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It was history and I was struggling to find a place to see it unfold. 

The U.S. House of Representative's Democrats were staging a sit-in—the first of its kind in this video-driven digital age— trying to force House Republicans to vote on a pair of gun control bills.

Whatever side of the aisle you're on, this was (and is) must-see TV. Except it wasn't on TV. On Wednesday morning, as Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and a small group of other Democratic legislators sat down on the House floor, C-SPAN, the public-service cable network that will stream sometimes painfully dull congressional activity, sometimes gripping congressional testimony and at other times chats about books, suddenly lost what may have been its most compelling feed ever.

Not us

A tweet pinned to the top of C-SPAN's Twitter feed notes that they do not actually have any control over the House of Representatives video feed. That control sits in the hands of the House Recording Studio, which is under the control of the House Majority Leadership (currently the Republicans). The cameras go on when House Speaker Republican Paul Ryan hits the gavel and opens a House session and they go off when the gavel goes down again to signal the end of the session. 

Of course, it's unlikely Ryan and other House Republicans would have seen it in their best interest to turn the feedback on when the sit-in began.

Fortunately, various on-the-floor representatives and their staff were already live streaming the sit-in through Twitter's Periscope and Facebook Live.

C-SPAN chose to pick up those feeds and deliver them straight to TV. 

While I tracked the sit-in through Twitter throughout the day and even caught some Periscope snippets and the live streams directly on Twitter, I didn't really watch the feed until late Wednesday night.

I was following the #NoBillNoBreak hashtag on Twitter and realized that for as interesting as the tweets were, things were heating up in real time on the floor. I wanted to see it live.

I found C-SPAN's web-based feed and started watching. What I saw was remarkable. By the time Ryan returned the House session to order, as the Republicans tried to vote on unrelated bills, the House cameras turned on and C-Span switched from grainy Periscope to the crisp official feed. But as the vote went forward a C-Span anchor took calls, C-Span was effortlessly playing live streams from Periscope and Facebook on the lower third. 

Democrats were shouting down the Speaker of the House with "No Bill, No Break!" and soon singing "We shall overcome." It was the most gripping live politics show I'd ever watched.

Big for C-SPAN, too

"It was an unprecedented, milestone moment," C-SPAN Communications Director Howard Mortman told me. 

"We knew something was happening on the floor, but the feed was down," said Mortman. C-SPAN producers noticed the streaming video from members of congress on their social feeds "and the decision was made to put that on air."

C-SPAN has used streaming video in the past, but only to add color to other C-SPAN coverage.

"But this is unprecedented, to have this kind of video sustained from Periscope and Facebook Live has never been done," said Mortman. 

He could not, by the way, tell me if they used more Facebook Live or Periscope video. The stream did start with California Rep. Scott Peters' Periscope of the sit-in. Mortman said they showed that feed for a while before switching to Facebook Live.

Periscope by a nose?

However, in the hours I watched through the night and even on Thursday morning, most of what I saw were Periscope feeds. And Twitter reported that streams from Peters and fellow Californian Eric Swalwell generated at least 1 million views.

Which makes this an important moment for Periscope and a reminder, perhaps, of why we loved the streaming platform in the first place.

Ever since Facebook launched Facebook Live, its own streaming video service, Periscope, whether in fact or perception, has been relegated to second-class citizen status.

Part of that perception has to do with media companies focusing virtually all of their streaming attention on Facebook's product (most are getting paid to do so). These media companies, including Mashable, are going all-in on Facebook Live not solely because it makes financial sense, but to maintain consistent access to the platform's vast, worldwide audience. It's still not, however, the best platform for real-time news.

Periscope parent Twitter is not, as far as I know, paying for anyone to use its product or fill Periscope with content, but it has done work recently to make the service more present and available. Periscope feeds now play live right inside the Twitter stream — certainly something that helped with the House sit-in visibility — and, second, there's now a live video feed button right inside Twitter. It's still Periscope, but now you no longer have to open the app.

These were smart, strategic moves, but when most of the media that uses your tool to spread news is using someone else's live video product, it may have been too little, too late.

We're back

Not since the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight have we seen something so forcefully thrust Periscope back onto the national stage.

This is Periscope's moment to shine.

"This is unprecedented, to have this kind of video sustained from Periscope and Facebook Live has never been done."

C-SPAN continued to cherry pick Periscope streams of House Democrats taking the floor, one after the other to call for gun legislation, hours after Ryan and others have left. He adjourned the session late Wednesday night and Democrats ended their protest Thursday morning, 25 hours after it began. Streamed over Wi-Fi or cellular coverage, the video quality was all over the map.

"We’re talking about technology that's not of the level and quality that you normally get from a C-SPAN production," said Mortman. But their goal is to get the best streams available and to broadcast content from a diverse set of representatives.

The democratizing platform

I don't know if this sudden surge in Periscope's profile will have any impact on its future fortune, but it serves as reminder of the rather distinct difference between Facebook Live and Periscope. The majority of the Facebook user base posts privately. They all have access to Facebook Live, but are not used to or adept at posting publicly. 

Periscope and, more importantly, Twitter's user base posts publicity by default. It's democratic and Periscope was probably the most natural place for the House Representatives and their handlers to turn when they wanted to get the word out, especially after C-SPAN's feed was cut.

As for C-SPAN, they seem sold on streaming video as another content source. Mortman told me that the streams have given them access to the House chamber in ways that weren't possible before. 

"It presents an opportunity to be able to add more video to our coverage," he added.

Whether or not that means more airtime for Periscope and Facebook Live feeds is unknown. C-SPAN continued to air sit-in streams until the very end, 25 hours later.

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As Democrats began a sit-in Wednesday morning to protest the lack of action on gun control legislation, the House of Representatives went into recess. Recess means no TV cameras allowed in the chamber, which in turn meant no cable news coverage of the historic sit-in still occurring in the House.

And yet without media access, the story exploded. As C-Span was forced to stop rolling its cameras, the story quickly moved to social media with the hashtag #NoBillNoBreak and later #DemocraticSitIn. Pictures of representatives sitting on the floor were posted all over the Internet, people were retweeting representatives' tweets, tuning into Internet live streams and sharing their thoughts on Facebook.

With no television cameras allowed, the phenomenon offered a rare opportunity in 2016: To see how an ongoing news story spreads and evolves when its chief drivers are almost exclusively limited to social media. Here's how it played out, and what the key takeaways are for today's most dominant social video platforms:

Periscope

The live streams began as Representative Scott Peters started broadcasting the sit-in through Periscope.

Before Wednesday, Peters told The Guardian he had never used Periscope before and it was suggested to him by one of his staffers. Since the TV camera blackout was still in place, Peters' broadcasts were then picked up by C-Span and other media outlets.

In years past, a media blackout like the one on Wednesday would mean the public wouldn't get a live view of what was happening inside the House chamber. But this is the era of social media, where a single tweet can find a worldwide audience.

Because Periscope is built on Twitter, the House sit-in played to the strength of that platform: Live, breaking news has always lived first on Twitter, relaying events in real time. It didn't hurt that the media basically lives on Twitter. Periscope generated a lot of the initial attention for the sit-in and, even more remarkably, kept it through the next day.

In response to all the interest, Periscope even created a channel to follow everything being broadcast from the House chamber.

Thanks in large part to Periscope, the world was able to watch the sit-in live and instead of just reading about it. Peters also suggested to fellow participants to start broadcasting alongside him, which added fuel to the growing fire.

Facebook Live

Participants soon started broadcasting via Facebook Live, too, including Senator Cory Booker.

Facebook Live typically has a larger reach than Periscope in terms of viewership, which helped spread the word beyond the Twitterverse and make it part of mainstream conversation. While there's less of a conversation on Facebook, it's a very effective medium for showing an event to the widest possible audience. 

Both Periscope and Facebook Live now archive all broadcasts by default, but an ongoing stream has more staying power on Facebook since it can live at the top of many people's feeds. Certainly, Twitter has moved toward algorithmic-driven feeds as well, but its most engaged users favor more of a real-time experience. That's why the sit-in broadcasts on Facebook have hundreds of thousands of more views then Periscope.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday highlighted how live Internet video, and Facebook Live in particular, helped the sit-in reach a wide audience, with more than 3 million views on Facebook Live alone.

Twitter and Instagram

Consistent posting to Twitter kept fueling engagement with the world outside the House chamber, with images and video clips from participants getting thousands of likes and retweets. 

The sheer amount of content being shared to and spreading around Twitter was how the news of the sit-in spread the fastest, quickly becoming a trending topic and remaining so even after the sit-in ended 24 hours later. 

Popular Twitter users quickly jumped on the hashtags, with supportive tweets and funny pictures getting huge impressions and further spreading the word, from Kim Kardashian to President Barack Obama.

While some Instagram posts were shared through Twitter, they didn't get quite the same engagement on their native platform.

Snapchat

Congresspeople were even sharing news and scenes from the sit-in on Snapchat, including Booker, Representative Eric Swalwell, Representative Beto O'Rourke and more.

Snapchat is the most intimate social network, and all of the Snapchat stories coming from Congresspeople on the floor made the whole event more personal. It's one thing to get the bird's-eye view from C-Span's cameras, and another entirely to feel like you're on the floor with them.

Content on Snapchat isn't as easily shareable as on Twitter and Facebook, but its audience is entirely different. Snapchat users tend to skew younger, so the Representatives sharing to that platform helped bring the sit-in to the attention of people who otherwise not know about it. Authenticity rules the day on Snapchat as well, and the Democrats righteous indignation (whether you agree with it or not) certainly plays well to its audience.

Ironically, the media blackout became the best catalyst for making the sit-in a social media hit. The inherent interactivity of social platforms means the demonstration became a conversation, as opposed to yet another political event happening way over in Washington, visible on TV but still removed from our lives. With social as the driver, it was in our apps, our phones, our "social graphs" — occupying the same space as our dinner plans and vacation photos. That probably wouldn't have happened if the cameras kept rolling.

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It was meant to be a bit of high-tech showmanship for Australia's prime minister, but as it turns out, the Internet cares not for Malcolm Turnbull's electoral ambitions.

On Friday evening, the leaders of Australia's two major political parties went head to head during the country's first online leadership debate on Facebook Live. Unfortunately, buffering prevented a fair number of Australians from enjoying a smooth stream of political zingers.

Hosted by news.com.au, the debate saw Turnbull, leader of the Liberal Party, face off against Bill Shorten, leader of the Labor Party. The debate also had some stiff competition from the Season 4 premiere of Orange is the New Black on Netflix, and the debate's viewership numbers sat around 13,000. Facebook has been contacted for the official figures.

The building of the national broadband network (NBN), a government-backed project to deliver fast broadband across Australia, was a prickly topic during the debate. As the former communications minister, Turnbull walked back the previous Labor government's policy of rolling out fibre-to-the-premises technology and has pursued fibre-to-the-node, arguing the network would be delivered faster and for less money.

The policy has been marked by endless controversy, with critics suggesting the new deal won't deliver the fast Internet speeds Australia needs for the future. It was also the perfect topic for viewers to vent about in the Facebook comments as they suffered through bouts of buffering.

Interestingly, although the debate trended on Twitter, it did not touch Facebook's trending news section.

Small mercies — at least the debate wasn't as bad as BuzzFeed's Facebook Live interview with Barack Obama in May: The feed froze, forcing the stream to be shifted over to a livestream on YouTube. 

The shaky feed could of course be due to people's individual WiFi setups, or it could be an illustration of Australia's truly lacklustre Internet speeds — the country currently sits at 48th for global average broadband connection speeds, according to Akamai's State Of The Internet report.

Either way, it was not the most comforting omen for Australia's high-tech future. 

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Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise appearance on Facebook Live on Tuesday, opening himself up to random user questions covering a wide range of topics.

However, just when the nearly 100,000 live viewers thought the impromptu video chat was just going to be a geek-out session with Zuck, comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the session, dressed in his familiar white dress shirt, jeans and blazer.

But before Seinfeld joined the fray, Zuckerberg answered questions covering everything from artificial intelligence to virtual reality and the Oculus Rift. Yet the most surprising thing is that Zuckerberg didn't present any new product. Nope, this was, apparently, just his way of trying to open himself up while simultaneously promoting the powers of Facebook Live as a video platform.

Although, one odd user question that came up in the live chat was the notion that users might one day have to pay to use Facebook. Zuckerberg shot the rumor down and said the site will never charge a fee.

Later, with Seinfeld sitting just half a foot away from Zuckerberg, so that both could fit in the frame, the conversation quickly veered into the personal. The mostly retired Seinfeld talked about his passion project, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, and Zuckerberg revealed his obsession with running (and having run 365 miles overall), building an A.I. that controls his home and his intention on competing in a triathlon. 

Speaking of fitness, Zuckerberg also said that, even though he isn't currently wearing a cast, he broke his arm last week while riding his bike. 

Seinfeld, who was at Facebook to participate in a separate Oculus Rift project, also took a few questions, which you can watch now. 

The live viewership topped out at around 100,000 viewers, but as of this writing, the video had more than 5.1 million views, which means Zuckerberg might want to consider making this a regularly scheduled video show, since Facebook users are clearly ready and eager to watch.  

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise appearance on Facebook Live on Tuesday, opening himself up to random user questions covering a wide range of topics.

However, just when the nearly 100,000 live viewers thought the impromptu video chat was just going to be a geek-out session with Zuck, comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the session, dressed in his familiar white dress shirt, jeans and blazer.

But before Seinfeld joined the fray, Zuckerberg answered questions covering everything from artificial intelligence to virtual reality and the Oculus Rift. Yet the most surprising thing is that Zuckerberg didn't present any new product. Nope, this was, apparently, just his way of trying to open himself up while simultaneously promoting the powers of Facebook Live as a video platform.

Although, one odd user question that came up in the live chat was the notion that users might one day have to pay to use Facebook. Zuckerberg shot the rumor down and said the site will never charge a fee.

Later, with Seinfeld sitting just half a foot away from Zuckerberg, so that both could fit in the frame, the conversation quickly veered into the personal. The mostly retired Seinfeld talked about his passion project, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, and Zuckerberg revealed his obsession with running (and having run 365 miles overall), building an A.I. that controls his home and his intention on competing in a triathlon. 

Speaking of fitness, Zuckerberg also said that, even though he isn't currently wearing a cast, he broke his arm last week while riding his bike. 

Seinfeld, who was at Facebook to participate in a separate Oculus Rift project, also took a few questions, which you can watch now. 

The live viewership topped out at around 100,000 viewers, but as of this writing, the video had more than 5.1 million views, which means Zuckerberg might want to consider making this a regularly scheduled video show, since Facebook users are clearly ready and eager to watch.  

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a surprise appearance on Facebook Live on Tuesday, opening himself up to random user questions covering a wide range of topics.

However, just when the nearly 100,000 live viewers thought the impromptu video chat was just going to be a geek-out session with Zuck, comedian Jerry Seinfeld joined the session, dressed in his familiar white dress shirt, jeans and blazer.

But before Seinfeld joined the fray, Zuckerberg answered questions covering everything from artificial intelligence to virtual reality and the Oculus Rift. Yet the most surprising thing is that Zuckerberg didn't present any new product. Nope, this was, apparently, just his way of trying to open himself up while simultaneously promoting the powers of Facebook Live as a video platform.

Although, one odd user question that came up in the live chat was the notion that users might one day have to pay to use Facebook. Zuckerberg shot the rumor down and said the site will never charge a fee.

Later, with Seinfeld sitting just half a foot away from Zuckerberg, so that both could fit in the frame, the conversation quickly veered into the personal. The mostly retired Seinfeld talked about his passion project, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, and Zuckerberg revealed his obsession with running (and having run 365 miles overall), building an A.I. that controls his home and his intention on competing in a triathlon. 

Speaking of fitness, Zuckerberg also said that, even though he isn't currently wearing a cast, he broke his arm last week while riding his bike. 

Seinfeld, who was at Facebook to participate in a separate Oculus Rift project, also took a few questions, which you can watch now. 

The live viewership topped out at around 100,000 viewers, but as of this writing, the video had more than 5.1 million views, which means Zuckerberg might want to consider making this a regularly scheduled video show, since Facebook users are clearly ready and eager to watch.  

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Live-streamed Internet broadcasts are the hottest thing in social media right now, and Periscope generated a lot of that heat when it launched in 2015. 

While Periscope broadcasts were previously only stored and viewable for 24 hours, the app is now testing out a new feature where users can choose to save videos indefinitely.

The new feature is currently in open beta, which means anyone can test it out right now, CEO Kayvon Beykpour announced in a broadcast (of course) on the service. By putting "#save" in the broadcast title, the recorded clip live on for as long as you choose. Of course, previously, there was a workaround and you could store the videos offline.

During the announcement, Beykpour said the "#save" designation in broadcast titles will go away once the feature leaves beta and becomes an official part of the app. For the time being, "#save" can't have any prefixes or suffixes attached to it in the description.

The "#save" designation in broadcast titles will go away once the feature leaves beta

Naturally, this isn't great news for third-party app Katch, which made a business out of allowing users to save Periscope broadcasts to be posted elsewhere.

This turn from temporary to optionally permanent falls in line with Periscope's efforts to build out the platform, including its workforce. Periscope recently hired veteran tech reporter/editor Evan Hansen to begin curating and highlighting content on the app and develop an editorial team. He left a similar position at Medium as head of content labs.

With growth into areas that lean toward editorial content and content curation, it makes sense that Periscope is testing out a #save feature. If a broadcast is particularly popular and could stand to live a long life and bring in a large number of viewers over time, why not facilitate longer lifespans for videos?

With this change, it seems like Periscope is following in the steps of Facebook Live, which has always allowed users to save videos indefinitely after the broadcast is over. But in April, Beykpour told Mashable his company doesn't focus on competition like that.

"If we spent our time worrying about competitors, we wouldn’t actually build anything of value to the world," Beykpour said.

If anything, it looks as if Periscope is taking a cue from Snapchat, which also moved from purely-temporary image and video sharing to longer-lasting features and editorial content curation with stories and Discover.

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First there was YouTube stars, then came Vine fame. Now, the new wave of Internet-born celebrity is by way of Facebook Live.

While a lot of big brands and publishers are focused on creating content for Facebook’s livestreaming platform, some of the best broadcasts we’ve seen are made by regular people.

Whether it’s a lifestyle blogger sharing style tips or a World Champion bodyboarder taking you inside waves in real time, Facebook Live is emerging as the hot new platform for users to show what's happening in their world. We’ve seen some pretty important broadcasts around job training workshops and events for Syrian refugees, too.

Let’s take a look at some of the most compelling Facebook Live storytellers headed toward web-celeb fame:

1. Liz Cook, tattoo artist

There’s something mesmerizing about watching Dallas-based tattoo artist Liz Cook, 33, ink customers in real time on Facebook Live. With more than 1 million followers, it’s impossible not to be entranced by her live tattooing sessions, which range in creativity from an intricate lion to a portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Her Facebook Live videos bring in tens of thousands of views each time.

2. Barkbox, pet goods company

Who doesn't want to take a break from the workday to watch some adorable pups? The small pet goods e-commerce startup puts dogs in the spotlight as a part of a larger effort to get them adopted. While Barkbox teams up with local shelters to introduce them to its Facebook followers, the real stars, of course, are the dogs themselves — like this 11-week old puppy named Luc playing with tennis balls in the video above. 

3. Brian Barczyk, Venom Hunter

Brian Barcyzyk isn't exactly a nobody — you may recognize him from Discovery Channel's show Venom Hunters. His job is to find, capture and extract venom from all types of snake species. Once a week, he'll take you behind the scenes of his fascinating work on Facebook Live. You'll squirm, you'll gasp, you won't want to look away. 

4. Kara Andretta, baking blogger

Baking blogger Kara Andretta goes live on her Kara's Couture Cakes Facebook page to walk fans through creative baking recipes and tutorials. She teases upcoming "bake along" broadcasts too, so you can make pastries and cakes with her in real time. She's as charming as the food looks delicious.

5. Jordan Roth, Broadway producer

We can only assume the life of a Broadway producer is pretty fabulous, and Jordan Roth proves this theory correct. Roth is the president and majority owner of Jujamcyn Theaters, which presents some of the most popular musicals and plays on Broadway right now, including The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots. You never quite know what to expect from his broadcasts: he takes you to VIP-only spots that often feature surprise cameos and musical performances.

6. Melissa and Lavanya Jawaharlal, robotics company founders

Learning to code is one of the biggest trends in tech, and startup founders Melissa and Lavanya Jawaharlal want to help. The duo behind Stem Center USA, a robotics company that teaches kids to code, were most recently featured (and funded) on Shark Tank. But to bring more attention to the brand, the Jawaharials use Facebook Live to teach people how to code, program and work with their students at their Claremont, Calif-based creativity center. 

7. Holly Homer, family lifestyle blogger

Full-time blogger Holly Homer runs Kids Activities Blog and the Quirky Momma Facebook page, which has a dedicated fan base of more than 2.4 million followers. Homer discusses a variety of parenting topics (like how to keep hair healthy after giving birth), DIY crafting tips from guests (as seen above) and answers questions from viewers.

8. Val Castor, storm chaser

Oklahoma-based newscaster Val Castor from local news station News9 takes his wife — and Facebook followers — on storm chases. The footage is fascinating (and terrifying), and his play-by-play of what you're seeing keeps you on the edge of your seat. Castor isn't the only storm chaser gaining traction on Facebook Live: James Spann, a scientist and meteorologist in Alabama, brings his followers weather updates from the South ahead of big storms.

9. Lee Jeffries, performance artist

Lee Jeffries is a performance artist known for his hula hoops routines. While his reach isn't as large as some of the other Facebook Live users on this list, he gives hula-hooping tutorials and preps for workshops he holds around the country. If you need a breather, there's nothing a little hula hoop choreography set to pop songs to your day.

10. Mike Stewart, bodyboarding champion

It's not everyday you can go bodyboarding in real time from the comforts of your computer chair. 51-year-old Mike Stewart, a nine-time World Champion bodyboarder, takes you inside the waves from competitions. His broadcasts are invigorating, but you can't help but feel exhausted after he takes you along for a ride. Most recently, he did a Facebook Live broadcast at Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii — a competition he's won 11 times.

BONUS: Bob Draws, Mashable illustrator

Mashable illustrator Bob Al-Greene hosts Bob Draws every Friday afternoon, drawing fun pop-culture mashups like this bionic panda version of Ted Cruz. Previous masterworks include Lego Beyonce and Adele riding a hoverboard. Besides Bob's obvious talent and humor, what makes the show special is the wild-card factor — he takes the best suggestions directly from commenters on what to draw and makes them all too real.

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