Live-streaming Apps Engage Students and Staff
Our communications are both more mobile and more location-based than ever before. The ubiquity of social media applications as platforms for broadcast, connection, and engagement means that student affairs, as a profession, is now more available, transparent, and accessible.
Each year brings a slight twist on social media communications. Desktop connectivity brought enhanced opportunities for engagement, customer service, and support. Mobile apps took us out of the office and offered ample opportunities for storytelling and content creation. Location-based, also known as geo-social and/or location-aware, apps made content sharing more communal while simultaneously creating spaces where anonymity has been both advantageous and problematic.
In what has been called the “right platform and the right time,” mobile live-streaming video with social layers gained prominence in 2015. Periscope and Meerkat joined existing app providers like Ustream and Livestream to not only capture our attention, but our lives, workspaces, events, and campuses via mobile, social live-streamed content.
Live-streaming is not a new thing. Google has allowed users to broadcast Hangouts On Air as live-streams within Google+ and YouTube since 2012. However, as technologies have improved and bandwidth has increased, live-streams via mobile apps that connect with social media juggernauts Facebook and Twitter allow individuals to broaden the ability to connect and engage with a variety of campus audiences.
Periscope has emerged as the frontrunner in the mobile live-streaming app space (although Facebook Live may eventually take the top spot). Selected as one of the “Best of 2015” apps in the Apple App Store, Periscope is currently the go-to app for live-streaming video on mobile. Purchased by Twitter, Periscope connects one of the largest mobile video communities to one of the leading social media sites/apps. Viewers of Periscope live-streams can comment, “like,” and share via Twitter, Facebook, email, and more. Periscope profiles can be embedded into campus Websites or blogs and will display as “on air” whenever a broadcast begins. Additionally, each Periscope profile or account has a dedicated Web address that can be shared for non-mobile viewing.
Colleges and universities have been using Periscope to showcase major campus happenings, including commencements, athletic events, festivals, tours, and press conferences.
While not a replacement for high-definition quality video, Periscope does offer several new capabilities for student affairs practitioners. Career services, orientation programs, first-year experiences, academic advising, student leadership offices, and vice presidents for student affairs (VPSAs) can all use Periscope in myriad ways. It may take a bit of trial and error, which is par for the course for most social media channels, but the space for creative, engaging communications is vast with live-streamed mobile social videos.
For example, Princeton University Art Museum houses a collection that rivals the nation’s largest museums and is one of the finest museums in all of higher education. On a recent tour of the museum, I realized this would be a great opportunity to introduce the museum to my Periscope followers as well as showcase the capabilities of the app. When I pressed “Start Broadcast” on the app, a tweet was simultaneously sent out on Twitter. Within seconds people started tuning in. Eventually, two broadcasts would garner more than 150 viewers. People asked me several questions during the broadcasts as I walked around showing off the museum’s collection. The broadcasts were liked hundreds of times. Because my Periscope and Twitter followers are located all over the world, the museum instantly had a global audience. In hindsight, the “event” probably could have generated many more interaction/views. One of the best aspects of mobile, live-streamed social video is it can take place whenever you want to share something with an audience. It can be planned and orchestrated, or it can be spontaneous.
Live-streaming Builds Engagement
Student affairs divisions could put live-streaming to use in any number of ways to enhance engagement and elevate the student experience.
Career services. A career services advisor could hold weekly sessions to talk about employability, digital presence, and career advice. These sessions could be linked on all career services communications channels, advertised and promoted, and shared via multiple social media sites. Current students would benefit from this thought-leadership, and prospective students would benefit from the serendipitous nature of genuine communications. Periscope can easily be used as a tool for teaching, learning, and campus promotion.
Administration. A VPSA could build a following of students, staff, and faculty and other interested parties through live-streaming. The VPSA could broadcast multiple times per week, giving viewers insight into the division’s daily activities. Questions could be answered, support could be given, and the division could reach a larger audience. Building community and creating opportunities for engagement is all about using the best tools in the best ways. Live-streaming apps like Periscope offer administrators a new layer for connection.
Orientation. An orientation team could highlight multiple orientation events and programs for new students. By sending out the orientation team’s Periscope profile and promoting the channel as the go-to app for real-time orientation information, students and their families from afar could learn what’s happening on campus. .
However, as with most digital media, there are caveats. It is important to note that creating community through live-streaming will require marketing and promotion to inform people that your channel exists. This “push” can be accomplished through Twitter, Facebook, email, Snapchat, and Instagram. It is important to remind students that your account exists.
Additionally, because of the nature of Periscope and some other live-streaming mobile social video, accessibility is an issue. Providing information in alternative formats is crucial so that all students have equal access to information and content.
Live-streaming mobile social video amplifies capabilities to take social content to new levels. Cultivating a spirit of experimentation with new technologies is vital for the success of student affairs divisions and practitioners. Connect Periscope to your communications plan, see what kind of outcomes are generated, and always remember that technology is part of our toolkit for enhancing student success.
Eric Stoller teaches organizations and educators how to use social media for learning and engagement and is an advocate for teaching students about a positive digital presence. With a background in student affairs, academic advising, wellness, and communications, Stoller focuses his energies on educating clients and captivating audiences.
This article was originally published in the NASPA Leadership Exchange.
