Follow me @bethmjones
Recently I found out about Periscope and I am so addicted! I could watch it all day long, and I love scoping!
It is live-streaming video and is an app for your iPhone or Android, and I believe it is a POWERFUL tool to share about your faith in God, your life, and/or your business, especially for speakers, authors, and other entrepreneurs.
I’ve only recorded a few “scopes” as people call them, but I’m diving in head first and running with the vision! (Habakkuk 2:2).
Mark Shaw’s #tagtribes community
I also began following Mark Shaw on Twitter @markshaw and joined his free Facebook #tagtribes group, which is one of the fastest-growing communities online for Periscope and social media.
Mark’s Facebook group includes receiving an awesome weekly video Periscope tip from him, packed with value. action-taking-now content.
Every scope he does is exciting and fun, leaving you as breathless as a wild roller coaster. The full room of viewers has a volcano of colored hearts and comments flying by so fast you can hardly read them.
You see Mark on video, speaking in his British accent and drinking his tea, talking fast, and making jokes that have me just in stitches laughing. He is hysterically funny, but also extremely knowledgeable, giving you massive value. I can’t wait for his next scope!
Mark also likes to surprise his students in the Facebook group by showing up unexpectedly on their scopes. Below is a picture of my face when he showed up on my scope one of the first few days I started scoping!
Inside I was freaking out, thinking, “OMgosh, it’s Mark!” I was really nervous with him there, but tried to just go on. I think he gets TOO much fun out of popping up on everyone’s scopes, haha!
The Facebook group is an online “family,” where you get direct access to Mark, find answers to your questions about Periscope, and get amazing support from the other tribe members, who attend your scopes, giving you colored “hearts” and chatting to encourage you. There is a wealth of knowledge and expertise in this group, and Mark encourages us to partner and collaborate with each other, have JV’s, make friends, etc.
The tribe members find your scope by you including the hashtag #tagtribes in your Periscope title and them searching on Periscope, or they get a notification on their phone from Periscope. We’re all there for each other!
What are the hearts for?
They’re like Facebook’s “like” button. The purpose of the hearts on the scopes are like a “thumbs up,” letting the broadcaster know someone is there, listening, and what he or she is saying resonates with them. Besides, I love hearts and the hearts are cute!
You give the hearts by tapping on your phone. I’ve heard one scoper, Dee Marshall, say, “Tap the screen like a crazy woman!” to get more hearts, lol. (I mention the hearts on my scopes, but I don’t beg for them! I figure people will “heart” me if they like what I’m saying!)
If you watch the scope on the web or your computer, laptop, or iPad, you can’t give hearts. I always love to give lots of hearts when I’m on others’ scopes.
Hearts measure popularity and gurus can reach the Most Popular and Most Loved lists through the number of viewers, replays, and hearts given. However, as one guru said, the hearts don’t pay the bills!
But Periscope is really about engagement in real time, chatting with the viewers. I’m meeting so many cool people, by going on other people’s scopes and scoping myself! I love it!
Scoping is educational, fun, and inspiring – and FREE! (for now!)
You can get an extensive business education on Periscope (including Periscope beginner tips). Last night I attended the First Church of Periscope. After midnight, I watched one female black minister’s scope, who was prophesying straight to my spirit. It was a very encouraging, timely word, just what I needed. It amazes me how God does these things.
Whatever topic you’re interested in, it’s probably there on Periscope. The video is what makes it so powerful and engaging.
Periscope’s strength is through the viewers connecting with the broadcaster in an authentic way in real time. As Mark Shaw points out, this isn’t selfish media, “bugger off” media, or “it’s about me, me, me” media. It’s social media.
He has 5 great social media tips: Be Committed, Be Consistent, Be Interested, Be Interesting and Be Social.
Unlike other social media gurus, Mark Shaw isn’t about himself. He wants to see you SUCCEED in your business and to take advantage of this massive marketing opportunity called Periscope! I personally think any speaker, author or entrepreneur with an online business NOT using Periscope must be crazy!
Yes, Periscope has problems
As Mark points out, yes, sometimes it’s “buggy.” It’s new, it has glitches, but so did Facebook and Twitter when they first started out! I believe that people need to get on board this train NOW!
I believe Periscope is just going to grow and has incredible potential.
This weekend, I’ve been using scopes for the re-launch of my Kindle eBook, Showers of Blessings: Affirmations for Christian Women Entrepreneurs, as well as free downloads of my eBooks, The Cinderella Story: The Power of Shoes, Storm Tossed, and Bahama Mama: When God Uses Ordinary Women In Extraordinary Ways.
The ways you can use it are limitless.
You learn as you go!
No, I still don’t have it figured out yet, but I’m learning everything I can from Mark, our Facebook tribe, and other scopers.
Yesterday morning, I BOMBED my scope. It was awful. I know when I’m under God’s anointing, and when I’m not. NOT!
I don’t know how many were viewing the live scope (including those on the web), but I watched the replay afterward and immediately deleted it…then I went on and recorded a show last night! (You don’t have to delete the replay; you can just go on.)
And guess what?The video from last night’s messed up pixelating (one acquaintance suggested it was because of a poor wi-fi connection), but I was right back at it today, recording a #Mondaymotivation, “Close to what you want” scope. Don’t quit! Keep going!
It’s not going to be perfect.
And I believe that is the beauty of it and why people like it so much. It’s raw, in real time, and it’s authentic. People don’t want perfect,like the model in the picture above (who isn’t real, by the way.)
No one relates to perfect! If you screw up, then that’s okay. You just go on.
You have the option of deleting the replay afterward, like I did. Or you can keep the scope to look back at later to see how far you’ve come!
Periscope only keeps the replay 24 hours. As Mark points out, though, you can use this to your advantage to have 24-hour flash sales.
You can also sign up for Katch.me to save your video replays to the cloud for people to view later.
Reach more
Mark did a study and discovered that 1.5 million broadcasts were done with Periscope and its competitor Meerkat since June 23, 2015! Let that sink in a minute; 1.5 million people from all over the globe who you can potentially reach!
I highly recommend you begin scoping today, and to follow Mark Shaw @markshaw and join his Facebook #tagtribes community. Just dive right in like I did, and have fun! Follow me on Periscope @bethmjones
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