A Quick Guide for Taking Your Canceled Event Online!

For now, the world we’re living in means events beyond 10 people are pretty much canceled. We wanted to provide a few tips on how you can continue to connect with your customers, church congregation(s), or community using tools you likely already have! 

You will need:

• A smartphone, tablet, or laptop
• A Facebook or YouTube account
• A decent Internet connection (10 meg or more upload speed)

I’d recommend a speed test on the device you will be using in the location you will be at. Here’s one available for free: Nex-Tech Speed Test. If you have 10 meg or more in upload speed, you’re good to go.

Now, let’s look at devices:

• Smartphones are great because they’re readily available, portable and easy to use. Do make sure your battery is charged and you have a reliable Internet connection. You may also want to consider connecting to Wi-Fi for your streaming session.
• Tablets are another good option. They have the same pros and cons as smartphones, but some users may prefer the bigger screen.
• Laptops will most likely have a more stable connection and no shaky video syndrome, but you’ll have to stay pretty close to where it’s set up.
• For all handheld devices: if you have access to a tripod, I’d recommend using it. A shaky video will make for a very poor user experience. If you don’t have a tripod, try stabilizing it on something inanimate.

App Review

For this guideline, we’re focusing on Facebook and YouTube because most users are familiar with them and they are easy to use:

• For both apps, you must be logged in to the account you want to stream from. If you’re trying to go live from a FB page or YouTube channel rather than a personal account, you will need to be logged in as the admin of that page or channel.
• For Facebook, go to the same place where you make a post, and simply use the “Go Live” button. For YouTube it’s the camera icon at the top (right) of the page.
• Both apps give you the option to add a description. YouTube has a few more settings to select including whether your content is for kids or not.
• After you’re done with your Live video, both apps give you the option to save the video for future use. If you save it, Facebook and YouTube will publish the video to your page so users can watch it at a later time.
• If you use a laptop, both applications allow you to connect additional equipment, such as cameras and microphone! Simply use the browser versions of the apps.

 Some Pro Tips:

• Do a test, preferably in the actual environment and with the actual equipment. You can test without going public by changing your privacy settings in both apps.
• Keep steady. No one likes shaky videos.
• Make sure you have good Internet! You will not notice you have bad quality Internet until you re-watch the video afterwards and then it’s too late.
• Don’t stress! People love authenticity and won’t expect a professional video.
• Be engaging. Ask your audience questions or encourage them to post comments! It not only helps your videos perform better but is also more fun for your audience.

The biggest hurdle will be audio. If you have access to external mics, use them! If not, your built-in device mics will do, but you will have to keep it close to the person who is speaking.

Keep in mind, high-quality streams often involve professional equipment, but with your phone or laptop, this guide will get you live online and keep you in touch.

Watch the Go Live Tutorial.