Now go live using Facebook Live – A step-by-step guide

From the “like” and “poke” features to the different kinds of reaction emojis, Facebook has been working hard to provide its users with newer entertaining experiences. And even this time, Facebook has not disappointed us thanks to its latest roll out, the Facebook Live feature. This is the latest entrance to the live streaming domain with Twitter’s Periscope and Meerkat already in the picture. Wondering what the whole buzz regarding Facebook live is and how to get around it? Well, that’s what we are here for.

Facebook has unanimously captured the hearts of millions of web users around the world since its inception. The announcement to launch Facebook live has only made social media users even more elated as it now means that they can live stream their videos on their favorite platform. Initially rolled out only for a few celebrities, the feature is now available to the rest of its users.

Here are a few basic steps that will help you to use Facebook Live from your iOS and Android devices :

1.      Open the Facebook app on your smartphone.

2.      On your profile, click on the status bar just like you would when you want to update a new status.

What if you have a Facebook page and you want to go live through that?  Facebook allows you that too. You do not necessarily need to go live through your profile itself.

3.      Once you do this, you will be able to see an icon next to the check in and photo icon. You need to click on that icon which reads “Live”.

4.      Once you do this, you will receive a prompt from Facebook that requests you for permission to access your microphone and camera to which you will have to abide. This happens only the first time you try out this feature.

5.      Click on the continue button.

6.      Now you will see a message which reads “Describe your Live Video”. This is where you are required to write a short description stating what your live broadcast is all going to be about. Remember that this is what will first capture your audience’s attention.

7.      On the same space where you describe your video, you also have to update your privacy settings. This is where you can choose who you want your broadcast to be shared with. This works the same way as when you are updating your status.

8.      Now all you need to do before clicking “Go Live” is to ensure your camera is facing the direction you want it to. You can make sure it is by simply checking what the background of your screen shows. You can toggle between the front camera and rear camera by clicking on the rotating icon on the top right corner of the screen. Your video will appear to be in a square regardless of whether you hold your phone in landscape or portrait mode.

9.      Now you are all ready to “Go Live”! As soon as you click it, your live footage will appear on your timeline and on the News Feed. Keep in mind that you can go live for a maximum of 90 minutes.

10.  While you are broadcasting, you can simultaneously see the number of views on the top as well as the real-time comments displayed on the bottom of your feed. The more you engage with your target audience, the more successful your stream is going to turn out to be. The more the number of likes and comments you receive on your video, higher are the chances that your video will pop up on others’ news feeds. If you happen to attract any negative comments while you are at it, you have an option of blocking the person by clicking on their profile picture and tapping the block option. There is also a Follow option, which viewers can click on if they wish to follow you. This would mean that the next time you broadcast a video, they would be notified of it.

11.  You can end your broadcast by clicking on Finish. You will then be displayed with an option for choosing to save the video you just streamed to your camera roll.

12.  After you are done live-streaming, the video gets added to your timeline. This way those people who were not able to witness your broadcast can replay the footage when they want to later on.

For those creative souls out there, Facebook is also providing an option of adding drawings or tinted filters to spice up your videos.

Before you jump the gun now and start live-streaming yourself, make sure that you have a strong internet connection if you do not want your broadcasts to get disrupted.

Now that you have got all the facts straight, what are you waiting for?

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