How to Host a Live Webcast
Webcasting live opens the opportunity of television without a net to the masses. No longer do you need to spend years in broadcasting school and working your way up the ranks to become a successful live television host. All you need is a webcam, a microphone, a high-speed Internet connection and a membership at any number of free webcast servers. Hosting your own live webcast requires no special technical know-how, as these free servers handle all those pesky technical details. All you have to do is prepare to be a host.
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Instructions
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Set up your webcam and microphone. If your computer does not have an internal microphone or webcam, plug your external webcam and microphone in. The webcam will connect to the USB port or IEEE 1394 interface, while the microphone connects to the line-in jack.
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Sign up for a webcasting service. There are three major webcasting services on the Internet: UStream, Stickam and Livestream. All come in free and premium versions. The free versions come with everything you need to start streaming live right away, while the premium versions offer a commercial-free stream, unlimited bandwidth and high-definition broadcasting.
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Prepare your content. Live webcasts are like live television in that you never know what is going to happen. Still, some preparation is in order. You can do this either by writing a script in advance or by writing an outline. The script has the advantage of giving you all of your content in advance. An outline can be more helpful in maintaining fluidity of content, livening up your live webcast.
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Start broadcasting. Sign in to your webcasting service. Then click the broadcasting button. This is "Broadcast Now" on the upper right-hand corner of UStream and Livestream, and "Go Live" on the upper right-hand corner of Stickam. The sites will then walk you through the steps of starting up your broadcast. Give the sites all the permissions they need to stream your webcam.
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Embed your live webcast. All three services are embeddable. This means there is a string of code you can paste into your website or blog to let people who are not members of these services view your live webcast. Cut and paste the entire string of code into the website or blog of your choice.
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Tips & Warnings
Prepare for the unexpected, particularly if you have a guest.
