HOW TO prepare your guest for a live web show
- 22 Comment
I’m always learning. Today I had a live (and last minute I might mention) web show that a took a turn for the…weird. It was a perfect storm of miscommunication, lack of knowledge about web tools, etc. Hey, we all make mistakes. When something like this happens, the first thing I do is figure out how to ensure it will not happen again. Enter the “live web show preparation guide.” This is a document I will now send to EVERY guest who joins in from a remote location. I share it with you in the hopes it will prevent others from making a similar mistake. I’m also a firm believer of sharing content like this so no one needs to reinvent the wheel.
If you do a live show on Ustream (or any web platform), you may want to beg, borrow and steal these tips to share with your interviewees. Copy, paste, add your logo and create a PDF. Voila!
INTRO:
Thank you for agreeing to be a guest on <insert show name>. Using video is a great way to interact with an audience and to generate engaging content. To ensure a live web show goes as smoothly as possible for both parties, it’s important to understand the tools you’ll use.
If you’ve received this guide it’s because you and <show host name> will not be in the same room for the interview. That means a few things on your end need to happen for the show to come to life.
T H E T O O L S
What you’ll need:
- Computer
- Web cam
- High speed Internet connection
- Quiet area
- Good lighting
- Ear buds
- A Ustream channel
NOTE: Change out this portion to reflect the web platform you use.
U S T R E A M . T V
Don’t have a Ustream channel? You will need one for this interview, even if you’ll never use it again. Follow these steps to create your account (you can always delete it after the show):
- Go to: http://ustream.tv
- Select “sign up” in the upper right hand corner
- If you have a Facebook account, you can click “Connect with Facebok”
- If you do not have a Facebook account or do not want to link your Facebook account, complete the required fields
- Click Submit
- Go to the email account you used to register and click the verify email address message
- Under “QUICK LINKS” click on “Create a show” (SEND THE SHOW NAME TO <insert host name>)
H O W T O J O I N A S A G U E S T
The day of the show you’ll want to sign in to your Ustream account at least 45 minutes before the show. This will give you a chance to work out any issues before the live show. Here’s how you will become a guest of the show:
- Go to http://ustream.tv
- Log in with your username and password
- Click “Broadcast Now”
- Another dialogue box will pop up (DO NOT CLOSE IT)
- You will be prompted to allow Ustream to use your web cam and audio (SELECT “ALLOW”)
- You should now see yourself on camera (IT IS NOT LIVE YET)
- Check the angle of your web cam and lighting to make sure you look your best
- In the lower half of the page, CLICK ON AUDIENCE TOOLS
- Select “Pick a live Ustream show as cohost”
- Copy and paste this link in “Enter channel URL” <enter your channel URL>
- Click “Search”
- Select <insert your show name> show and click “invite”
- Click on “start broadcast”
- CLOSE OUT OF THE USTREAM WEB PAGE (not the new page that popped up)
- <insert show host name> will already be signed on and ready to test audio and video
with you - <insert show host name> will take care of starting and ending the broadcast and recording
T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G
Just prior to the show you should do the following:
- Clear your browser’s cookies
- Close out of ANY additional programs, web browsers, etc.
- Filter out any background noise
- Turn off mobile phones, pagers (or turn to silent)
- Plug in your ear buds to the headphone jack on your computer
22 Comments on this post
Trackbacks
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Jacqueline said:
This is brilliant – thank you so much for sharing this.
March 26th, 2010 at 1:13 am -
Jane said:
Nicely done!
March 26th, 2010 at 11:30 am -
Heather Whaling said:
Sarah,
What a great resource — thanks for
compiling and for sharing with all of us!BTW, I love all the video stuff you’ve been doing lately.
Heather
@prTiniMarch 27th, 2010 at 8:46 am -
Eye Drop said:
Yah, this is very good idea. Everybody can follow your suggests.
March 28th, 2010 at 1:34 am -
b2b marketing said:
that site works really well!
March 29th, 2010 at 8:40 am -
PRsarahevans said:
Thanks to all!
March 29th, 2010 at 9:35 pm -
portable sauna said:
Thanks that really helps.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:29 pm -
orumcek stand roll up said:
Thanks for the explanation..
March 31st, 2010 at 7:21 pm -
Turkey said:
Preparing for the average concurrent web show, thanks for the information on.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:24 am -
used tires said:
I’m planning to do this in a few weeks and was meaning to search for a tutorial so thanks.
Till then,
Jean
April 1st, 2010 at 5:09 am -
wholesale handbags said:
Nice job Sarah, I really impressed with this channel services and thanks for found. I’m hoping to join it for a web show in near future. Many thanks! Lisa.
April 1st, 2010 at 6:29 am -
Laptop Carrying Cases said:
Great resources Sarah. The last thing you want with a live web show is easily avoidable problems. Preparing your guests is crucial. For important live web shows I would even consider doing a test run just to ensure everything will run smoothly. You don’t have to do the full interview/show, but just do a quick run through of the full setup.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:41 pm -
books buy back said:
Wow, the added stress of doing a live show you got to prepare so much more. I like doing retakes so I haven’t been brave enough to go Live yet. But this gives me something to consider.
April 1st, 2010 at 5:36 pm -
Outdoor Cat Enclosures said:
Excellent advice Sarah. I have always wondered about which equipment I would need to be able to conduct a live web show and now I know! Your information is always so good and easy to follow – It is a joy to read.
April 1st, 2010 at 10:39 pm -
Cheap SSL said:
That is excellent idea – Thanks for great sharing.
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:33 am -
Porno said:
awww.. thats amazing..
April 4th, 2010 at 12:04 pm -
link said:
Thank you very much for the detailed instructions. Now I can do a live web show (I hope).
April 5th, 2010 at 9:38 pm -
used tires said:
Another important tip I picked up recently is that you must ‘become’ your audience. It helps your show engaging and relative.
Till then,
Jean
April 8th, 2010 at 9:38 am -
Catering Florida said:
YEs first time such mistakes may happens by any one but its really good you providing us material for perfect live web show. Thx
April 13th, 2010 at 2:40 am -
Migraine Causes said:
Also it is something which i won’t use but it is good to get some information about it
April 13th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
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