5 Tips for Using Facebook Live: Plus Something Oddly Familiar

Facebook Live is quickly become a preferred platform for live-streaming. Facebook Live makes it possible for everyone to share a live experience with friends, family, or the world. It’s about more than just sharing information or making new connections. It’s especially about making deeper and more meaningful connections with those who are already connected to you. Case in point: I got to watch Maria Bailey get her MBA TODAY! She’s 50 Years Young! Congrats, Maria. This! I cannot share that video with you because Maria’s settings for the video were set to “friends-only.” That’s another great thing about Facebook Live; it’s simple ability to filter your audience, in a way you are already used to doing.

You see, Facebook Live is taking social to a whole new level. I consider myself a tech-savvy woman, and I’m not surprised by all the technology. I love it. I am excited about every new development. Twenty years ago, though, I never would have thought something like this was possible, in such a user-friendly, global way. I have a theory that the creative minds over at Facebook are even more brilliant than we realize. They are paying attention to what their competitors do and integrating the best of those platforms, while adding unique-to-Facebook twists! I’ll show you an example, down below.

I’m far from an expert on video, (although, I’m working on it!) but I’ll tell you now, Facebook Live is a platform YOU WANT TO BE USING! Aside from the new level in depth-of-connections, they are paving a new way to make $$$$~ So for those who thought (myself included) that FB Pages were a thing of the past, think again. Go show your page some love, because you want to be in on the beginning of this live-video-revolution. In addition to the tips I’m going to give you, here’s a bonus. Facebook Live looks and acts differently whether you are viewing on a desktop or on mobile. Try both for a different experience.

5 Tips for using Facebook Live

Turn ON notifications if you want to know when a friend goes live. Do not rely on it showing up in your feed. For now, it’s said that Facebook Live and video in general get a little more love from the algorithms. As more and more people begin to use the tool, you will be more likely to miss a video in your feed from someone you might really like to watch. If you want to stay in the know, turn those notifications on when you watch someone you love seeing.

Interact during the broadcast. Whether you are the viewer or the broadcaster, Facebook Live is an interactive tool, so create a dialogue for an even better experience. Ask/answer questions. Ask for another angle, or share one as the broadcaster. Show the detail and the big picture when sharing a broadcast. For example, if you are at a conference, I want to see the details of the table, food, decor, etc., but I also want to see the room, the people, and the atmosphere. As a broadcaster, ask your audience about what they’d like to see, in your current live video and in future ones. Of course, this is not always practical, but interaction when realistic will enhance everyone’s experience. As a viewer, remember to give some props to the broadcaster, which encourages them to continue sharing now and later.

Try something new! Especially as a viewer, Facebook Live gives us the ability to be a part of something we might otherwise never have the ability to do. For example, if you have a friend who loves to travel, and for whatever reason, you don’t, won’t, can’t, etc. Facebook Live gives you the chance to go along with your friends in a virtual experience. Take a look at your bucket list and create a companion one, for virtual experiences! As a viewer, go out and explore. As a broadcaster, don’t underestimate the interest of your audience. Maybe heading up to San Francisco is just-another-day to me, but there are people all over the world who would love to share that experience with me.

Navigate and experiment with Facebook Live features! Facebook Live lets you embed someone’s public video, enhance resolutions & add closed captions (varies), share and save broadcasts to your saved list. It lets you choose preferences for how you see the comments, turn on/off notifications for the specific video, and adjust your auto-play/quality default settings. This is the Facebook Live video Claudia Krusch shared of Nate Engels teaching a video session at #sofabuotr.

Lastly, as a viewer, show your broadcaster some interactive reaction. Remember I said there was something familiar with a unique-to-Facebook twist? Yes! If you keep clicking your Facebook reactions, not only will stream across the screen like a familiar platform, but you can use any of your reactions and an icon of your profile pic will show up on the screen so the broadcaster knows who is reacting. Plus, it’s fun!