periscope : my top tips and how-to's

So you've downloaded the Periscope App and you're wondering now what?

Here are some of the tips I've gathered during my month or so on Periscope:

Your Profile:

1. Use a face shot as your profile picture.  Periscope is a more personal form of social media.  You're interacting with people face-to-face in real-time.  Let them see who you are!
2. Fill in your bio.  People will click on your name during a cast and make a split-second decision whether or not to connect with you.  Let them know who you are & what your interests are.  People want to connect with people who are similar in some way to them.
3. Scope daily.  I know this one is hard.  But even if you come on to share your 1-minute bio.  When people visit your profile, they are wondering what you're all about.  A current, playable Scope helps answer their question.

Your Scopes:

1. Just do it!  Yes it's super scary to press that red broadcast button.  But put on your brave girl pants and put yourself out there.  The connections you will make with people make it totally worth it!
2. Plan ahead. While sometimes it's fun to fly by the seat of your pants with your Scopes, you should have some sense of what you will be talking about.  Make a list to keep yourself on track.  When the comments start flying and interactions get going it's easy to forget what you set out to say.
3. Keep it brief.  People's time is valuable.  And just like many other forms of internet activity, attention spans are short.  Say a brief "hello and thank you" and deliver your content.  Your viewers will thank you for it!
4. Frame your face. Put your face in the top third of the frame.  Comments often cover the bottom portion.
5. Look at the camera.  Your device's camera is where the eye-contact is made.
6. Interact.  The whole point of Periscope is to interact with your viewers in real-time.  If you want to talk at someone, write a blog post, send a Tweet, or make a YouTube video.  Periscope is a give-and-take of ideas and discussions.
7. Keep it vertical.  Unlike YouTube, Periscope is shot in portrait mode.  Hold your device upright so you don't send people's heads tipping sideways.

Watching Scopes:

1. Give hearts.  While watching others' broadcasts, tap the screen to give them colorful hearts. They're free and it's easy.  And it tells the Scoper that you like them.  Spread those love hearts everywhere!
2. Comment.  Ask thoughtful questions.  Tell them you feel the same way.  Offer up additional ideas.  
3. Interact with other viewers.  Tap on someone's name during a live broadcast and a menu pops up where you can "reply" to that person, "view profile" (here's where you decide if you would like to follow them), and "block" (occasionally there are creepers on Periscope who are, sadly, up to no good.)

Ideas for Scopes:

1. Teach. What do you know how to do that you can teach others?  Give tutorials for knitting, crochet, a mixed media technique, photo editing, camera settings, cooking, painting, brush script.  Teach the world what you know!
2. Preach.  What do you feel passionately about? What lifts you, moves you, makes you want to be a better person?  Tell the world about it!
3. Share. An idea, a project you're working on, your scrapbook, planner, art journal, recipes for this week's meals, a book you've read.  Share with the world!
4. Show. Visiting an amazing place? Show the world!

Above all: be polite and positive.  Like any other social media (or any part of life, really) be kind.  Keep your comments positive and encouraging.  Give lots of hearts and be your best self!