Every social media website out there now has some form of streaming of a live video feed. YouTube is the same. YouTube Live allows those who have a YouTube channel to live stream a video for as long as they want as long as the internet connection is not interrupted.
A live stream on YouTube is a video that plays live and allows the viewers to comment while the video is playing. There is no time limit for your live stream. Some live streams go for 24 hours 7 days a week. Others can last only 10 minutes. It is all up to you how long your video is streamed for.
Once your live stream has ended, it will save as a video on your YouTube channel with the full length of the video you streamed. YouTube also allows you to add a thumbnail to your live stream. In order to start live streaming, there are a few things that you need to set up.
First thing YouTube recommends you do is verify your account. YouTube will guide you step by step through the process of verifying your account. After your account has been verified, you will have to check that you have no live stream restrictions. Live stream restrictions last for 90 days and occur when a live stream has copyright infringements, been blocked globally, or your channel has received a community guidelines strike. The strikes occur when the community guidelines have been violated. For example, if your channel produces graphic and sexual content, your channel will receive a community guidelines strike.
Live streaming with YouTube can be done on your desktop computer, laptop, or on your mobile device. For your laptop or desktop computer, the live stream option can be found under “Creator Studio Tools”. It will say “Live Streaming.” For your mobile device, you must download the YouTube mobile app. The app is compatible with both Apple and Android devices and is free to download and use. There is an option on the app to live stream called “Create a Live Stream”.
There are three options you can choose to live stream. One option is to set up an “event”. This option gives you more control over your stream. You can preview your stream before you go live, you can also start and stop the stream whenever you want. Another way to stream is “stream now”. “Stream now” starts the stream immediately and stops it automatically at the right time for you. “Event” and “stream now” are both options for the desktop or laptop. The mobile way of streaming is called “mobile”. It works exactly the same as “stream now” on desktop.
Live streaming is a convenient and simple way to stream a presentation or event to the public who could not attend in person. This can be applied for business purposes, but also for personal reasons, such as a family special celebration where family overseas could not attend. In any case, live streaming is another way to get your content out to the right audience.