Meerkat: the live streaming app, not the furry rodent
If you haven’t heard of Meerkat already, that’s a problem. It’s the fastest growing social media outlet. What does it do? Allows the user to livestream right from their phone, while chatting with other viewers at the bottom of the screen.
Meerkat, as of right now, is an iPhone only app. Once you download the app, it asks you for your Twitter username and password, and then you’re in.
Once a livestream is started, a tweet automatically goes out on the user’s account saying “LIVE NOW, title of event, #meerkat, link to the livestream.”
After it’s release in early March, Meerkat gained popularity at the annual South by Southwest Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Attendees would “meerkat” their experiences- the concerts, celebrity panels, cab rides, and restaurant scenes.
But while everyone in Austin seemed to be using it, Twitter was not thrilled.
It isn’t uncommon for other apps to post to Twitter automatically. What makes this situation unique is that Twitter just bought Periscope, a livestreaming app. During SXSW, Twitter cut off Meerkat’s access to their social graph, which means that there would be no more automatic updates. This cut off made Meerkat even more of a hit at SXSW. When attendees heard that Twitter was upset, they became even more interested - if they weren’t already. Twitter didn’t want Meerkat to become even more popular so they reconnected Meerkat to their social graph. Meerkat has addressed this feud by stating that they are working on a way to disconnect from Twitter for logging in.
So what does this an app like this mean for PR?
Businesses, companies, and firms now have capabilities to give an inside view to their daily practices or fun events.
Journalists can now livestream press conferences, local events, and breaking news- like the building fire in NYC on March 26. I was able to watch a livestream of smoke billowing over Manhattan with over 400 other people.
Thought leaders can have livestreams about a hot topic or something important to them or an industry.
The capabilities are vast for livestreaming. It is a new market with virtually endless possibilities. The coming weeks will show if Meerkat and Twitter’s Periscope competition heats up and if that hurts or helps the applications.
How would you use Meerkat? Do you think either/both apps have the longevity of Facebook, Twitter, etc.?
Lauren Campbell, Firm Editor | Lauren is a junior at GVSU and serving her first year for GrandPR. Along with majoring an Advertising and Public Relations, she also is the Social Media Manager for the Office of Student Life and has started freelancing for website design. When she isn’t on social media, Lauren is usually working on her personal blog, crafting, or planning for the future. Working for a PR firm is her first career goal, but being a consultant for small business is the ultimate dream job. Her top five strengths, according to the Clifton StrengthsFinder, are Futuristic, Input, Individualization, Developer, and Focus.