Haven't gotten your brand on Snapchat? The time could be right, given recent changes to the service. All you need to know on getting started.
Before diving in, it’s been well discussed that Snapchat’s user interface can be confusing to newcomers, especially older people — with “older” being like 25 or over.
After spending time with my own teenagers, I don’t think it’s that only young people “get” Snapchat. I think that it’s young people teach each other how to navigate the app when they see each other in person. My kids learned Snapchat from their friends. In turn, they pass on tips to others.
The Snapchat app has a “social UI,” if you will, one that encourages people to be social with others in real life in order to be social virtually within the app. Whether this is by accident (likely) or intentional, I don’t know. But that’s why I think oldsters like me or anyone without friends they see in person who regularly use Snapchat struggle.
Once you get that it’s not you — that Snapchat isn’t easily figured out without a little help — you may feel a bit better. I sure did.
Signing up is straightforward. You’ll need to provide your name, a birthdate and an email address or phone number. If you’re making an account for your company or brand, you’ll have to fake a birthdate. Make it so your company is aged 18 or over, so you don’t wind up classified as a child.
There’s no explicit support for business accounts. That means as a brand, you have no real protection if one person in charge of your account goes rogue. So, make sure you trust your people.
Unlike most social networks, there’s no significant profile to establish. You won’t have a bio. You won’t get a URL to your site. You can have a custom picture, but you can’t upload an image to use. You’ll have to take it live, as explained further below. Some lucky Snapchat accounts can be verified, but there’s no formal procedure for this.
You’ll also have to create a unique username, up to 15 characters long. This is different from your regular name. Pick carefully, because you can’t change your username. You can change the regular name that’s associated with it, however.
By default, your Snapcode will be empty. If you want to add your photo, tap on the ghost. A new screen will appear with the ghost image enlarged, and you can put your face within it. Tap on the camera button below the ghost to take your picture. A series of pictures will be taken, to create an animated profile picture. If you don’t like it, tap the camera button again to take another. When you’re happy, tap on the < icon to the left of the camera circle to save and return to the profile screen.
In some places, Snapchat will use a Bitmoji image rather than your ghost, if you’ve created one. To do that, select the “Create Bitmoji” icon at the top left of the profile screen. This is optional, and even if you do it, your Bitmoji image will not replace any custom image within your Snapcode.
As mentioned above, you’ll have a unique username. In my case, it’s “sullivandanny.” But you also have a regular name to make it easier for others to find and identify you. If you don’t have one or want to change it, tap on the gear icon at the top right of your profile screen. Then select the first option, “Name,” where you can set a first and last name. Use the < icon in the top left to get back to your profile screen when finished.
From there, you can tap on “Added Me” to see who has added you (and you can add them back, if you want). You don’t have to add people. By swiping across to the left on their names, you can select “Ignore” if you don’t want to see them listed any longer on your Added Me list. You can also block anyone this way, too.
Unlike other social media networks, there’s no way to see all the people who have added you. The Added Me list will only show the last 200 or so people. You won’t get an overall count nor a complete list. Nor is your Snapchat “score” — that number below your username — a count of followers. That’s simply a mystery figure that Snapchat calculates based on the number of snaps you’ve sent, received, stories posted and other factors.
The core part of Snapchat is making Snaps: pictures and videos that you’ll share with followers.
Picture- and video-taking is pretty easy. From the home screen shown earlier, tap on the big circle camera button at the bottom to take a picture. Tap and hold if you want to record a video. If you need flash, use the flash icon in the top right of the home screen. If you want to use the front-facing camera for a selfie, use the camera switch icon in the top right. If you don’t like the picture you’ve just taken, tap the X in the top left corner to start over.
After you’ve taken a picture or video, you can add effects to it. It’s not required, but it can be fun and informative. We’ll go through each of the effect options, but here’s an overview of key tools and options that appear after you’ve created your content.
Before diving in, it’s been well discussed that Snapchat’s user interface can be confusing to newcomers, especially older people — with “older” being like 25 or over.
After spending time with my own teenagers, I don’t think it’s that only young people “get” Snapchat. I think that it’s young people teach each other how to navigate the app when they see each other in person. My kids learned Snapchat from their friends. In turn, they pass on tips to others.
The Snapchat app has a “social UI,” if you will, one that encourages people to be social with others in real life in order to be social virtually within the app. Whether this is by accident (likely) or intentional, I don’t know. But that’s why I think oldsters like me or anyone without friends they see in person who regularly use Snapchat struggle.
Once you get that it’s not you — that Snapchat isn’t easily figured out without a little help — you may feel a bit better. I sure did.
Signing up is straightforward. You’ll need to provide your name, a birthdate and an email address or phone number. If you’re making an account for your company or brand, you’ll have to fake a birthdate. Make it so your company is aged 18 or over, so you don’t wind up classified as a child.
There’s no explicit support for business accounts. That means as a brand, you have no real protection if one person in charge of your account goes rogue. So, make sure you trust your people.
Unlike most social networks, there’s no significant profile to establish. You won’t have a bio. You won’t get a URL to your site. You can have a custom picture, but you can’t upload an image to use. You’ll have to take it live, as explained further below. Some lucky Snapchat accounts can be verified, but there’s no formal procedure for this.
You’ll also have to create a unique username, up to 15 characters long. This is different from your regular name. Pick carefully, because you can’t change your username. You can change the regular name that’s associated with it, however.
By default, your Snapcode will be empty. If you want to add your photo, tap on the ghost. A new screen will appear with the ghost image enlarged, and you can put your face within it. Tap on the camera button below the ghost to take your picture. A series of pictures will be taken, to create an animated profile picture. If you don’t like it, tap the camera button again to take another. When you’re happy, tap on the < icon to the left of the camera circle to save and return to the profile screen.
In some places, Snapchat will use a Bitmoji image rather than your ghost, if you’ve created one. To do that, select the “Create Bitmoji” icon at the top left of the profile screen. This is optional, and even if you do it, your Bitmoji image will not replace any custom image within your Snapcode.
As mentioned above, you’ll have a unique username. In my case, it’s “sullivandanny.” But you also have a regular name to make it easier for others to find and identify you. If you don’t have one or want to change it, tap on the gear icon at the top right of your profile screen. Then select the first option, “Name,” where you can set a first and last name. Use the < icon in the top left to get back to your profile screen when finished.
From there, you can tap on “Added Me” to see who has added you (and you can add them back, if you want). You don’t have to add people. By swiping across to the left on their names, you can select “Ignore” if you don’t want to see them listed any longer on your Added Me list. You can also block anyone this way, too.
Unlike other social media networks, there’s no way to see all the people who have added you. The Added Me list will only show the last 200 or so people. You won’t get an overall count nor a complete list. Nor is your Snapchat “score” — that number below your username — a count of followers. That’s simply a mystery figure that Snapchat calculates based on the number of snaps you’ve sent, received, stories posted and other factors.
The core part of Snapchat is making Snaps: pictures and videos that you’ll share with followers.
Picture- and video-taking is pretty easy. From the home screen shown earlier, tap on the big circle camera button at the bottom to take a picture. Tap and hold if you want to record a video. If you need flash, use the flash icon in the top right of the home screen. If you want to use the front-facing camera for a selfie, use the camera switch icon in the top right. If you don’t like the picture you’ve just taken, tap the X in the top left corner to start over.
After you’ve taken a picture or video, you can add effects to it. It’s not required, but it can be fun and informative. We’ll go through each of the effect options, but here’s an overview of key tools and options that appear after you’ve created your content.
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Nothing beside remains. 1 year agoew snapchat