Lately it seems everywhere you turn, people are buzzing about Periscope. Now in case you’re not familiar with it yet, here are the basics: Periscope is a live video streaming app for iPhone and Android that’s connected to Twitter, so users can share tweets in real time while watching the video.
Social media experts are divided on the benefits of the app. Leadership guru Michael Hyatt absolutely loves it for connecting with his audience (and shares nine reasons why), while Chris Brogan calls it “the least interesting thing I’ve ever seen.” And while the jury’s still out when it comes to Periscope’s usefulness at trade shows, I tend to side with Brogan … “Real time video is rarely useful … unless it’s REAL news.”
And for that matter, when it comes to real-time video what about Google Hangouts instead? That seems like a more logical option for broadcasting to an audience because it offers more robust tools for registering attendees, including multiple presenters, and hosting an actual discussion instead of a one-way broadcast. (I even use Hangouts now for broadcasting my exhibitor training webinars – I doubt Periscope could handle that.)
So which side are you on? Have you used Periscope at an event … and if so, what were the reactions of participants? Please share in the comments below.
Here’s an article from DigiDay that details 5 Ways Brands are Using Periscope: http://www.digiday.com/brands/5-ways-brands-using-periscope
The two I see with the most potential for trade shows are sneak-peeks into events and live Q&As. How do you see Periscope fitting into your trade show strategy?