Last week Periscope introduced a new human-curated channel named ‘Editors’ Picks’. The stream, which suggests popular past broadcasts, could prove useful for new and casual users who are still finding their feet on the network.
‘Editors’ Picks’ are available to all users under the ‘Broadcasts’ tab on the search page. Originally taking pride of place, the stream has since slipped further down the ‘Suggested’ list, with popular hashtags and featured channels overtaking them. Regardless, new users should make use of the stream as it shows a broad cross-section of the wide variety of types of content across the network – each to a standard worthy of curation.
We’re excited to announce our Editors’ Picks channel! Browse for unique moments on #Periscope you may have missed. pic.twitter.com/1g1tXdCX9x
— Periscope TV (@periscopetv) July 14, 2016
With this addition Periscope have attempted to help new users to ‘browse for unique moments you may have missed’. Certainly an admirable challenge – and one that was in dire need of tackling, as the network now has a daily active user base exceeding 2 million. At this size, content discovery represents something of a challenge for users.
A high-five from us
The direction Periscope have taken with ‘Editors’ Picks’ gets a double thumbs-up from us at Giraffe; nothing quite beats human curation when it comes to share-worthy content. As the usability of functions on larger networks grows, discoverability and developments in search need to be big business for infant networks who are serious about getting competitive. Especially because content is the lifeblood of social media.
The new stream is likely to have something to do with Periscope’s recent acquisition of Evan Hansen, previously of the content team over at Medium. In May, Hansen made the move to be Editor-in-Chief of Twitter’s Live-streaming brainchild, with part of his focus on helping discover and curate the best streams for Periscope users. ‘Editors’ Picks’, alongside other recent featured channels, are certainly evidence of this in action.
