5 Things I’ve Learned After My First Facebook Live

Maxine Gatchalian
Jul 21, 2017 · 2 min read

So for my PUBLISH class we had to make an FB Live video….

I’ve never done a live video before so of course I was nervous but I knew from the very beginning that it was going to be a great learning experience.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned:

1. Know the Right Settings

If there was a list of mistakes for FB live newbies, I probably ticked off everything on that list… From landscape to portrait to landscape camera settings. I just couldn’t get it right. I even had to make several test runs to make sure it was in the right settings.

Here’s my test run video:

2. Your Guest Will Say Anything and Everything

My guest for the live show was my little sister, Amanda. It was a good idea to have her as a guest since she still has the “cute” factor but also says the sassiest things. From calling out people in the comments to telling me that the interview was getting boring (in a sarcastic way of course).. she kept me on my toes.

3. It Will Be Awkward

That’s right. The awkwardness was inevitable. Since it was a live show, I wanted it to be as spontaneous as possible to keep it light and interesting. However, letting everything flow and not having a script can make things awkward sometimes. There were a lot of silent moments and moments where I honestly didn’t know what to do.

I also noticed that Amanda was very shy at the beginning of the show. But as the video went by we were both more comfortable. That’s why I went a little over 30 minutes to see where the show can go. Also, I noticed that the longer the video, the more views I got.

4. Good Internet is NOT Enough (you’ll need the best of the best)

I thought that my internet connection was good enough and boy was I wrong. I had a few instances where the video had to pause for a bit (which was bound to happen). Despite the fair internet connection, sadly, the quality of the video and audio wasn’t very good.

5. This Will Not Be My Last

I honestly enjoyed this FB live activity. Despite the awkwardness and poor video quality, I enjoyed virtually talking to my friends and family who watched and supported me. I also liked that I was able to spend time with my younger sister who I don’t get to hang out with as much. So yes, this will not be my last FB live video. Who knows, I might have another one in the near future.


Watch my first ever Facebook live here:

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