ICTS has assisted many UCT departments and faculties with setting up Microsoft Teams live events. We can now assist with broadcasting (aka livestreaming) these official UCT online events on departmental and faculty social media accounts. 

 

Who can access this service? 

Only UCT staff members can request assistance with broadcasting an official UCT live event. 

 

Associated costs 

ICTS charges an hourly rate for providing dedicated support for online events. Please view our current rates. 

 

Get assistance  

Step one: Set up your Microsoft Teams live event 

Request assistance from ICTS in setting up your Microsoft Teams Live event and indicate on the form that you would like it be livestreamed on your UCT social media account.

You need to submit your request at least two weeks before your event. This will allow the ICTS Classroom Support Services (CSS) team to plan accordingly and put the necessary support mechanisms in place and ensure that you event is successfully executed.  

Upon submitting your request, you will need to provide the contact details of the staff member who manages your department or faculty’s social media accounts. CSS will contact this individual prior to the event to discuss the process and ensure they know what is required from them. 

IMPORTANT 

  • Events will only be livestreamed on official departmental or faculty social media accounts. 
  • You are responsible for managing and monitoring your social media account during the event in case any questions or issues arise. ICTS will assist with any technical issues. 
  • ICTS will request source information from the applicable social media account to livestream the event. 

 

Step two: Livestream your live event on social media 

ICTS will manage the livestreaming technology in the backend, while it’s your responsibility to ensure that the information goes live on your preferred social media account. 

We recommend using either Facebook or Twitter for livestreaming. Due to both platforms frequently changing their user interfaces, we have provided guidelines on what steps need to be completed before your event can go live. 

Livestream on Twitter 

Livestream on Facebook 

 

Livestream your event on Twitter 

  1. Log on to your UCT Twitter account and navigate to the Media Studio. 
  2. Select Producer > Create broadcast. 
  3. In the Broadcast details dialog box enter the event information 
    • Broadcast name: title of the event 
    • How would you describe your event: Select Science and Education from the dropdown menu 
    • Source: either create a new source, or select an existing one  
      • To create a new source, enter 
        • Source name: the event name or location could be used 
        • Region: US East (N. Virginia) 
        • Click Create 
    • Provide the listed Stream key to the assisting CSS consultant, who will use it to pull the live event to your social media account and start the broadcast. 
  4. Once the source is entered, an image will appear on your Twitter page, indicating that the event is ready to be displayed on your Twitter account. 
  5. Select the applicable Audience (i.e., public or private) 
  6. Indicate if the event should start immediately or later 
    NOTE: we recommend selecting immediately, as you have more control if any issues occur. 
  7. Ensure the sound and image is displaying correctly and click Create broadcast. 
  8. A red LIVE block appears on the top left image of the incoming video. This indicates that the event is live but isn’t displaying on your Twitter feed yet. 
  9. Click Tweet below the image and enter the description and any hashtags. Click Tweet to post the event. 
  10. It will now appear in your Twitter feed as well as under Live Broadcasts on your dashboard. 

Once you receive confirmation from the CSS Consultant that the live event has ended, click End and confirm you want to End the event.  

After the livestream 
  1. After the livestream, your event will appear under the Ended Broadcasts dashboard. 
  2. Open the event and click the Analytics tab which provides an overview of the broadcast: 
    • Minutes Watched  
    • Views 
    • Viewers 
    • Live view and replay details 
    • Live broadcast viewers 
    • Audience insights (devices used, and from which country) 

This information can assist you in tracking the performance of your events and determine which ones are more popular. 

 

Livestream your event on Facebook 

  1. Log on to your Facebook page and under Create post, click Live. 
  2. In the Go live section, enable Create a test broadcast before going live and click Select. 
  3. Upon creating a live video, you need to complete three steps: 
    • Connect video source 
      • Select Streaming software and copy the provided Stream key, which must be sent to the CSS consultant. 
      • Under Advanced Settings ensure that Persistent stream key is enabled. This is an important step, as it prevents the stream key from resetting and stopping the livestream.  
      • While the source is connecting a Connecting live video message appears. 
      • The image appears and is ready for the next step. 
    • Click Add post details and in the Create Post dialog box enter: 
      • Title: event name 
      • Description: event overview 
      • Click Save 
    • Select Audience settings and populate the provided fields: 
      • Minimum age: either select the provided age groups or Public 
      • Allow selected locations: if applicable 
        • If selected, provide applicable locations 
    • Restrict selected locations: if applicable 
      • If selected, provide applicable locations 
    • Click Save 
    • Click Dashboard > Comments & chat settings > Settings to manage who can participate in the chat and comments section, whether links can be shared by participants, what keywords should be blocked and to enable the profanity filter. 
    • Click Settings > Viewer settings to set 
      • if viewers can rewind live videos, or if they should watch from where they joined 
      • Turn on auto-generated captions: we recommend disabling this option 
      • Allow viewers to message you via Messenger 
    • Select Interactivity to manage any polls or questions you may have for the audience. 
  4. Once you have completed the relevant fields, click the Go live button at the bottom of the page. 
  5. A red LIVE block appears in the top left corner of the video, indicating that the event is now live on Facebook. 
  6. Once the event ends, it will automatically end on Facebook. 

 

Recommendations for livestreaming on social media 

  • Always do a dry run before the event, to populate any information that you already have and to ensure there have been no new changes to the user interface. 
  • Start the event five minutes before the time to ensure that the event is displaying correctly. 
  • Create a welcome and closing screen, which can be displayed at the start and end of an event. 
  • Schedule the event to start immediately instead of later, as you have more control over what happens. 
  • You can change any of the social media settings during the event. 
  • It is recommended that the social media manager be part of the livestreaming production team to monitor and publish any questions that may come in via social media.