Reddit has made RPAN (Reddit Public Access Network) available for the world to use. The test runs on R/PAN, letting users share the other side of the screen. This is Reddit’s first taste of live video, and, as such, RPAN is a limited-time experiment, set to run from 9 am to 5 pm through the end of this week.
What Is RPAN?
So, the Reddit Public Access Network (RPAN) is like any other live video broadcast system, which lets users share/broadcast their day, as in activities they’re involved in, much like the Stories feature on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat (of course). However, unlike any other services, the RPAN is not its own app, but it exists inside the Reddit app and webpage.
However, to share live video with the world, the RPAN system requires that users have the official Reddit app. Yes, Reddit officials want the world to use its (official) app rather than visiting the site or any other 3rd-party apps or a mobile web browser. This is could be a hassle for anyone who has used Reddit on their mobile or web browser without an app.
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What Is The Need To RPAN?
In 2019, it is really hard without live video. Looking closely, Google has YouTube Live, Amazon has Twitch, Twitter has Periscope. At the Facebook Live introduction, Mark Zuckerberg described live streaming as “having a TV camera in your pocket,” an idea that seduced both users and advertisers.
However, how exactly Reddit will bring in live video is a question mark. That’s why the team decided to start with something temporary, using the team’s best guess for what might work and offering a lot of leeway to course-correct if things go wrong.
How To Live Stream On Reddit Using RPAN?
As of writing, Reddit does not allow users to broadcast a live video feed to RPAN without the official Reddit app. Once the user in the latest version of the Reddit app, they will find the R/PAN network, and as they start watching a video, they will also find a “BROADCAST” button to live stream.
Alex Le, Reddit’s VP of product, said to the Wired that, the network is tightly curated, with no more than 100 concurrent streams that run for no longer than 30 minutes each. Redditors will be able to upvote and downvote streams and participate in live chats during the broadcasts.
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Anyone can start a broadcast, which will use the rear-facing camera by default, an incentive for Redditors to show the moments they’re in rather than going straight into selfie mode (even though the selfie camera is available, too).
Our suggestion is that, before you go and try, just make sure that you have got something to share with the community and also go through the Reddit broadcasting content policy, which is officially now.
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