Rudaí23 thing#10: Live streaming

The last few 'things' on the Rudaí23 list have been very interesting, and have definitely allowed me to experience areas that I either hadn't experienced before, or had never seen them as tools that I could use in the library world. This brings us to live streaming. And of course live streaming is something that could be used in the library world.

Professional live streaming

Live streaming library conferences makes sense, particularly the more popular ones. Of course, popularity means a lot of disappointed people who won't be able to make it, but there are also many of us who have other commitments that we can't get out of, or sometimes issues like cost or distance come into play.

Professional live streaming also makes sense for the organisers. It can help engage with people who traditional don't (or can't) attend events and it increases 'attendance' (if we're so heavily invested in the digital world, shouldn't digital attendance count?)

A more personal streaming service?

The introductory video on Periscope of course focuses on short videos to entice you to sign up, but

beyond the nice glossy videos, what does it do?

Firstly, it's important to know that it's linked to your Twitter account, so you'll need one before you get started. After that, it's remarkably straight forward.

Periscope is a very easy-to-use app. All you need is a good WiFi connection, and you're good to go. What is particularly appealing about it is its connectivity. You can see who's logging on and you can send messages. I think it would be a very useful addition to a conference that's being live streamed.

Like with any application, the positives of Periscope depends on its popularity. If it's successful, then it's a legitimate option that libraries should use, depending on their user base.