Facebook Live: A Guinea Pig's Perspective

YIKES!! What was I thinking when I said yes??

Well, I wasn't, obviously, if my rapid pulse rate and sweaty hands are any indication.

Deep breath ...

Okay, today's blog is a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that this will be my shortest blog in history.

The bad news is that I'm not sure I can pull it off. BUT ... more good news is that social media guru Cara Grandle definitely can, so she is going to teach ALL of us at the same time, so be sure to check out Cara's prior Seekerville post, Introduction to Facebook Live and Periscope.

So ... what is Facebook Live other than a means of humiliation for moi? I think the CEO and founder of Facebook — Mark Zuckerberg — said it best on his Facebook page:

"Live is like having a TV camera in your pocket. Anyone with a phone now has the power to broadcast to anyone in the world. This is a big shift in how we communicate, and it's going to create new opportunities for people to come together."

Ahem ... yes. Opportunities to make a fool of yourself live on camera if one is not aware of what they are doing. 

Like me.

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I LOVE doing videos because by nature, I'm a ham, and usually they can be edited to cut out all the mistakes one makes. But if anybody thinks that this CDQ is comfortable going live on Facebook, they are all wet. Uh ... NOT unlike me during this FB video I did for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge:

The truth is, it would take a blue moon for me to go live again.

Uh ... one blue moon coming right up.

So, yes, this morning at 8:00 AM CDT, I went live on my Facebook personal page, and if you are reading this before that time, you can join me there to ask anything you like IN PERSON and automatically be entered in my contest for a $25 Amazon gift card and a character named after you in my next book. If you comment on my FB author page during the live event AND leave a comment here on Seekerville during the day, you double your chances at a win, so GOOD LUCK!

Okay, for those of you who were not able to see me live at 8:00 AM this morning -- consider yourself lucky! But in case you want to view the debacle that took me THREE tries to get it right, here is the final version. Although if you are partial to "bloopers," the other two are pretty funny since I botched them royally!  But PLEASE arrow back to leave a comment so I can enter you in the giveaway, okay? ONE LAST NOTE: You and I MUST be friends on Facebook in order for you to be able to watch the video, so friend me, and I will accept your friendship request ASAP, and you'll be good to go! :)

WATCH JULIE'S GUINEA-PIG VIDEO HERE!!

IF, BY CHANCE you didn't fall asleep at what you saw on my FIRST FB LIVE VIDEO and would actually like to be notified whenever I do another (they will be MUCH shorter, I promise!), then all you have to do is subscribe by clicking on the small, downward-facing arrow in the top right-hand corner of the live video post (or it might be 3 dots), and choose "Turn On Notifications." You can also "Like" my page, which makes it more likely that you'll be notified of my next live broadcast. And God bless you!!
 
So ... what did I learn with this whole guinea-pig process? A LOT, all of which I am listing below. But for those interested in trying their hand at FB Live, I strongly recommend watching this excellent tutorial by the adorable (and brilliant!) Cara Grandle: 
  

Facebook Live 101-explanation, introduction and how-to for beginners 

And if you're like me and prefer 1-2-3 bullet steps for what to do, then I'm your gal and here's what I learned:

1.) INTERESTING TIDBITS I LEARNED ABOUT FACEBOOK LIVE:

      —Originally Facebook Live was only available to celebrities, verified pages, and other chosen social media gurus, but now it's for everyone, including YOU and moi!
       
      —According to statistics, the demand of online video is mushrooming, with about 86% of viewers in the U.S. watching content online, so video streaming (Facebook Live, Periscope, Twitter Live, etc. and soon to be YouTube Connect) is rapidly becoming one of the key ways to communicate with and entertain your customers.

2.)  WHY SHOULD YOU DO FACEBOOK LIVE? WELL, BECAUSE IT'S ...

       —THE up-and-coming medium for authors and everybody
       —A great way to build brand, reach new fans, connect/interact with followers
       —A fun peek at who you are as an author, a great training too, or the perfect promo or contest-hosting medium
       —Facebook is the #1 social media platform with 1.4 billion people
       —Facebook is looking to promote its video platform, so anyone who does Facebook Live initially will get lots of focus (and promotion) from Facebook
       —A great way to stack Amazon algorithms in your favor
       —Gives you confidence (after you do it; NOT before!)


3.)  THINGS YOU NEED IN ORDER TO DO FACEBOOK LIVE:
 
       —A device with camera (iPhone, iPad, other camera phone or device)
       —Strong Internet connection
       —A tripod to stabilize device(iPhone and/or an iPad Mini or similar device)
       —Notes on hand with welcome intro or whatever you are going to talk about
       —Decent hair/makeup (especially if you're 66 + look like death in the morning!)
       —Prayer and LOTS of guts!


4.)  HOW TO DO FACEBOOK LIVE:

       —Set your tripod up and double-check how you look on the camera
       —Put your phone or device on "Do Not Disturb" 
       —Clear out all your open apps as this drains battery and can slow you down
       —Login to your Facebook page and click on "Publish"
       —Click on "Live Video" (red video icon)
       —Click on "Describe your live video" and title or describe it 
       —Include up to five hash tags in description to increase traffic (i.e. #Christian fiction, #author interview, #romance books, #author, #books, #Facebook Live)
       —Tap "Go Live" button & you'll see your face, but you are not live yet! This is a safety net before you go live
       —Tap "Go Live" again, and countdown will begin 3 - 2 - 1 - YOU'RE LIVE!
       —If a commenter leaves or says an objectionable comment, you can tap their profile picture to block them and remove their comment
       —When your video is complete, simply tap "finish"


5.)  ADDITIONAL TIPS I LEARNED:

      —Video time limit 90 minutes; suggested time 30 minutes. Suggested minimum time for effective communication/interaction 5-10 minutes
      —You can choose your audience ahead of time (public, friends, etc.)
      —Don't wear a shirt that is too low because the Facebook screen cuts off at upper torso, so it can make you look like you're not wearing anything ;)
      —While you are live, you'll see total # of people who are watching, the names of your friends, and a live stream of comments coming in
      —Comment lag time is 30 seconds, so keep reminding your audience of that
      —Warn viewers the video can freeze up due to poor Internet connection on your side or on the viewer's side, so ask them to be patient
      —Any words/memes/books held up will appear backwards on FB Live
      —Facebook Live is very intimate because you're live close up to the viewer and they feel like it's just you and them, so it's a powerful medium for connecting
      —The mindset for Facebook Live should not focus on sales; it's for connecting with your readers, so BE FUN in whatever you do, be it teaching, chatting, or buzzing a new release 
      —Once video is completed, it'll remain on your page till you remove it
     —You can edit videos by choosing "thumbnail," "category," or "call to action"
      —Encourage viewers to subscribe to FB Live so you can connect with them
      —Promote your video ahead of time
      —If your Internet connection is not strong, you may lose connection, but try moving to a location with a stronger connection. FB Live will return when the Internet connection does. If the signal does not reconnect, then the partial video remains on your page till you delete or rebroadcast
      —Anyone who follows you will be notified whenever you go live
      —Post often to get in the swing of things and be creative
      —After the broadcast, you can check results by pressing the "analytics" button

And that's it! Trust me  — if I can do it, ANYONE can do it, so GO LIVE or GO HOME! ;) 

Hugs and Happy Videoing!
Julie

P.S. I lied — I apparently cannot do a SHORT Seeker blog. Sigh.

               _____________________________________________________

GIVEAWAY!  
Leave a comment or question on Julie's FB author page during the live video broadcast (between 8:00 and 8:30 AM on Wed., 8/9/17), and you are entered to win a $25 gift card and a character named after you in my next book. Leave a 2nd comment here on Seekerville, and you double your chances to win!


ABOUT CARA GRANDLE:

Cara Grandle is a Historical Christian Romance Novelist who prefers to write about the early settlers of the Pacific Northwest. She is represented by Karen Ball with the Steve Laube Agency. Cara leads the author4TheAuthor writers group on Facebook, home to 170 writers just like you. Together they're pressing back on busy and making a space for their dreams. Cara hosts a Writers Encouragement show weekly on Periscope. The show is on Tusesday mornings at 9:00am PST. Cara's Periscope show includes live, interactive author-interviews with leading Christian fiction novelist such as Katherine Reay, Kate Breslin, and Roseanna White, under the handle @CaraGrandle. She is a wife, mother of five, volleyball coach, planner junkie, calligrapher and high school Spanish teacher.