SNAPCHAT 101
A SELF( IE)- OBSESSED MILLENNIAL’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS SNAPCHAT
Mock me if you will for being such a card-carrying member of the selfie generation, but I like Snapchat, OK? It's an easy way to keep my dearest sixdegrees-removed acquaintances up to date on my every move, which I assume they all truly appreciate. (Who wouldn't want to be in on such golden snippets as, “CUTE BABY ON SUBWAY”?)
As with all things social media—or just social things, period—there's a right way and a wrong way to use Snapchat. With great selfies come great responsibility. Allow me to walk you through the ins and outs of this picture-perfect app.
SNAPPING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
screen to take a photo, or tap and hold to create a video. From there, you can add text to your photos and videos by tapping the "T" icon or by tapping anywhere else on the screen. Hit the "T" icon again to supersize your font, doodle on your image with the pencil tool, or even introduce filters by swiping left and right.
When you're satisfied with your snap, tap the little number in the lower left corner to control how long your friends can view your snap (this applies to photos, not videos). THIS IS IMPORTANT! Setting the snap for too long is dorky, and setting it too short might not give viewers enough time to process. (I do 4 to 5 seconds for a normal snap, and 2 for an embarrassing one I don't want my friends to screenshot.) Finally, press the bottom right arrow to send, select your victims, and voilà!
SHARING A STORY WITH ALL OF YOUR SNAP BUDDIES
Instead of sending to one person or a select group, a story snap appears on Snapchat's equivalent of a Facebook timeline, meaning that any of your friends can see it for 24 hours—so, best to save this for something that's ACTUALLY worth sharing en masse. To do it, take a snap as per usual. Then tap the square with the plus sign at the bottom of the page.
SENDING PRIVATE MESSAGES
The only time sending private messages really makes sense is when you receive a snap from someone that warrants a response, but you're not able to conceive of a snap that's anywhere near the level of what they just sent. (For example: when your friend snaps you a video of herself rooftop partying with a well-known band from the early aughts while you're sitting at home watching The Jinx for the third time.) In which case, you can swipe right on your contact to message them. Otherwise, I say stick to texting.
SENDING MONEY?!
Yep, this is really a thing. You can send money via the app's private chats; just write a dollar sign plus the amount of cash, and hit send. But first, you'll need to enter your card info in Settings. Just tap the ghost symbol at the top of the screen, select the Settings icon in the upper right corner, tap Snapcash, and enter your debit or credit card information. Once that's taken care of, find your lucky recipient under My Friends, and tap on the Message symbol to begin a private message. Once you enter a dollar sign, the yellow circle will turn green, which you can tap to send cash! Oh, and if you hit the yellow camera button, you can add a selfie to your payment, which, at this point, why not, right?