I've long thought that the map is Snapchat's killer feature. I've used it for years to get "man on the street" video and commentary during hurricane season. During active storms, while we're watching St. Pete Beach from afar, I find it more informative and authentic than the various news and weather outlets. The combination of the Snap Map and any of dozens of decent weather apps turn my phone into a decent storm tracking station.

I haven't had to use the Map for hurricane tracking yet this year (here's hoping I don't have to very much this year!), but I did discover a new use for it tonight. During the Guardians game, a crazy fan ran onto the field and was chased and tackled by the police. The television broadcast did what they always do in these circumstances - refuse to show video of the fan. I get that they don't want to encourage copycats by giving trespassers a stage, but, darn it, I want to see video of that! Was it a streaker? A protestor? We never know, because they won't show them.

Enter the Snap Map! I checked it about an hour after the "incident" in tonight's game and, sure enough, The Map gave me sever clips of the fan posted by people who were actually at the game. Sure the video was low quality and shaky, but that's all I needed. Curiosity satisfied.

Btw, he wasn't a streaker, but did add some flourish to the bit by doing a backflip before getting tased.

tags: tech snapchat mlb baseball guardians

postposted by matt in Tuesday, June 11, 2024