It's a wide, wide world

"Up periscope." Something a submarine commander might say when they want to take a look outside their cocoon and see what is happening in the world around them. 

This is a fitting name, then for Twitter's live streaming app, Periscope. Through its use, one can really see the world around them. At least whatever Twitter users, worldwide, are willing to show. 

And there are many of them. First launched as an iOS app, Periscope eventually came to Android as well. And people got out there- or stayed in- showing all things, from mundane to spectacular. 

In Paris, there is Claire she takes her bikes rides through the circles of Paris, narrating as she goes. She takes viewers to see many of the wonders of Paris- as does Euro Maestro1 answering viewer questions along the way. Viewers see whatever Claire points her iPhone camera at, and hears her narration, while texting in their questions and comments. 

In California here in the United States, there is Kate Sullivan, aka Kitten Grenade up in San Franscisco and Amanda Oleander in Los Angeles. Amanda is a talented painter who spends many late nights demonstrating her painting technique, putting out positive vibes and even takes viewers on journeys through Los Angeles. 

Kate, while not yet at the same viewership or most loved status as Amanda, provides her viewers with entertainment through Late Night Ukelele, where she encourages the viewers to type in outrageous comments which she sings, without missing a beat. Kate also has a cadre of friends in the San Francisco area, and through intersecting periscoping, provide a rollicking good time. Among them are Jennifer, Hannah, Mandy and Tristen. It could almost be considered a 2015 version of Real World San Francisco, except that it is actually real world, real time events. Kate and friends even periscoped portions of her May 2015 wedding and reception. 

Also in Los Angels is Kelly Elise May. She is a frequent periscoper and can be seen doing anything from helping a friend, Annie, create a weekly YouTube, to zany bits that involve a lot of viewer commentary. Her casts often turn out as not to be missed. 

One thing periscope provides that is not provided in a YouTube show, or traditional broadcast media or movies is that it is live, it is raw and it is real. In the early days of periscope, there was a running theme- show your fridge. Although seemingly a thing of the past, there is something about that as an exercise- to see the contents of ice boxes across the globe. 

Periscope forbids nudity in its terms of service. It cannot catch all nudity, but it does lock offending user accounts when it is caught. This is th Internet, and it comes with all the pitfalls of the anonymity he Internet provides. "Trolls" come into casts and say things like "show boobs," or some non-native English speakers will say "open boobs." periscope has provided a tool to block these trolls, simply by tapping the comment and clicking block. This ejects user from broadcast and prevents them from returning to the broadcaster's feed in the future. 

Periscope also has community standards in addition to the terms of service. It provides a report broadcast button on the title page, allowing viewers to report offensive material.