A Real-Time Publishing Platform

Snapcasts are great for all sorts of events such as sporting events, conferences, corporate communications, sales training, concerts, and more. There's really no limit to what can be Snapcasted but we'd have to say it's best suited for live events.

For example, let's say you and your friends are big fans of Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. Somehow only you secured a ticket to Macworld where Steve plans on unveiling some kind of micro super computer that solves world peace. With G-Snap!, you can easily create a Snapcast from your mobile phone while at the conference and bring Steve's magical updates to your friends along with pictures of the product or audience, video snippets, and much more. While you’re doing all this, you’re friends can comment on what they're reading to you or to others in the Snapcast. Essentially, there's a real-time community interacting with your live stream of comments and rich media about Steve’s presentation.

From our perspective, viewer comments are what drive viewer engagement - which is why you are more than likely using G-Snap!. With that said, it is possible to not allow/approve viewer comments but more than anything, what you choose to allow is completely up to you and your editorial style. If you have any concers, start small then work your way up by learning how to use our moderations tools. Once you've done that, we think engaging with your viewers will not only bring them satisfaction but you as well.

It's easy to Snapcast from gsnap.com but did you know that you can also Snapcast from your website? Snapcasting from your website is the best way to keep your viewers engaged on your website for long periods of time with easy, quick access to your regular website content. To add a Snapcast to your website, you need to create a Snapcast on gsnap.com and simply copy the embed code from your Snapcast and paste it into your website. It's that easy

1. Talk to Your Audience

• Keep your audience in mind. Only cover the things that truly interest them.
• Try to keep your comments to actual event details but don't be afraid with interacting with the community. It's up to you to judge how you'd like to strike the balance.
• Utilize the "Snapshot" feature to communicate big events such as a team scoring or letting viewers know the conference is going to start in 5 minutes. Think of the Snapshot as something similar to your Facebook status update.

2. Describe the Feeling

• Give your audience insight into the sights and smells of your Snapcast. For example, let them know the audience is unusually energetic or how the smell of cotton candy is permeating the air.
• It's always fun to let the audience know about the one visiting team fan sitting in the home team section trash talking as he's being escorted out.
• Bottom line, provide the details that aren't possible to digest if you're watching on TV or simply not able to attend.

3. Keep a Consistent Pace

• Possibly the most important tip we can give you is to keep a consistent pace. Inconsistent updates are a recipe for low audience numbers as they could think you've ditched them.
• If you are covering an event that is fast paced, consider asking someone to assist you. See below.
• Let the audience know if there is a break in the action (timeouts, in between quarters, halves, or periods, injuries on the field, problems with a demo, etc.). If it's you taking a break, let the audience know how long you will be gone for.
• If you are Snapcasting an event and you are utilizing the scoreboard or gameclock, try your best to keep it accurate. Also consider adding someone to your Snapcast to help you manage it.

4. Adding Media Increases Engagement

• As the Snapcaster the more photos, videos, audio, etc you add the more engaged your viewers will be - and the longer they will stick around!
• Use creative, engaging descriptions when uploading your media. An uploaded photo with a lousy description won't be clicked on!
• Add a YouTube video directly by copying and pasting the YouTube URL as a comment.

With G-Snap!, it’s easy to ask someone you trust to assist you with the Snapcast. In order to give them the appropriate recognition and power, simply click on “Additional Settings” in the Snapcast Settings module and add their G-Snap! username so they can become a Snapcaster. Some jobs a second Snapcaster can help with include managing the comments or perhaps assisting with the scoreboard (for a sports Snapcast). Either way, having multiple Snapcasters is a great way to share the load.

Do you have an event that lasts multiple days? Are you worried about falling asleep because you’re afraid of what people are saying in your Snapcast while you’re not there? Don’t fret, we’ve thought of you! Simply put your Snapcast into Standby mode and your viewers will not be able to comment - but they will be able to read. The next day, just set your Snapcast back to Live and you’re reading to go! See? Now you can fall asleep comfortably counting your sheep, number of viewers, or whatever.

One of the things we think you’ll notice quickly is the need to hide a comment from the public view. You might also choose to restrict users from commenting without your explicit approval. At times, you might even need to ban someone from your Snapcast because of their attitude, mouth, or who knows what else. With G-Snap!, these actions have solutions designed just for you. We are constantly thinking about how to make Snapcasting more manageable and a more enjoyable experience. Here are a few tips:

Tip #1: How to hide a comment

As a Snapcaster, you have a different view of the Snapcast. We call this the “Admin View”. In the admin view, as comments come streaming in, you’ll notice a little icon with a minus sign next to the top right of every comment. This is your hide button that does exactly what you think – it hides a comment from the “Public View”.

Tip #2: Viewer comments require approval

Let’s say you are Snapcasting a Keynote speech for your CEO and you decide to show the Snapcast conversation on the big screen. In order to maintain a certain level of quality, you don’t want your viewers to be able to comment without you first seeing and approving/declining each comment. In this scenario, you can set “Viewer Comments” to “require approval” (this option is presented to you when you create your Snapcast or in the Snapcast settings module). Once this is set, you can click on the plus icon next to each viewer comment as they come in to make it visible to your viewers.

Tip #3: OK, I’ve got a trouble maker on my hands…now what?

Easy, ban them. To ban, simply click on “Additional Settings” in the Snapcast Settings module, select moderation, and then give that viewer the boot. Simply type in their name and select the “ban” radio button. You’ll also notice that you can “trust” a user. This is useful when you have viewer comments set to “require approval” yet there’s someone you trust and want their comments to be auto-approved.

• Make sure you have the right plan from your mobile carrier. The right plan will avoid sticker shock when you get your next bill. By the way, this point is covered in the G-Snap! Terms of Use in case you didn't read it.
• Have a fully charged battery (and maybe a spare!). Also, if your phone has wifi, consider jumping on to a wifi network versus a 3G network as it will save battery life.
• It’s best to keep your updates concise and coming in at a regular pace
• Add multimedia from you mobile often as that will help add more content to your Snapcast
• Last but not least, most of our features that you have come to rely on in the Web/desktop version is also available to you on mobile (including moderation!).