Yesterday, DC made its Snapchat debut with it’s very own Washington DC live story event. What does that mean? Snapchat uses geofencing so that users in the District can take photos and videos within the app and choose to upload them to the Washington DC “story” which is visible to the entire DC Snapchat world for 24 hours. Since the culmination of these story events in late 2013, there have been stories in over 50 other cities and hundreds of events including, the World Cup Brazil, Mardi Gras, and Life in Dubai. Even politicians are using it. Stories have rapidly become Snapchat’s most popular feature so it’s no surprise that hundreds thousands of local users submit content to the story in admirable optimism that their snap will be chosen.
How does this golden content get selected? An inside source tells us that an elite group of highly privileged hands (we’re guessing who also double as members of the Illuminati) sort through all of the submitted content and choose the best material to be featured on the story.
Still don’t get it? Se
e our idiot’s guide and follow us on Snapchat @TheFamousDC. Or just open the app and point your camera at the ghost on the right. It will add you automatically.
The DC story isn’t going anywhere. As long as you’re in the area, it will stay on your feed from now until forever. So if you missed your opportunity yesterday, you can still get out there and try for your 10 seconds of fame again today… and the next day, and the next day! A word of advice: if you’re planning to have your big break via Snapchat- eating your tuna sandwich in Longworth, shooting selfies on the metro, and those super covert sexts to your college fling probably aren’t going to cut it. Postpone those for another time and make today all about DC.
Here’s what did make the list:
- Cuban Embassy reopens and flies their flag for the firs time in 54 years
- Brass Bands playing in the street
- Everyone leaving work due to alleged bomb threat downtown
- Someone dressed up like the Washington Monument dancing on a rooftop
- Helicopters flying over the Potomac
- Intern life in the Capitol
- People complaining about the heat
- People loving the AC
- Obama welcoming visitors to the White House
- A panda lounging in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (hmm wonder who that was)
- Paddle boats and kayaks
- Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room
- Trapeze artists from the Trapeze School of DC
- Some serious #Natitude at Nats Park
- Sunset over the Potomac
- 1st Annual DMV Summer Music Festival at the Howard Theatre
- Neon Trees playing at the 9:30 club
I’d say that pretty much sums up an accurate depiction of DC in the summer. Bravo everyone! We’re expecting equally solid submissions everyday.
In other big Snapchat news: the U.S. Travel Association, which is headquartered here in Washington, just launched a new ad campaign with Snapchat. The two are a perfect marriage, as Snapchat’s story events feature cities around the world, offering a semi-voyeuristic view into the lives and experiences of people in far away places. The U.S. Travel Association can actually take you there.
Moral of the story: take a vacation, visit a monument, see a concert, send a fax. Just make sure you snap about it.
