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I'm a heavy Snapchat user and just sending stuff to a partner doesn't seem to be the main use case nowadays - it's stories (basically a video equivalent of Twit

I'm a heavy Snapchat user and just sending stuff to a partner doesn't seem to be the main use case nowadays - it's stories (basically a video equivalent of Twitter and Instagram mushed together) or throwaway group sending.

argonaut 10y ago
Agreed, but most people won't understand stories until/unless they have a bunch of friends on Snapchat, so it's not the best aspect to start with.
swombat 10y ago
Hey Peter. What's the point of stories? Seems like a more limited version of Twitter - you can post photos and videos on twitter too... and there you have 21k followers. Surely a better place to post stuff if you want to reach an audience?
- az0xff 10y ago
  It's mostly about the user experience of the follower, I think (more than the fact that the stories go away after 24 hours). Snapchat allows a follower to consume all of the stories that they follow in a single stream. You only have to tap quickly to go to the next media item. One can also skip one story and move on to the next with a single swipe. The fact that everything has to be a direct photo or video from a phone also makes every story feel less manufactured and more genuine. For example, I can go to an NBA player's Twitter account and find that personal tweets and messages from their sponsors are completely mixed in a single feed, while their Snapchat feed is all about their day-to-day personal life (which some find much more interesting).
  - skybrian 10y ago
    Interesting. So the key point is that you're encouraged to talk about yourself and not other people or things? It's the opposite of a link blog, which is what I mostly do; I don't consider my own life to be nearly as interesting to the audience (presumed to be mostly people I don't know) as interesting stuff I can find on the Internet.
- the_watcher 10y ago
  More people use Snapchat actively. They also persist, in that they aren't in a stream that requires the follower to currently be in the app to see.
- petercooper 10y ago
  It has a different use. If I'm posting links or stuff, it'll go on Twitter. If it's random insights, it might go on both. If it's real life, usually on Snapchat since a lot of people who follow me on Twitter don't care about my day to day activities, moving house, etc. Snapchat is for a closer, more personally involved audience. I unfollow people on Twitter who constantly post personal crap there but expect and enjoy it on Snapchat.

argonaut 10y ago

Agreed, but most people won't understand stories until/unless they have a bunch of friends on Snapchat, so it's not the best aspect to start with.

swombat 10y ago

Hey Peter. What's the point of stories? Seems like a more limited version of Twitter - you can post photos and videos on twitter too... and there you have 21k followers. Surely a better place to post stuff if you want to reach an audience?

az0xff 10y ago
It's mostly about the user experience of the follower, I think (more than the fact that the stories go away after 24 hours). Snapchat allows a follower to consume all of the stories that they follow in a single stream. You only have to tap quickly to go to the next media item. One can also skip one story and move on to the next with a single swipe. The fact that everything has to be a direct photo or video from a phone also makes every story feel less manufactured and more genuine. For example, I can go to an NBA player's Twitter account and find that personal tweets and messages from their sponsors are completely mixed in a single feed, while their Snapchat feed is all about their day-to-day personal life (which some find much more interesting).
- skybrian 10y ago
  Interesting. So the key point is that you're encouraged to talk about yourself and not other people or things? It's the opposite of a link blog, which is what I mostly do; I don't consider my own life to be nearly as interesting to the audience (presumed to be mostly people I don't know) as interesting stuff I can find on the Internet.
the_watcher 10y ago
More people use Snapchat actively. They also persist, in that they aren't in a stream that requires the follower to currently be in the app to see.
petercooper 10y ago
It has a different use. If I'm posting links or stuff, it'll go on Twitter. If it's random insights, it might go on both. If it's real life, usually on Snapchat since a lot of people who follow me on Twitter don't care about my day to day activities, moving house, etc. Snapchat is for a closer, more personally involved audience. I unfollow people on Twitter who constantly post personal crap there but expect and enjoy it on Snapchat.