By now you would have heard of my experimentations with Snapchat and I thought I’d share some of how I use this tool to publicise my work as a visual ‘work out loud’ diary.

If you haven’t read my previous posts on this platform, feel free to check out these posts Reflections of Snapchat Through Facebook Mutterings, People Who Show and Share their Work on Snapchat and Am I Ready for Snapchat?

Over the last 18 months I’ve been experimenting with video. I’m seeing a strong and increasing trend of the use of video and in particularly, live streaming and thought that it was best for me to start getting the hang of this medium.  After all, as someone who is afraid of public speaking and with a preference for the written word, I thought that by jumping in feet first to experiment with video was the way I needed to overcome this fear.

However, creating vlogs like the ones on my YouTube channel were taking a long time to shoot and edit.  Tom Spiglanin recently did a great video on Vlogging showing the amount of background work that goes into creating a story timeline and capturing video.

For example, the videos I was creating that were approximately 6-8 minutes duration took me about three hours to edit in iMovie.  There was pulling the footage into iMovie, choosing shots, finding music.  (However the editing process was a joy for me because it was creative – you could create different short movies by choosing different angles, music and change the mood entirely).

Of course, I didn’t need to spend so much time on this. I could easily have shot video with me talking straight into the camera in true vlogging style however one thing was missing for me here – I wanted a STORY.  I wanted the reader and the viewer to come along on a JOURNEY with me. I wanted people to see and experience it for themselves.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t have three hours to spare every day to create a short film.

Also, there was the added fear that some random off the street run away with my iPhone, tripod and equipment.  You had to be aware where your equipment was at every single moment and totally aware of your surroundings.

When I was out and about filming with my iPhone (all my filming is done with my iPhone 6), my thoughts was always about the shot, who’s in it, what’s in the background, where I’ll set it up, why that dodgy looking guy was looking at my bag that I set down. In a way, it was a bit exhausting for me to film alone and consider all factors around me just to get the perfect shot.  In that way, I see that filmmaking is very much a team effort – doing it alone requires planning, dedication, focus, self and environment awareness – and most of all, time!

Enter Snapchat.

Snapchat now gives me the freedom to snap audio, photo and videos to create that story and then put it into a chronological timeline.  I can take a snap while I’m working, show a piece of my work, talk about it and then share it immediately.  This means that you take a ‘snapshot’ of your work and thoughts at any time of the day.  You can then add any additional audio, video, filters or annotations to vary the tone or emotion of your snap and share it to your timeline. Every snap is saved in a chronological order and by the end of the day, you have a visual record or diary of your whole day!

Every morning, I download the entire snap story of the previous day and I have a record of what I was working on which I upload to YouTube or refer when I need to revisit some concepts.

Here are some examples in the recent days.

On 3 August where I talk about how I’m exploring potential new client markets and talking about how to tap into them… (6:05)

Here’s one where I talk about my experiments and applications of Snapchat in personal learning and networking.  I also talk about how important social media is as well as the implications of live streaming. (4:27)

Here’s one where I explain informal learning and take my viewers on my journey to receive the Jay Cross Memorial Award. (4:54)

Snaps don’t always have to be serious and boring. Here’s one that I did on 3 August as a challenge by Aaron Adel (@Bizaaron) who asked us to insert the music of Keith Mansfield into our snaps. There was a group of people around the world who took this challenge on and the snaps were amusingly creative and got us talking! Here’s my entry…(3:48)

So as you can see, I’m using Snapchat to capture my day and what I’m working on.  Of course, it is also a great networking tool and already, I have met some wonderful people whom I would have otherwise not met on Twitter and other social media in completely different fields and professions and can definitely see the potential of this tool.

As always, interested in your thoughts! Share your Snapchat stories!