One of the biggest buzz apps right now, thanks to SxSW, has been Meerkat. At first, I thought we were talking about the meerkat animal, but what we are looking at is the app that has been captivating marketers, PR professionals, brands, and speakers alike.
What is great about Meerkat is the fact that it is a live streaming app allowing users to share their story through video, but integrated through Twitter.
Already, there have been many blogs talking about not only what Meerkat is and what is currently going on with the platform on Twitter, but there are others exploring the possibility of utilizing this for brands, like this post from SocialFresh.
For professors, what are some ways we could potentially experiment and use Meerkat in and outside of our classes? Here are just a few things to consider here and with all of these – you have to consider if everyone is okay with this, get permission, and consider both sides of the coin when we are looking at these new apps.
- Live video lectures: I have been playing around with the idea of actually having a Meerkat lecture for my social media class as a way to share with others what we are doing in class, but also provide a window into the experience of #Freberg15.
- Class Presentations: Showcasing what the students have been working on as part of their projects and even discussions related to class topics. This way, you are not only sharing the overall learning objectives from class, but also provide a window into future social media professionals.
- Fundraising and student organizations: What better way to integrate two different social media platforms and share what it is really like at universities through live streaming video? Professors, who are advisors for student run organizations, could use this as a potential recruiting tool to share with other students what it is like to be part of these great events, workshops, fundraising events, etc.
- Study abroad: Having a live streaming video showcasing what students are doing in terms of their classes and internships = golden opportunity. You can schedule a time and location for when you want to broadcast these events across your platforms. Plus, you will be able to determine who will be watching and connect them and see what they thought about these sessions online.
- Research conferences: There have been many times where I have had fellow professors and students ask me if my session has been recorded at a conference. Sometimes they are, but sometimes they are not. However, what if you were able to share your presentation through Meerkat to your followers? You would be able to engage with them in real-time as well as see who is watching your presentation. Pretty cool if I say so myself!
Overall, there are some great opportunities here we have to explore with this app, but we also have to consider some of the challenges here. The issue of privacy is a big one, especially if you are at a conference and you do not want to be video taped, so you have to take this into consideration and make sure to ask permission to do so.
Second, you have to consider the potential possibility here for crisis communications here as well. Press conferences, on the ground updates for video, and the issue of credible and reliable communication and integration here with Twitter has to be considered here as well. Twitter is considered to be one of the premier newsbreaking social media platforms here, so what does this do for crisis communicators? Lots to explore here.
We are still in the early stages when it comes to exploring the full potential of Meerhat, but the first step is to come together and have the conversation so we can brainstorm and address these questions.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
