It is the latest app that is sweeping the world of social media – so it’s no surprise Connect PR are excited about it too.
Periscope is the current craze that has news broadcasters and sport pundits salivating at the idea of publishing live streams straight from their electronic devices to the internet.
The app, which is Twitter’s new baby, has already been used in the run-up to the general election and by mobs of reporters outside the HQ of FIFA in Zurich trying to catch a glimpse of Sepp Blatter.
On a more low-key scale Connect PR has used it to broadcast the draw for the 2015 office darts tournament and our own Sean Wozencroft’s popular daily updates on his kitchen refurb has gathered international appeal – not to mention Lee Southen’s guided tour of the north east.
But while tech-geeks are rubbing their hands at a new toy to play with the full potential of Periscope is still unknown.
So here are the positives and negatives of the app that is taking the world by storm.
Positives
1. Breaking news/live content streamed directly to people’s mobile phones – Instead of flooding Twitter timelines with picture after picture, events can be beamed online with the user’s own running commentary.
2. Interaction – A nice feature is that followers can send direct messages to the user making Periscope much more interactive. Perfect for lives Q&As.
3. Its link with Twitter – If you have a heap load of Twitter followers don’t worry – it’s not too difficult to build your numbers back up. Periscope works with your Twitter account so it’s a case of re-following those who have accounts on both platforms.
4. Easier to broadcast – Rather than uploading to your website or YouTube a live broadcast is at your finger tips offering instant footage. However, it’s gone within 24 hours.
5. Genuine capture of atmosphere – While there’s only so much a tweet can describe or a Vine can capture, Periscope gives a more authentic flavour of an event or location. Great for large scale public events.
Negatives
1. Anything can happen on live broadcasts – while it may not be to the same scale as the buffoons encroaching Sky Sports News reporters on transfer deadline day, a live Periscope in public can be a recipe for disaster if an excited member of the public gets involved.
2. Notifications – At the moment you either have to put up with constant notifications on your phone (Stan Collymore is the chief offender) or turn them off completely and hope you catch a decent Periscope to engage with. The timeline is much more of a maze than Twitter.
3. The temptation to ramble – A fully polished video published on your website should be tight, on message and interesting. On Periscope there is a danger of swaying from this and rambling on for the sake of rambling on… always be aware of the attention span of viewers.
4. No censorship – How many times have we read the line ‘as onlookers filmed footage on their mobile phones’? Imagine being involved in an accident and then having a picture of you or a relative published on a social media account in a moment of distress. Add to the equation live footage going online and the user could open themselves up to all sorts of legal issues.
5. Broadcasting at paid-for events – The National Hockey League in North America has already moved to crackdown on fans filming games from their seats via Periscope. However, a similar – and more informal – move was taken in England around five years ago when camera phones became popular and as expected, the authorities were unable to police it.