Beginner FAQ’s on using Periscope

So the latest craze in social media right now is Periscope.  When I first heard about it in one of my Facebook groups, I was like  “Oh, great! Anothersocial media doodad to follow!” So to find out about all the hoopla, I decided to start a Periscope account (which by the way you can use your twitteraccount to start one).  First off let’s be clear on what Periscope is: Twitter’s Live Video Streaming App. It allows you to see live video of someone on your phone as well as broadcast yourself. As their tagline says on their website “explore the world through someone else’s eyes.” 

As a designer I enjoy following individuals on Periscope who offer some great business tips that help me better my business.  My fave are the scopes that are less than 5 minutes, just enough time to get a quick tidbit of information and do a quick shout out to someone. You can interact in real time with the person giving a scope/broadcast by chatting or giving them “hearts”.

As far as I can tell right now in my circle of friends/influential people some are starting to dip their toes into Periscope and others are full on diving in.  I’m one of toe-dippers right now so I thought I share with you some questions you may have as a beginner to Periscope… (Disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list, which is why I only list 7)

 

Now for some beginner FAQ’s on using Periscope :

1. Can the person doing the scope see me?

The answer is no.  The only person that can be seen is the person giving the actual scope broadcast, so you can rest assured that you can take advantage of watching scope broadcasts in your bathrobe and you’re hair up in a bun (yes, even you men who have manbuns -don’t worry this is nothing perverse)

2. How long can a scope last?

They can be as short as you want or as long as you want ( although be warned scopes do take up a lot of your data).

3.  Can I be alerted to when my favorite person is doing a scope?

Yep, you sure can. Be warned though, if you are following someone in a different timezone, to maybe put your phone on silent/vibrate unless you want to be woke up at 4AM to be notified about a live scope.

4.  Can I do a private scope or do they all have to be public?

This is a great question and the great answer is yes, you can create a private scope.  I love that option and that’s cause I am a private kind of person.  I think especially when you’re first starting out, doing a private scope may be a great way to get your feet wet.

5.  How long can I save my scopes? Forever and ever?

Your periscope video is only available for up to 24 hours on Persicope. So you will want to save it on your device by saving it to your “camera roll” or saving it to “gallery.”  Detailed instructions on how to do this can be found here.
**Another option is to use Katch.me – Katch gives you the ability to record, archive and publish your live-streams with one tweet. Katch is basically a home base to store, manage and share your Periscope videos (scopes).  Katch even give you the ability to embed your scopes- which is a super great option for bloggers.

6. Can I block other users?

It wouldn’t be social media if couldn’t block someone, now would it? Now with any social media outlet I shouldn’t have to warn you there are people who say and do things without thinking. Just tonight I was watching a scope where a couple of not too bright individuals decided to start spewing garbage out of their mouths. For no reason other than to be disruptive and bring attention to themselves.  It happens and that’s why there is a “block” option.

7. Anything I need to aware of that you’re forgetting to tell me?

Yes, there is one more thing. Periscope can let others know where you’re location is when you are broadcasting live.  Make sure to change this in your settings before you broadcast especially if like me, you are not comfortable with letting everyone in the world know you’re exact location.  T.M.I. if you ask me!

Is Periscope for you?  Maybe or maybe not. I say give it a try and see what you think.  I’m not saying I’m gonna be a forever die-hard user but for now I’m gonna keep testing out and see how it goes.

 

Hopefully addressing the Beginner FAQ’s on using Periscope has been helpful to you. In case you have more burning questions about Periscope that you’re dying to get some answers to go ahead and visit them on their help page to find out all the juicy details. You can also leave a comment/question below or leave one for me on my Facebook page!