How to livestream your next event

6. STREAMING SOFTWARE. Some options are free, which is good for people or organizations on a budget. You can go live on Facebook or YouTube directly from your phone or computer webcam and

from other social media platforms, such as the microblogging site Twitter and the livestream gaming site Twitch. FACEBOOK will let you connect a camera directly through its app to go live.

On Facebook's mobile app, tap the LIVE button underneath where you post content. Hit GO LIVE and you’ll see a countdown prompt from 3, 2, 1 — and you’re on the web. Click the X when

you’re done. From a computer, make sure you’re signed into your Facebook group’s page or your own and select LIVE VIDEO. You’ll be walked through the steps to GO LIVE immediately or to 

CREATE A LIVE VIDEO EVENT that you can schedule and make public later. YOUTUBE, unlike Facebook, has no membership requirements or registration to watch a video. However, the platform has

restrictions on those who post, so livestreaming on your channel could be turned off. Be sure to familiarize yourself with all of YouTube’s rules before you begin. • TO LIVESTREAM FROM A

SMARTPHONE, you’ll need at least 50 subscribers to your channel. On the YouTube app, go to the bottom and tap CREATE | GO LIVE. To stream your phone’s screen, tap CREATE CHANNEL | SHARE

SCREEN | GO LIVE. Hit FINISH when you’re done. • TO LIVESTREAM FROM A LAPTOP, open YouTube, click CREATE | GO LIVE and eventually FINISH. • IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME you and your group have

made livestreaming video available either through mobile or a laptop, YouTube requires that a channel be verified in a two-step process, which the company says could take up to 24 hours.

You’ll need to do this only once. If you’re connecting an extra camera or a microphone, you might need to use an encoder — software that companies have developed in cooperation with YouTube.

Be sure to test everything before the big event, which is always a good idea no matter what, when and where you decide to livestream. A host of streaming apps, including ECAMM Live,

Restream.io and StreamYard, can help you connect to multiple platforms at once. The programs also let you conduct remote interviews during a broadcast and bring in multiple guests. Pricing

starts at $16 a month for ECAMM and Restream.io and $20 a month for StreamYard. ONE FINAL TIP: Make sure your computer cord is long enough to connect to your camera easily with some lag. At

a recent local school board candidate debate that I covered, my 6-foot cord wasn’t long enough to link the laptop and camera. At one point, the cord got knocked out — and the livestream feed

along with it.