Livestreaming: it’s been in the news since Meerkat and Periscope’s public war began in 2015. With this year’s addition of Facebook Live and the explosion of smartphone ownership, livestreaming is expected to exponentially increase in popularity. Grab your kayaks, friends! This live stream is moving rapidly.
Saving video
Recently, Periscope introduced an update that saves your broadcasts beyond the 24-hour mark. Your precious piece of live real estate now lives on for all eternity. Yes, everything gets saved by default, so if you do want any of your broadcasts to disappear, you need to delete them manually. Broadcasts automatically save on both Periscope and Twitter, along with comments and hearts.
Audience stats
According to Periscope, a new batch of broadcast stats are heading your way with the hope of allowing you “to better understand your audience over time.” Live Viewer features the total number of viewers that watched your broadcast live, while the Replay Viewer shares the total amount of viewers that have watched your video as a replay. The Time Watched feature communicates the total amount of time that all users watched your broadcast. It essentially multiplies the amount of people that watched times the amount of time they tuned in for. This way, you can have fresh insight as to whether or not viewers are dropping like flies after the two minute mark and adjust accordingly.
Drone Broadcasting
Yes, you heard that right. Earlier this year, Periscope added GoPro support, creating an opportunity for drone owners to mount a GoPro and livestream via the increasingly popular robots in the sky. Newer news yet: if you own a DJI supported drone, broadcasting is as simple as connecting your iPhone. The new feature lets you switch between the drone’s camera and your iPhone camera and even sketch on the screen to emphasize different sights. Say it with me, peeps: “The future has arrived.”
Less Trolls?
One of the toughest parts about broadcasting live is seeing abusive comments fly by. Anyone who has streamed live has experienced their share (women get a lot more than men), and although we can all agree that the “trolls” are the ones who should be discouraged, their activity has stifled many people from sharing their brilliance on livestream.
Well, Periscope has now introduced a way for a broadcast’s viewers to moderate comments. During a broadcast, comments can be reported by viewers or flagged automatically. A few people are randomly selected to vote, and if the majority decide the comment is spam or abuse, the person who sent the comment is temporarily unable to chat.
Will this help make Periscope a safer, less intimidating environment? I hope so.
Facebook Live
Posting live video to your Facebook feed is just one of the ways the social media giant is stepping up to meet the demand for more interactive media. With new features being rolled out incrementally, the network is attempting a more intuitive feel, with streams being available not only to friends, but to others that may be interested in your content. The changes coming to the search feed will allow videos to be found easier, while a desktop world map feature will allow users to click on locations throughout the world to tune into live video.
In the words of the 80’s movie icon Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for awhile, you could miss it.” Same applies for the evolution of social media. Stay on top of your game and grab your oars, baby. Or you just may miss the kayak.
