ANOTHER social media platform???
Yes.
Meet Periscope.
I'll be honest, when I first heard of Periscope I made a secret vow to resist scoping for a longgggg time. There is NO WAY that I could handle another social media account.
That didn't last very long.
Fast forward to today, I am participating in a 30 day #SeptemberScope challenge and it is actually FUN! Not to mention addictive as a viewer. You can watch what someone is doing 300 miles away from you AT THAT VERY MOMENT. Heavy stuff! It's like teleporting to Chicago when you live in Phoenix. OK, maybe not as dramatic…but it is pretty amusing. Read on to see how Periscope works.
What is Periscope?
If social media were a family, think of Periscope as the child of YouTube and Skype. Don't forget cousin Twitter!
Periscope is where "Scopers" (aka you) can share anything though a live feed. Audience members can find you via your global location (you show up as a red dot on the US Map) and can interact by commenting or by tapping their screen to give you colored hearts. While you are scoping, you can see all the love and comments that viewers are giving you!
Scopers can also "Follow" you, similar to Twitter where they can see a feed of who they follow. Also, if the notification settings are on, Followers will hear a whistle to let them know that you are live. If a scope is missed, followers can view it for up to 24 hrs! They won't be able to comment on replays but they can still give you lots of hearts! BTW, Periscope will tell you who is giving you how many hearts so that you know who to thank for supporting you.
If your Twitter and Periscope are linked, Twitter will automatically post that you are LIVE on Periscope and to come watch! Do you have friends who are willing to share? Fellow Scopers can share your replay with their followers by swiping right and tapping "SHARE BROADCAST". Periscope is still very new, so bloggers grab your brand name before it is taken!
Why isn't everyone on Periscope already?
Let me remind you that this interaction is LIVE! If you stumble, stutter or forget what to say, EVERYONE will watch it as it happens. Not to mention, they will be able view it for 24 hours as long as you keep the replay option active. If you completely bomb a scope, no worries! You can turn off the replay and forget about it.
Fear of being LIVE is what deterred me from jumping on the band wagon sooner. It wasn't until my blogger friend Laci from Sequins in the South shared the #SeptemberPeriscope challenge with me. I gathered up the nerve to participate because I knew everyone else would be nervous too. Again, more about the challenge later!
What does this have to do with blogging?
Periscope is a chance to reach a different audience, one that you would not necessarily reach online. It is a way to reach viewers at a more personal level. Do you focus on tutorials or DIY? Periscope is similar to YouTube and Vlogging and can appeal to auditory learners as well as visual learners. Do you have a sponsored product that you are excited about sharing or critiquing? Again, periscope is the perfect forum. Also, the video can be saved, embedded and added to your blog for future views (with the help of another app, read on) The possibilities are endless. Why not establish yourself before it really kicks off? You will be ahead of the game when sponsors look to collaborate with a Periscope pro.
What are Tips to Make Periscoping Easier?
Practice!
Think of scoping as speech class. Plan what you will be discussing (writing down notes if you must) then do a few dry runs. A dry run is when you pretend that you are scoping. Speak OUT LOUD in front of a mirror if you can tolerate it. I know it's weird to talk to yourself, especially in front of a mirror but this will give your mouth and brain practice. You will stumble on your words less and your thoughts will be more organized and easy to follow. This will also minimize your "ums".
Be easy on yourself!
No matter how much you practice, you will still be nervous the first few times. Your hands will shake. Your ums will prevail and you'll forget half of the points that you wanted to share. With practice, scopes will become easier, I promise!
Look at the camera.
This is applicable when you are face to face with the audience. It is very tempting to stare at yourself and how messy your hair is…but your audience will feel more connected if you make eye contact.
Keep it short.
It is easy to become long winded, especially if you are nervous. Keep your scope short and to the point to prevent repeating yourself. Also, connections get lost and viewers get bored. The goal is to sign off with more viewers than when you started…not less!
Slow down.
Don't take it personal.
There are trolls and people who enjoy being jerks. Ignore them. I've seen kids using horrible language…because they were bored. Block them and move on. It is NOT you, they are being bullies.
You're Periscoping! Now What?
Engage your viewers.
Have a call to action. Challenge your viewers to do something. Then schedule a time to scope again to discuss it. Find your viewers and thank them for watching your scope. OR, if you see a fantastic scope, seek the scoper out to engage with them via Twitter or Facebook, tweet or share their replay. They will appreciate it!
Be a good viewer yourself.
Be the type of viewer that you want to follow you! Do you want hearts? Give hearts! Do you want interaction? Interact! Do you want followers? Follow others!
It's a 2 way street people!
Other viewers will see your name when watching replays or during live conversations. They can follow you by double clicking on your name. They'll never follow you if they do not know you exist. Also, you are building a relationship with the person who is scoping. They can look at who has replayed their video, who was watching while they were live…they can also see who and HOW MANY hearts you gave them.
Utilize Katch.me
Katch captures and stores your scopes! Periscope only keeps your scopes live for 24 hours, if you would like to keep your awesome scope for the future you can! You can download your video or even embed it to a blog. Make sure to use your Twitter account when you sign up so that you do not have to add the #Katch hashtag with every scope.
So, #SeptemberScope challenge? I did mention that didn't I? It is an awesome initiative where a slew of bloggers are scoping on a daily basis. Each day there is a prompt. I don't mean to tease, but the #SeptemberScope challenge deserves it's own post so stayed tuned for more!
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