Snapchat: What is it and why is the ABC using it to deliver news?
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Snapchat is a popular social messaging app which allows users to share pictures, videos, chat and drawings.
While it started life as an ephemeral messaging service used largely by teens, it has morphed into a major social media player.
Why is the ABC on Snapchat?
Snapchat is an opportunity for the ABC to experiment with delivery of news on a widely used social media platform to reach a significant new audience in Australia.
Snapchat doesn't give out official local figures, but the Australian user base is estimated to be three-million-plus users — that's bigger than Twitter or Instagram.
Globally, there are an estimated 150 million daily active users and over 10 billion video views on the platform every day.
Eighty per cent of Snapchat users are aged under 35 and the platform is growing in popularity amongst older users.
The ABC is not alone in experimenting with reporting on Snapchat.
Major news organisations including CBS News, Washington Post, New York Times, Al Jazeera English and the BBC have all been reporting on the platform for some time.
In the United States, reporting on Snapchat has been an integral part of the US election campaign.
Most of the presidential candidates have profiles on the platform and in 2015, Snapchat claimed almost twice as many 18- to 24-year-olds watched the first Republican Party debate in Cleveland via a Snapchat live story than on TV.
Australian politicians are also catching on to the platform — even Malcolm Turnbull has a new Snapchat account, joining the likes of Ed Husic and Julie Bishop on the platform.
What are ABC reporters producing on Snapchat?
Snapchat stories combine short video (up to 10 seconds) and stills, incorporating text, filters and other features. To build a story, reporters add their "snaps" (videos or stills) to their story.
Snaps expire after 24 hours, so any story only contains the snaps taken in the previous 24 hours.
Our Snapchat-assigned reporters aim to take viewers behind the scenes of the campaign trail, capture unrehearsed moments, cover policy issues and offer insight into how news is crafted at the ABC … and get beyond the press pack by joining Bill Shorten on his morning run.
How do I sign up to ABC News on Snapchat?
Snapchat is a mobile-only social media platform. Simply visit Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS) to get the app and create an account.
Click on the yellow ghost icon and "add friends" then "add by username" and type abcnewsau.
You'll be notified when our reporters upload snaps.
You can also add fellow Snapchat users by their "Snapcode" - a unique identifier. To add a user by Snapcode, simply open the app and photograph the code. The app will automatically add that user.
What are the other sections on Snapchat?
When you click on the three dots at the bottom right of your screen, you'll find Snapchat is organised into two (sometimes three) sections:
At the top is the magazine-style Snapchat Discover section, where select media brands feature several stories each day. The ABC does not have a Discover profile.
Occasionally, underneath that, you will see Snapchat "Live Stories" — snaps curated by Snapchat around a particular "geofenced" event, such as a US Primary or Coachella.
Finally, at the bottom of those will be the individual accounts you choose to follow — such as abcnewsau. Every time an account you follow adds a snap, you'll be notified.
Where can I find out more about how to use Snapchat?
Try this handy online guide or go straight to Snapchat support.
Topics: social-media, internet-culture, information-and-communication, australia
