Thoughts on Periscope

So have you tried Periscope yet? If you haven't, you need to get on it! (And add me! @kelainedavis) It's a type of video app that enables you to perform live broadcasts & livestream others' videos as well. For those of us that aren't ready to have a full YouTube channel, but still want to do some light filming, this app is GOLD!

Well tonight I tried out my first live broadcast earlier this evening. I did a flip-through of some of my art journals from college. And I have some thoughts both on the app and on my experience. 

Immediate thoughts on my experience broadcasting live:

1. The logistics of the thing are A LOT more difficult than you think. Between holding the camera steady, speaking, keeping everything in frame, watching the comments, & responding to people's questions-- I could have used like 3 more arms.

2. I really really need a goose neck phone trip-pod. Like this one or this one. My birthday's on Saturday, so... *fingers crossed!*

3. I say "um"... like, a LOT. I was afraid to watch it back & turns out for good reason. I watched the first few minutes and I said it like 25 times! My high school speech teacher would be absolutely horrified at the number of times I used it. I was honestly cringing when I watched it. So I really really need to apologize for my lack of speaking skills & I really really need to practice so that the next one is better. hahaha So just know: I'm aware of the problem.

4. This first broadcast was embarrassingly long. Next time will be better. 50 minutes was way too long for the subject matter of that video. Personally I like a nice long video sometimes because I can watch it while working from home. But I can't imagine anyone would want to listen to me talk for that long. haha

Thoughts on using the app itself:

1. If YouTube & Snapchat had a baby, it would be named Periscope.

2. It's SUPER easy to use. I've heard from others on Instagram that they had problems with it shutting off a few minutes in & not broadcasting anything. Luckily that didn't happen to me this time. Everything was really self-explanatory and simple. Basically just click & record! 

3. The auto focusing is kind of horrible. When I zoomed in, it didn't ever focus on what I had zoomed in on. It wasn't fuzzy at a distance, but everything up close wasn't great. 

4. I couldn't figure out how to share my own broadcast. I know how to share someone else's video, but I couldn't figure out how to share my own. (Hence the the lack of direct link to my video.

5. It's both cool & frustrating that the videos are only alive for 24 hours. Just like anything fleeting, you wish it would stick around longer, but then again it also creates a sense of urgency which is always great for social media views!

6. I think it's so rad that the replay video actually shows the comments from the live stream! What a super cool feature! In case you aren't watching it live, it lets you feel like you're still in the loop. 

So those are my thoughts on Periscope! I have lots of ideas for new videos I can do, so PLEASE come follow me for some sa-weet crafty videos! (@kelainedavis) And if you have one, I'd love to know your handle so I can stalk you! ;)