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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
