Guide to some of the leading online video platforms

Article written by Gary Lafferty (C) 23 March 2020.

Many instructors are now having to traverse the world of video-conferencing and other such technologies as they seek to try & stay in touch with their classes.

There are two distinct options here:

Pre-recorded Videos

Live Streaming (Live lessons)

Let’s tackle them in that order.


PRE-RECORDED VIDEOS

The advantages of this are that your dancers can watch & learn at a time of their choosing, and these are less prone to broadband/ internet connectivity issues.

It would be beneficial to determine in advance whether you plan to offer just a demo of the dance, just a teach, or both combined.

NOTE: We will be producing a guide on recording your class videos soon.

1. Facebook - visit

You can post them directly onto Facebook, so that anyone on your Friends can watch at any time (or anyone at all if you make the post Public)

You can post them in a Facebook Group – only members will be able to view them

By creating a Facebook Group, you can control membership – and determine whether you want to charge for entry to the group. (We recommend that people pay via PayPal if you intend to monetise this process, or bank transfer!)

Be aware that music copyright can cause the audio to be muted – a suggestion would be to use artist tracks, which are available for members of Everything Line Dance free of charge.


2. YouTube - visit

You can publish them on YouTube so that anyone can watch them. If you have subscribers to your Channel, they will receive a notification that you’ve uploaded a new video

You can change the privacy setting on a video so that only people with the link can view it – this means that your video won’t be included in search results. note: The link can be passed on by anyone who has it, so viewing is not as restricted as Facebook.

Be aware that music copyright can cause the video to become unavailable.


3. Vimeo - visit

Similar to YouTube, but more restrictive about the amount of videos you can upload using a Basic account

Chargeable accounts allow you to upload more content – and you can also charge to watch a video.


4. Whatsapp - visit

Basic but it works! Simply send the video over Whatsapp to a specific group of recipients.


ONLINE STREAMING (LIVE LESSONS)

1. Facebook Live - visit

It’s as simple as selecting the Live option as your status.

Friends will receive a notification that you are live streaming.

The audience can be anyone on your Friends list.

The video will be saved after the Live Stream ends so it can be watched again. You may wish to go Live in a Facebook Group to restrict the audience – and again, you could charge for membership. (more on charges coming soon).


2. Facebook Video Call - visit

In Messenger, create a group chat containing all the contacts you want to be on the live call.

Click the video button to start the call. Each person in the group chat will see an Incoming Call message – they click on that to answer.

The audience is restricted to who you’ve added in the Group Chat. (You could also charge to be part of this)

The video is not saved after the call ends – so it cannot be watched at a later date

3. YouTube Live Stream - visit

This is only available with a paid subscription (not Vimeo Basic).

We don’t have detailed instructions for this but there are many tutorials available online.


4. Vimeo Live Stream - visit

Basic but it works! Simply send the video over Whatsapp to a specific group of recipients.

We don’t have detailed instructions for this but there are many tutorials available online.


4. Zoom - visit

This is a business-focused video conferencing tool but can be used for online classes.

Each “meeting” has a restricted audience depending on who you invite to attend.

All dancers must have already downloaded & installed the Zoom software in order to take part.

Each “meeting” can host up to 100 people, but the Free account only allows meetings of up to 40 minutes in length. (Unlimited-length meetings are available with a Paid subscription).

Please click here to read a detailed guide on using Zoom – Video tutorial here


Article written by Gary Lafferty (C) 23 March 2020.

FURTHER READING

BUSINESS SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR LINE DANCE INSTRUCTORS



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