tapping on the menu.
• Before you broadcast, you can tweet that you’re going live to your followers.
• You will have an opportunity to describe your broadcast before you get started.
• You can make videos public or private to select viewers.
• Replays are available for 24 hours. When you finish your broadcast, you can replay it and save the broadcast to your camera roll.

Tips for Periscope Success

• Interact with your audience. Introduce yourself and field questions and comments as they come in.
• Viewers are watching Periscope broadcasts on their mobile devices so keep them short.
• Optimize content by making sure your title is descriptive and by utilizing hashtags.
• Keep it social by following others, watching their broadcasts

I’m excited to see you on Periscope. Follow me @kiadolby and drop me a line to let me know your Periscope adventures.

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