Live Streaming: Hollywood Production Value Or Good Enough For Learning

It’s the end of the (meetings) world as we know it. ~ Paraphrase, R.E.M.

“This might be the beginning of the end…and the dawn of a new era in which people think recorded video as passé and demand live streaming of events,” says Priya Ramesh on The Buzz Bin Blog

YouTube Going Live

“With over 2 billion views a day, it’s easy to think about YouTube as a place to watch videos recorded in the past. But you’ve told us you want more – and that includes events taking place right now,” says YouTube’s Joshua Siegel and Christopher Hamilton. 

Enter YouTube Live.

Now you can use YouTube for recorded and live streams from your conference or event. Since the average person spends 15 minutes a day on YouTube, think about the impact of your event live stream on YouTube. 

Slick Production Or Good Enough?

Most people who think about live streaming from their conference struggle with this question:

 Do we go with a polished, high-end Hollywood-style produced live stream or a do it yourself, just good enough version?

The quick and easy answer is: it depends on your budget. If you have an extra $10,000 available, you can hire a third-party team to create a slick, sophisticated, refined live stream. Or you can DIY for less than $1,000.

Ultimately, it depends on your goal. If you goal is to provide information that leads to education and learning, “Good Enough Video” may be the right choice for you.

8 Traits Of Good Enough Video & Live Streaming

Learning expert Elliot Masie says that people have shifted their expectations for the production quality of video used for learning.

About 18 months ago, people expected corporate training videos to be refined and sophisticated. As more of us have watched YouTube videos, our expectations for Hollywood-produced videos have declined. We now watch short, to-the-point, homemade videos. 

Masie says that if learning is the goal, learners thrive on “Good Enough Video.” 

Here are eight traits of “Good Enough Video & Live Streaming,” five of which Masie identifies. 

  1. Authentic
    There is something honest and genuine about homemade, good enough videos. They validate our experiences and depict realistic life.
  2. Real-Time Speed
    They reflect the most current and up-to-date changes and observations.
  3. Voice Of The Field
    The voice of practitioners feels more legitimate and above-board than the smooze and spin of headquarters.
  4. Duration
    They get to the point faster with less pomp and circumstance. Often recordings are reduced to short chunks to aid learning instead of 30-, 60- or 90-minute sessions.
  5. Quantity
    Due to lower production costs and overhead, there is a wide range for learners to choose.
  6. Rankable
    Viewers are able to rank these videos and live streams. The best and most viral rise to the top.
  7. Shareable And Spreadable
    Viewers are able to share and spread its message when not located behind a fire wall. They can embed the videos on their blog, Facebook page and share via other social networks.
  8. Good Audio
    More than the visuals, the audio needs to be of high quality. 
How will “Good Enough Video” impact your conference or event? What are the pros and cons of using a third party vendor to produce your live stream?
 
 

 

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5 comments
  1. Sam Smith says:

    Jeff & Dave,

    Your REM video baited me into commenting. Love REM! Always have. Always will.

    Two things:

    First, the Youtube announcement is big news. I read about it first in this post. (thanks for leading the conversation!) My first reaction is that I would like to have my “free” conference proceedings that I am using to give people a “taste” of my event on YouTube. I like the idea of having my marketing videos in both YouTube & Google’s search engines. This way, if my event ends up in the search – people can watch all of my marketing videos in one place on my “conference channel” – I like that idea.

    Second, I don’t agree with your conclusion on Elliott Massie’s link. In my opinion, he is suggesting that the use of video for “asynchronous” learning can be “just good enough.” I agree with his analysis.

    In my opinion, this is very different from Live Streamed (“synchronous”) conference proceedings that last from 30 minutes to several hours. In the case of livestreaming, I think that you want to make sure that you are creating engaging content and a compelling experience for your remote participants. I think that you want to look at layered engagement strategies.

    However, as you say – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Ray Hansen and I proved that last summer at #ECTC10. Recently, I discovered that the TED people have offered several tips on how to create compelling video content like they do: (http://t.co/GfbZj8b) – if you follow the link, you can see how they recommend several different production strategies depending on your budget & resources.

    Ok- I will get off my soap box now. Thanks for your daily blog, news and great information. I always appreciate it.

    – Sam

    PS – I did watch the REM video above – twice!

  2. Dave Will says:

    Loved this blog, Jeff. You got me thinking about a lot of things and that’s what I love about your blogs. I wanted to emphasize a key point. The most difficult part about DIY webcasting and conference recording is the audio. There are a lot of options in between the $1000 DIY and the $10000 professional production. Often times, DIY can bite you. Working with professionals should be considered in the process. Just my biased 2 cents.

    1. Jeff Hurt says:

      ‘@Sam
      Yeah, the REM YouTube video was a keeper. I watched it several times too.

      Your EventCamp Twin Cities is the perfect example of how to DIY live streaming, with all the nice additions too.

      I can see your perspective of Massie’s thoughts about video. I actually think it can apply to synchronous streaming as well. For example, often a general session is full of organization hype and marketing materials. No reason to live stream all of that and bore a remote audience. Wait until the presenter hits the stage and live stream their 20 minute presentation.

      I’ve also set in many organizational mandated training programs that the entire staff watched a 10 minute video at the same time. Then we discussed followed by 10 minute video. And, I had staff trainings that were done the same way with satellite programming, all live streamed from a government headquarters.

      @Dave
      You are so righ! Audio is imperative. When I wrote the post, I was assuming that conference organizers were already using sound and image magnification so they were already taking care of that issue. Thanks for highlighting it though. IMO, iaudio magnification and/or capture is always needed for F2F and live streaming for sure.

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