Kitty @Night Quilter was an early adopter of a new social media platform, Periscope, and she has been cultivating a quilting community through her #HonestCraftRoomies “Scope Hops”. The group has expanded enough that the 6 person (10 minutes per person for 1 hour) format has already expanded into two evenings of the week to accommodate more people. Join us on Tuesday and Thursday, starting at 9pm EST | 6pm PST. Tonight, I will be part of the second hop of the week where we are discussing our Favorite Quilt (tonight’s schedule and our Periscope handles are in the graphic below).
#HonestCraftRoomies – Favorite Quilt (Thursday)
If you haven’t heard about Periscope, it is a live video feed app that allows live viewers the ability to message and interact with the person streaming the video and each other. Videos are saved within the Periscope app for 24 hours and can be replayed during that time frame. After 24 hours, the video turns into a pumpkin and expires. 😉 Kitty has graciously given me permission to share one of her saved videos that she uploaded to YouTube so that you can get a preview of what to expect. A note from Kitty:
Please note (and this is important!!), in the actual Periscope stream, little comments appear at the bottom of the screen, so when I suddenly look closely at the camera and seem to reply to someone, I’m actually replying to someone! I’m not crazy, I promise!
Periscope – Jimmy Fallon
Above is an example of what the full screen experience within the Periscope app looks like. You can tap the screen once to leave a heart (which is similar to “liking” something on Facebook). Messages from people who join during the live stream appear overlaid on the video. When watching a reply, you can still view the messages but no longer contribute to the message stream. You can, however, still leave hearts to let the Periscoper know when something they say resonates with you during a replay.
So, why Periscope? I am going to be honest, my person to person quilting community is small. I don’t get face time with other quilters very often in my small town, and I am *so* excited to be able to see and hear some of my friends get to talk passionately about quilting for an hour or two a week. I am also really hopeful that it helps build my confidence a bit when I get to meet some of you fabulous people at places like QuiltCon. Last year was overwhelming for me, an introvert, when I found myself suddenly around so many people. I am hoping that by easing into the video conversations, striking up in person discussions will feel much less anxious for me.
So, if you are interested in checking out what Periscope is all about, I hope you join us tonight or any upcoming Tuesday or Thursday (we tend to share the lineup via Instagram a few hours before the hops start). If you are interested in becoming part of the #HonestCraftRoomies, please email Kitty [nightquilter at gmail dot com] for more information.
I know there are a lot of different social media platforms out there and not every platform is right for every person. I think of the #HonestCraftRoomies like mini podcasts, only with the awesome benefit of getting to see the person, and/or their quilts, too!
And as always, I hope the comments of this post help foster a conversation. Do you have any questions / comments / concerns / thoughts about Periscope?
I am in New Zealand so it is great to meet you!!
hahahaha, I win, I am the furthest away, all the way to the bottom of the world, last country! New Zealand, hehehehe!
I downloaded the app last week and finally started to set it up this week when I realised I had missed it again. Doh!
The things they think of! This sounds really cool, glad it will help you out of your shell 😉 Not sure I’ll be joining in just now; there’s enough computer time taking away from machine time for moi. Have fun!
I am a complete twit when it comes to twitter, but I’m always up for new adventures. I’ve downloaded the app and have accounts set up… how do I follow along?
Very cool. I just signed up and will hopefully remember to participate in the next one!
I’ve been really curious about this, and really wanted to jump on the bandwagon in effort to keep up with the newest social media platform. But I really don’t like that a video is only available for 24 hours (is that just marketing to get around them not having the ability to store videos for longer?)–the idea of false scarcity bothers me a lot (like sample spree!). Also I really like being able to reference and refer to previous things I write/make. I really don’t like the clickish feeling that is developing (probably cuz I’m not in the click, haha). Sorry to be a debbie downer…again. I am glad you guys are having fun! And I can definitely understand your reasons for liking it.
Yvonne, I really appreciate you sharing this and all of the information; but I am not sure I will be able to do this. I will be checking with hubby and seeing if he can get me up to date and able to participate. I am excited for you also. What a splendid way to ease into speaking publicly and gain confidence. In the writing of your posts, you come off as being such a confident person in all things, it is hard to see you as being overwhelmed. Yet, I can understand it wholeheartedly. I do not do well at all in larger groups of people and especially if it requires standing up and talking. Have a wonderful creative day!
See you tonight!
I’ve already signed up! Now we will have to see if I am brave enough to actually participate. Great explanation! Thanks
I think this is a great idea. It’s great to “meet” the bloggers we follow. But I’ve missed several….it’s 10 p.m. Atlantic, so makes for a very late night.
I was able to jump on for a moment a few weeks ago and thought it was really great. Since I wasn’t able to stay online, I checked out everyone’s scope the following morning. I’m hoping to participate one of these days.
I’m sure putting yourself out there in this way will definitely help with confidence meeting up in person. As someone who is rarely up to date with anything and who needs more hours in the day all the time, I kind of wish the videos didn’t turn into pumpkins after 24 hours!