To help us celebrate our third birthday, we’ve asked three VIP broadcasters to share their tips and tricks on three key topics.
Going live can be as easy as pulling out your phone, but some broadcasters take things to the next level. Today, we’re talking about broadcaster tools.
@ThaPhlash:
Q: Your virtual parties have to be seen to be believed! What tools do you use to bring your universe to Periscope?
A: I love virtual parties, and I’m trying to make the experience of sharing a broadcast even more personal. By using our faithful Periscope Producer, alongside 3rd party software like High Fidelity, I’m not only able to connect with people via chat, but also in a virtual nightclub where we can shake hands, speak to each other, and dance the night away. This happens using the clever trick of a virtual reality headset…Participants can join with a headset, or simply by using their desktop pc, albeit the immersion of HMD is hard to beat.
Here’s a demo — thanks to ThaPhlash for sharing this with us!
@Go2Kitchens
Q: Your broadcasts always look so polished. What do you do to get ready, before you hit the “Go Live” button?
A: Believe it or not, the most important connection is not my wifi. The most important connection is between me and my live audience. They are taking time out of their day to hang out with me in my kitchen or on any of my big adventures. I am honored by their presence! To establish when I am ready to “go live,” I have a personal “on” button. That button sounds like this: “please let me be light into dark and never dark into light.” This signals my brain that it is time to work. I was once coached by a professional producer, she told me to have a trigger that signals my brain it is time to work or, in our world, “go live”. I always make sure I am present with my audience, and for that hour I’m all theirs.
@a9630:
Q: We just launched Timestamps, so you can share the exact part of a broadcast that matters most to you. What are your tips for sharing a broadcast with Timestamps, and can you treat us to a highlight from one of your recent broadcasts?
A: Timestamps are a great way to send viewers to the very best bits of a broadcast. You can do it with your own scopes, or ones from other people whenever you see something brilliant.
I used to ask people to send me screenshots of my scopes on Twitter, and while they certainly still can, I think that using Timestamps is a much better idea. They’re like a screenshot that links you right to that part of a scope, so instead of someone having to hunt for the bits that really captured your attention, you can lead them there directly.
Often when I go walking somewhere like a hillside or along a riverbank something unexpected will happen like a kingfisher suddenly flashes past me, or a friendly Highland Coo pokes its head over a fence. I won’t have put those things in my broadcast title, so people won’t know about them unless those moments are specifically shared, and Timestamps are perfect for that.
My number one tip for using Timestamps is that when you share on Twitter, you can edit the post. So instead of your Tweet saying “watch what happened at 2:30 in this broadcast”, you can say “this is the moment the plane takes off.”
Also, remember you can Timestamp several times if you want to, so you can highlight your top three paintings in a long art gallery scope for example.
The more you use Timestamps, the more people will enjoy Periscope. Here’s a Timestamp of me building a little cairn by St. Mary’s Loch!
Our first post in this series focused on communities. Stay tuned for our next post, which will cover monetization!
