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Periscope is for those who love the thrill of a live broadcast. Here's what you need to know.
ByChandra Steele Chandra Steele Senior Features Writer My Experience My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme. Read Full Bio
June 2, 2016
Peak Periscope happened practically moments after the app launched. On March 26, 2015, Twitter introduced Periscope, an app-based service that lets you live stream your surroundings. That same day, a gas explosion and fire in New York's East Village turned bystanders into broadcasters.
Periscope has hosted over 200 million broadcasts and was named app of the year by Apple last year. It's gone beyond the small screen with a move to Apple TV, and it can be watched on the Roku channel Nowhere Scope.
Part of Periscope's popularity stems from piracy. HBO was not pleased that people were live streaming episodes of Game of Thrones, and pro sports teams were similarly irked by game streams. Now Periscope is going legit with a deal with the NFL to stream some Thursday night games. No word on how Beyoncé felt about people tuning in to her Formation tour via Periscope.
Whether you're a Periscope fan or just looking to learn more about it, check out the slideshow for our top tips.
1.Get Profiled
It seems like something that should have been there since the beginning, but Periscope last fall introduced Web profiles. Visit periscope.tv/UserName to see a bio and watch broadcasts from the last 24 hours.
2.Couch Mode
Not sure what to watch? Couch Mode on the Web lets you click through live Periscopes until you find something you want to watch, like a one-sided Chatroulette. The only downside is that you can't write comments or heart Periscopes from the Web. If you're truly inspired by a Periscoper you find on Couch Mode, just switch over to the app.
3.Split Personality
You can split the screen of a broadcast so that two people from separate locations appear. This is handy for interviews and co-hosting. Periscope star Alex Khan recommends that you download a broadcaster software like OBS, and use a computer with a webcam, a smartphone with Periscope, Skype, a stereo-splitter audio cable, a microphone, and earphones.
Install and open OBS. Start Stream/Preview, right-click Preview, and click on projector and the monitor you want the broadcast to be on. Create Scenes for what you want to show on the screen, such as Skype, by selecting the Scenes Window and clicking Add Scenes. Add Global Sources like the webcam and Skype and then add them to the Scenes. Then start a Test Stream, check that everything works, and broadcast when you're set.
4.Find Some Privacy
Broadcast fatigue is real. Sometimes you want to share something but only with those who you know will appreciate it. That's when you do a private broadcast, which means only those you invite can watch, chat, and send hearts. And they will not be able to share the broadcast. On Android, there's the option to invite all your mutual follows (people you follow who also follow you) with one click. On iOS, you have to select people one by one, but Periscope said a "select all" option for iPhone is coming soon.
5.Keep It Quiet
Push notifications can be a bit pushy. To avoid getting notified every time someone you follow starts a Periscope, hit the mute button next to the Following tab on the profiles of chatty Periscopers.
6.Get the Feel of the Landscape
Periscope was the service that made vertical video (almost) acceptable. But bowing to pressure or a desire to expand its audience, Periscope now lets you shoot in landscape mode. The more visually pleasing format is available for broadcasting and viewing, letting a full shot fill screens in the iOS and Android apps.
7.Hand It Over
Keep the Periscope going from one Apple device to another. If you have iOS 8.0 or higher on your mobile device and OS X Yosemite or higher on a Mac, you can switch between the two seamlessly. Just make sure Bluetooth is on and both devices are logged in to the same iCloud account.
8.Be Moderate
Internet commenters can spark a healthy dialogue, but can also be hateful, racist, and abusive. When opinion stretches into abuse, Periscope will now let its community report and moderate it. To take action, tap on a questionable message. You will not see comments from that person for the rest of the broadcast and the comment will go up for vote amongst a randomly chosen group of users who can select whether it is spam, abuse, or an acceptable comment. If the majority chooses spam or abuse, the user will be temporarily banned from commenting during the broadcast. If they repeat the offense when their commenting is reinstated, they will be banned from commenting for the entirety of the broadcast.
If you want your broadcasts moderated, go to Settings and turn on Moderate My Broadcasts. If you want to be one of the people who could be selected to moderate a broadcast, you can select I Want to Moderate.
9.Permanent Record
Part of Periscope's appeal is its fleeting nature—videos disappear after 24 hours—but there are some things that you want to save. Now they will. Periscope has made broadcasts permanent. If you don't want your broadcast saved, go into Settings and turn on Auto-Delete After 24hr. You can also just go to your Broadcasts list and swipe left to delete a specific broadcast.
10.Live It Up
Android users were a little late to get Periscope but they now have something over iOS users. When using Twitter for Android, some people are seeing a Go Live button right in their tweet window.
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My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can connect it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the surveillance state, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You might have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on your commute home on the radio or a podcast. Or maybe you’ve just seen my Bernie meme.
I strive to explain topics that you might come across in the news but not fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking tech with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee, and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I put great care into writing gift guides and am always touched by the notes I get from people who’ve used them to choose presents that have been well-received. Though I love that I get to write about the tech industry every day, it’s touched by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality and I try to bring these topics to light.
Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.
Read Chandra's full bio
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