Back in the mid to late 2000s, Twitter was theplatform for real-time social media content. This week, as LinkedIn becomes the latest social media platform to add technology to allow users to share more live content, that battle for control in the real-time information space gains another strong competitor. And to say the landscape in the live content space has significantly changed since then would be an understatement. We examine some of the latest, greatest and not-so-greatest usages of live social media content in this edition of Weekly Reads.
TechCrunch: LinkedIn debuts LinkedIn Live, a new live video broadcast service
LinkedIn says that video is the fastest-growing format on its platform, trumping original written work, shared news and other content. Now it’s taking its next step in the medium in earnest. This week, the company is launching live video, giving people and organizations the ability to broadcast real-time video to select groups, or to the LinkedIn world at large. Launching in beta first in the U.S., LinkedIn Live will be invite-only. In coming weeks, LinkedIn will also post a contact form for others who want to get in on the action.
The Verge: Twitter now lets you invite guests into Periscope live streams
Earlier this month, Twitter added a new feature to its Periscope live-streaming app that it says users have been asking about for years: the ability to invite guests onto a live recording. The new feature is designed to let streamers bring in audience members, while the Periscope app will then broadcast audio from that person to everyone else in the stream. Twitter says you’ll be able to include up to three guests in addition to the host on a live stream. If any one guest drops off, new ones can then be added.
CNET: Twitter struggles to function in its original form as live platform at CEO’s expense
For more than 90 minutes this week, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey participated in an interview through tweets with Recode. These sorts of “Tweet Chats,” as they were once dubbed, helped the platform rise to prominence. But it turns out the format isn’t quite feasible these days. With users chiming in seemingly every second, Walt Mossberg, a veteran tech journalist, called the hard-to-follow #Karajack interview “a living example of how Twitter is a chaotic hellpit.”
Refinery29: The best moments from the Grammys happened offscreen
A fair amount of people had a lot of criticism for the Grammys this year. But if you ditched your TV to browse social platforms during music’s biggest award show, Refinery29 thinks you would have been much more entertained. The women’s entertainment publisher breaks down some of the most creative ways live social media content was used by artists to make an impact during the show, with a special focus on the Instagram account of Ariana Grande, who wasn’t even at the Grammys.
Lights, Camera, Live: How to use Facebook Premiere: The Ultimate Guide
Facebook Premiere is now a couple months old, but users and brands are still trying to wrap their heads around this new functionality. The new functionality is basically Facebook Live, but with prerecorded video. The video training company Lights, Camera, Live offers a pretty good rundown of how to use Facebook Premiere differently than you use Facebook Live.
Project Highlight
Facebook Live: CO4Kids Takes on Child Trafficking
We have worked with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) on the CO4Kids campaign to promote the state’s child abuse and neglect hotline for the better part of the last five years, and we began adding live video to the campaign last year. Our latest Facebook Live broadcast on child trafficking and how Coloradans can prevent it, which included interviews with survivors, a breakdown of stereotypes and discussion on the recently released “Surviving R Kelly” documentary, was one of our most-viewed broadcasts from this campaign to date.
