Swimming in the deep end the first time evokes both bravery and fear in any kid. My first YouTube livestreaming attempt last night did the same.
It started out a bit rocky. Really rocky.
I had the stream scheduled for 7:30PM and thought I knew what I was doing after consulting with a fellow YouTuber, watching a few videos and even reading up (do people still read?) on the subject. Problem was I had learned how to initiate ad-hoc, or immediate livestreams, not pre-scheduled ones. Apparently the latter require the download of some third-party software, a password, and some sort of encryption key, whatever the hell that is.
My big moment was upon me. The iPhone hotspot was activated, the laptop, external mic and LED light panels were on and working, and surprisingly my internet signal in the all metal building was strong. All was well...
At 7:25 PM I entered the livestream room and found eight people waiting for me to fill them with a plethora of audio-visual nonsense. Yay! What could go wrong Mr. Murphy?
I pushed the GO button. Instead of connecting with eight soon-to-be friends, I got the message that I had a half-dozen steps to go that I knew absolutely nothing about, and after fiddling about for a good ten minutes (making zero progress), I begged forgiveness from my eight jurists and bowed out with my tail between my legs, promising to reschedule as soon as I returned from the basement of the ignorant.
Then, in a blinding glimpse of the obvious, I realize I can simply fire up an ad-hoc livestream-on-demand like I had practiced before!
BOOM.
Amazingly, the next hour was a huge improvement over the prior ten minutes. Eighty-four folks visited the livestream (up to 21 at one time, which is about 20 more than I thought I might have) and all went without a hitch. I had a great time and it appeared those on the other end didn't hate the experience as no one ran screaming into the night.
So I've got more learning to do but this livestream stuff is definitely a good thing. I think repeats are order every 3-4 weeks assuming I have worthwhile topics on the plate and enough Guinea pigs are willing to be subjected to my drivel.
And a huge thank you to everyone who hopped on for the ride. You made my night.
-Tripp
