A while ago, I discovered Periscope.tv . This application enables you to broadcast and view anything anywhere live (provided there’s internet coverage) from your smartphone.
It feels like you can be teletransported anywhere in the world. This afternoon, I saw the sun go up in New York, followed a conference on the behavior of different generations (x,y,z, millennials,…) in Nashville, followed part of a course on social media in Paris, France, saw dolphins off the Florida coast, strolled around Disneyland, Orlando, saw a guy launch a rocket in LA and had a tour in le petit Palais in Paris which was wonderful.
Also, I saw some pretty boring stuff like a guy getting a tattoo, someone driving home from work or people who have nothing better to do than answering uninteresting questions from viewers.
What makes a Periscope broadcast successful?
-I think that you actually have to show something interesting and noteworthy. I am not really inspired by someone doing homework. A coach giving an motivational speech at 0700 in the morning gets my attention on the other hand.
-Furthermore, you’d better stop speaking if there’s too much sound around (like a PA or a jet flying over). In this case an external microphone would help.
-Also, notify people that you are broadcasting live so they know if they want and how to react to you.
-Be kind to your viewers and to the people who you are filming. The other day I watched a guy yell at a woman to speak up. I stopped watching since it was rude to the woman giving a presentation.
-Move the camera around. As a viewer I want to see more that a face or a stage. Show the room and surroundings. But…move slowly and steady.
-Stop filming if there’s nothing to show or if you’re just waiting for the next action moment (a plane landing on an airfield). It’s better to stop broadcasting and wait for a next action moment. It also helps you to avoid going over the limit of your internet bundle!
Later I realized that this all is getting very close to the so-called SeeChange cameras in the book “the Circle” by Dave Egger where everyone can follow anything and that it is actually a surveillance system.
I am tempted to use periscope when I can share something interesting, uplifting or beautiful. Follow me at on twitter to see my next Periscope broadcast. See my previous scopes here.
Would you do this? What are or were your experiences and tips/tricks?