What Are The Icons On Your Periscope Screen And What Do They Mean?

So, now you’ve decided to embrace Periscope as your chosen live streaming platform, and you’ve hit the Initialize Stream button for the first time. You are already nervous, and continue to second-guess if it’s really a good idea. Suddenly, you see a screen with four options before you hit the “Start Broadcast” button (hint: It’s red).

You panic again. No need to though. I got your back.

Here is how that screen looks. It’s a nice view of my beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We are going to discuss how to use each option.

Location Services

When you turn this icon on, you will be sharing your location. This means it will appear on the map, and people will discover your broadcast based on where you are. Here is a screenshot of the map of Puerto Rico and the number of broadcasts there right now:

You want to try your first Periscope broadcast… you have no idea how… read this!

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Private Broadcast

When you click on this option, you will make your broadcast private, meaning it won’t appear on the Global section. Once you press the lock button, you will be directed to your contact list, where you will choose who you want to share the broadcast with.

Who Can Comment

Turn this option on if you want to allow any user on your broadcast to comment. Turn it off if you only want to allow those you know to make comments. I recommend it because it’s an opportunity for your audience to ask questions and interact with you and with others.

Publish To Twitter

If you signed up for Periscope using your Twitter and you keep the option on this button on, a tweet with the broadcast will be sent right to your Twitter feed. Remember, it’s not only the link people will see on Twitter, but the actual broadcast without having to abandon the platform.