Live streaming is one of the biggest innovations to come out of the use of the Internet. In fact, a greater percentage of Internet traffic is now attributed to making their events available to the public live. And the percentage share of Internet traffic is expected to increase even more in the coming years. So why is streaming your moments to the online world so important? The reason is that there are numerous advantages associated with live video streaming platform and live video streaming services.

One reason is that by making your event live, you can interact with attendees. These attendees are the ones who cannot attend the live event in person but can watch it through the streaming service. So in a way it can be argued that they attended. The other reasons are of course that it can increase support and improve the user experience.

The type of event that will be broadcast on the platforms will depend on what you prefer. You can showcase a cooking contest, a music concert, a training session, a festival, and even a wedding, which is rapidly growing in popularity. Of course, as already mentioned, there are a number of platforms like live streaming to Facebook, Go Live Broadcast, and other social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Periscope.

Social networking sites like Facebook Live are becoming more and more preferred as a platform for live streaming due to the large number of people who use them. According to the recent statistics of 2017, the users of social networking sites number about 2.46 billion worldwide. That’s a lot of potential viewers for your event or even potential attendees.

Most of the available platforms are more and more integrating the use of various social media platforms for instant live streaming across multiple platforms. You’re talking about streaming via Facebook live, YouTube live, Twitter live, and Periscope. That can be done through the use of live streaming platforms and live streaming devices.

Requirements for start-up using these services:

Of course, in addition to identifying your live streaming platform/app and registering, you must have the following:

A reliable internet connection
A high-performance computer/smartphone
A webcam or camera with a video capture device in case you are using a device

As you can buy devices, or you can use the platforms that have many plans: basic, premium or business plans. There are some platforms that offer free trials, often for a period of 1 month. The main disadvantage of free trials is that they are limited in terms of features and functions and therefore you may have limitations while streaming.

Live streaming of your event

After knowing the importance, the ways available for live streaming, and the necessary requirements, all that remains is the action itself, which is simple. When you have a live streaming device, the first step is to connect your device to any video source or to the camera. With a tap of the provided app, you can change the title of your event, start, stop and pause, and run and use other functions and features. There is a feature to stream across multiple platforms simultaneously.

Use of the Facebook live streaming service

1. Using your mobile device or computer with a camera, go to the news feed in the Facebook app to go live. There is a “live” option that you have to tap on. Another option for live streaming is through your profile. There is a live video option from the “What’s on your mind” menu, when tapped.

2. Facebook will request access to your camera if it is the first time. You must allow it. Any subsequent access to the camera will be automatic when you are streaming live.

3. Choose your preferred privacy settings. You can choose to broadcast live to your friends or audience. There is another option for “just me” which is great when you are new to the service and want to try it out. Nobody likes to embarrass themselves, you can rely on live streaming for this.

4. Describe your live stream. Give it a catchy title.

5. Pick a location or activity and tag friends.

6. Before “Go Live”, you need to set your camera to the correct direction/view. After setting up the camera and going live, you can interact with your viewers.

7. When finished, click “Finish”. There is the option to post the video so that other people can see it even after the broadcast has finished.

8. Save your video for future use; adjust and see again.