Social Media Corner- The New Must-Have App

In the ever-growing world of social media there is yet another channel that PR pros will need to know about, Periscope. There are similar apps available, but currently Periscope seems to be the hot-topic in social media. It has a wide-range of users from celebrities promoting their new movies, to presidential hopefuls addressing voters, to parents sharing their baby’s first steps.   
 
Recently purchased by Twitter, Periscope is a video streaming app that allows users to easily relay live video globally from their phones. Your followers can view your video, make comments and send hearts. Sending hearts is similar to a like on Facebook, but on Periscope users can send as many hearts as they desire. Periscope is still fairly new, so there are some kinks that need to be worked out. For example, the app is only available on iOS devices, however the release of the Android version is said to be in the works. Another issue is users are broadcasting certain events illegally, so there is a lot of talk about copyright issues.
 
For PR professionals, this app provides another way to engage with your audience. It’s hard to predict the success of new apps, but the way Periscope is trending, it’s definitely something communicators should familiarize themselves with.  The app can be downloaded for free and if you sign up through your Twitter account it will help you connect with other users. 
 
Source:

1. https://www.periscope.tv/about
2. https://medium.com/@periscope/up-periscope-f0b0a4d2e486