G-SNAP!

My partners and I launched our Nascar project earlier this year, and as a lot of you probably already know from reading my blog entries, I am spending a lot of time on that project.  We have had an extremely successful run so far w/ the website and message boards, but probably the most popular feature that we have launched so far has been our live racing chatroom. 

We initially started out using Cover-it-Live software but it became too intensive to manage on an ongoing basis so we got into contact with a company called G-Snap that offered a similar solution.  We did a little investigating and found out that their solution was a better suit for what we were wanting to do with our live racing chat. 

We got in contact with G-Snap and started using their product this past week during the Bristol race and it was an overwhelming success.  I can’t speak highly enough about the quality of their product, and they even put us in contact with another Nascar fan and master Snapcaster, Andrew, AKA Cooter.  Cooter more or less runs his own show during the races and does an awesome job!  He inputs lead changes, laps, cautions, etc. into the snapcast as well as chatter he picks up on his scanner during the race.

If you are into Nascar, we would love to have you join us this next week to checkout G-Snap in action.  You can click here to visit our Live Raceday Chatroom during the race on Sunday’s…

What is Snapcasting?

Snapcasting is a patent-pending technology created by G-SNAP! to enable a revolutionary, new social networking experience that pairs people and their passions to live events.

In this new experience, G-SNAP! is providing a single location (a Snapcast) where users from all over the world can follow the play-by-play of a live event on their desktops or mobile devices. Fans can also experience a new sense of community as they interact with each other sharing comments or opinions during the Snapcast.

For example, let’s say you are a passionate San Francisco 49ers football fan and this season they’ve made the playoffs. Unfortunately, you are out of town on business but still want to follow the game (a 49er fan can dream, right?). This is where G-SNAP! and our Snapcasting technology comes in. Simply go to gsnap.com on your desktop or mobile device and search for the San Francisco 49ers. Next, select a Snapcast that suits you and, voila, you are now attending a Snapcast with the play-by-play of this critical game. You can even interact with the rest of the community by providing your own witty commentary.

Here’s another example from a different perspective. You and your friends are big fans of Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. Somehow only you magically secured a ticket to Macworld where "Steve" plans on unveiling some kind of micro super computer that solves world peace. Seriously. Well, you can easily create a Snapcast from your mobile phone and bring ”Steve’s” updates to your friends, along with detailed descriptions of the product, audience reaction, or even the smell of a demo gone wrong.

With G-SNAP! and our Snapcasting technology the possibilities of the types of events to cover (or which to attend) are limitless. It will be up to you, the Snapcasting community, to be as creative as you want to be to utilize this revolutionary, new social way to actively participate, or to simply listen in to live events.

Embedding a Snapcast

It’s easy! Simply create the Snapcast as you usually would and select the "Embed" button on the bottom left of the page. From there, just copy and paste the code into your website or blog!

Snapcasting Style Guide

So you’re looking for some style tips. We can’t quite help you walk the red carpet but maybe, just maybe, you can become so good at Snapcasting that you too might walk that carpet someday. Here are some helpful hints as you Snapcast.

Talk to Your Audience

1. Keep your audience in mind. Only cover the things that truly interest them.
2. Try to keep the updates to actual event details. If you’d like to add small commentary, try adding it to the comments section.
3. Utilize the "Snapshot" feature to communicate big events such as a team scoring.

Describe the Feeling

1. 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. These are details that aren’t possible to digest if you’re watching on TV.
2. 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.

Keep a Consistent Pace

1. Possibly the most important tip we can provide is to keep a consistent pace as you Snapcast. Inconsistent updates are a recipe for low audience numbers as they could think you’ve ditched them.
2. If you are covering an event that is fast paced, consider asking someone to assist you. How you ask? During the Snapcast, it’s easy to add another G-SNAP! user as an additional Snapcaster.
3. 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.
4. If you are Snapcasting an event and you are utilizing the clock, try your best to keep it accurate. Also consider adding someone to your Snapcast to help you manage it.

X-casting Increases Engagement

1. The more you x-cast (photos, videos, audio), the more engaged your users will be and the longer they will stick around.
2. Use creative, engaging descriptions when uploading your x-cast. An uploaded photo with a lousy description won’t be clicked on!
3. Before you X-cast, update your G-SNAP! profile with the email address(es) you will be using when sending your xCasting emails.

   Mobile Snapcasting

   1. Keep your updates concise
   2. X-cast often as that will help add more content to your Snapcast
   3. Have a fully charged battery (and maybe a spare!)
   4. If you screen auto-refreshes, you can always put your cursor in the update box. As long as it is in there, your phone will not refresh.
   6. 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.
   7. If your phone has wifi, consider jumping on to a wifi network versus a 3G network as it will save battery life.

G-SNAP!