Is it Live? Or is it Memorex?

If you remember that line … you’re really dating yourself. But whether you remember it or not, it really doesn’t matter because this post isn’t about Memorex, it’s about Facebook Live. I just thought it was a catchy title 😉

Video has always intimidated the crud out of me; and I successfully managed to avoid it for quite a while. Unfortunately, video has become more and more popular, and the stats for people who use video in social media versus those who don’t, just reinforce that it’s here to stay and it’s more popular than ever.

With each new platform appearing on the scene (Periscope, Meerkat, Blab and now Facebook Live), video has crept more and more into my social media timelines and newsfeeds. I’m sure they are doing it just to taunt me. After much cajoling and persuasion from a few people I won’t name, I was finally persuaded to try Blab … and I must say. I love it and look forward to each BizEase Blab show.

Now, here comes Facebook Live. The cool thing about Facebook Live is that it’s live while you’re recording it, and then automatically available as a replay in your timeline. The scary thing about it is that it IS live, so if you goof up or make a mistake … guess what, it’s livestreaming!

You have the option to livestream on either your business page or your profile, but it’s only available as a mobile option. Up until a short time ago, it was available in groups; but that option seems to have disappeared. The Live option has been pushed out for both the iPhone and Android here in the US, but is evidently not yet available for the Android in Canada. I’m sure that’s coming soon. Who knows, it might be available at the time you’re reading this post! There are apparently a couple of workarounds that allow you to go live using your computer, but I’m not familiar with them or how they work so I can’t really speak to their effectiveness or ease of use.

This might be a little long-winded, but the point is, someone challenged me to do a Facebook Live post every day. So I rose to the challenge and did just that. After about a week and a half, I stopped calling it a challenge, and just started livestreaming once a day. I’ve since made the decision to continue to post on Facebook Live, but back it down to maybe once a week. However, doing it every day for a while helped me get more comfortable livestreaming so I could get over myself and my aversion to video.

To show you just how brave I’ve gotten, here is one of my early attempts from last week. I did this one outside, which may not have been the best idea, but I’ve been testing out different places to record. Some work. Some don’t. I’d love your feedback, good or bad … just be kind!

It’s really super easy to do:

1. Find a well-lit place to record.
2. Open the Facebook app on your phone.
3. Go to either your profile or your business page.
4. Choose “publish” on your business page or “update your status” on your profile.
5. Hit the little red “live video” button to get to the livestreaming app.
6. Give your post a title to describe your video (note – it will look really dark like there isn’t enough light, but once you go live, things will lighten up).
7. Put a big smile on your face.
8. Click on the big Blue bar at the bottom of the screen.
9. Wait for the 1-2-3 cue to start … and start talking! Just don’t forget to smile 😉

It’s that easy. I know there are probably a few more things I should be doing technically to give it a more professional look, but it’s a way to get started.

Now as is the practice of Facebook, they are adding even more “fun” to their native livestreaming platform. They are adding the ability to have two … yes TWO people in your stream (watch out Blab!), and a “Green Room” for guests to wait, AND, get this … the ability to pre-schedule your shows. How cool is that! If you want to know more about the technicality of how to use Facebook Live,MaAnna Stephenson of BlogAid has a a great course to guide you through it.

So my challenge to you … should you accept, is to grab your phone. Put a big smile on your face and do your first Facebook Live post. You might just like it!

And, if you so choose, hop on over to the BizEase Support Solutions business page and check out some of my other attempts. Again, I’d love your feedback, good or bad … just be kind!