Mobile Conference Recap!

I had the pleasure of attending the Mobile Me & You 2 Conference in Chicago, IL this weekend, learning about the latest innovations in mobile media. Several graduate students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were able to attend, as UNL was a sponsor of the conference. 

Andy Boyle, of NBC Digital, and Kurt Gessler, Deputy Editor of Digital News at Chicago Tribune, presented at the conference at the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications in Chicago, IL on October 29, 2016. 

Boyle and Gessler presented about how to evaluate your new mobile app or product. “You need to have a plan. What is success? What is failure? How do you define success? Is it traffic? Impact? Money? Ads served? Downloads? Subscriptions?” asked Boyle. He explained that you generally need to know your metric for evaluation first before proceeding. Boyle stated that the ultimate goal for most project-level work, though, has to be impact.  

“Don’t assume you know who the audience is or what type of mobile device they are using,” emphasized Boyle. He gave an example of this when the Chicago Tribune thought they knew their audience didn’t use tablets, only to find out 50% of the app’s use was on tablets.  

Boyle and Gessler also offered more advice to the audience about mobile apps, such as the importance of giving fewer decision options to your audience, and updating your applications and website because the digital space changes so quickly.

They also talked about how crucial it is to offer your craziest ideas first, they don’t need to be grounded in reality. Pitch the ideas and other team members will think how they can build on it. Don’t be afraid to fail due to the risk that management could say “no” to an idea. To avoid rejection, getting buy-in from executives early on can help garner that support in advance.

Boyle closed the presentation with a quote from Bob Woodward on the timely topic of working with management to move ideas forward: “All good work is done in deviance of management.”

We are live!

Live video streaming has become a hugely popular piece of social content among organizations in 2016, especially at higher education institutions. The opportunity to share what we are doing with everyone we know right now through video is unprecedented, but was a matter of time when observing the digital landscape. The personable connection that we are able to establish with an audience through this format is incredible. From Q&As to events, the possibilities with live video are endless and so valuable in order to connect to our communities.

When Periscope launched last year, it caused large and small businesses to consider how to integrate live video into their social media strategy. Facebook Live then launched last spring, which has greatly increased the amount of users and uses for live streaming. The circumstances we are live streaming have evolved too, starting from the top, down. This weekend I watched Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg live streaming from his backyard, where he was grilling ribs with friends in anticipation of the Presidential Debate. I expected him to have a distinct purpose for the live stream, some announcement or conversation planned. I was surprised to discover that he didn't have a hidden agenda, he was simply live streaming to showcase the variety of situations users can connect with others through streaming. After introducing his dog and friends, rotating his ribs, and giving shoutouts to commenters around the world, he signed off to eat before the debate. This Live Video garnered over NINE MILLION views. Granted, 82 MILLION people follow Zuckerberg on Facebook, so nine million views on his live video doesn't seem as extreme in perspective. But as Zuckerberg noted, "THIS is what Facebook Live Video is for!" Which caused me to reflect, is it? What is, and what isn't, live streaming for? Does it depend on the live streamer, and the audience? 

I have live streamed several different scenarios at the University of Nebraska Medical Center through Periscope and Facebook Live Video. Periscope worked well at first, especially because it integrates into Twitter so well, but because our community is more prominently on Facebook, Live Video was highly anticipated. Once the feature was launched, Facebook announced that it would give priority to Live Video, an added incentive to use the platform over Periscope and Twitter. Our first Live Video on Facebook was our Match Day ceremony in March, which reached 50K people, with almost 5K views. With less than 120 medical students matching at the ceremony, this live stream was a success as we were able to reach a large amount of people and keep their attention for an average of almost five minutes.

Most of our following Facebook Live Videos has been at events on campus, but there are so many situations where live video could fit into the social strategy for higher education institutions. Today I live streamed at a grand opening ceremony, using the Switcher Studio app for the first time. This app allows you to switch between multiple camera angles on several devices, enhancing the viewing experience without adding large production costs on your part. The user experience is a little confusing, but once you get it up and running, it’s very effective to fully capture an event from various vantage points. All devices must be on the same WiFi network in order to work correctly, and the app has to be purchased beyond the seven-day trial. Instead of the default square frame offered by Facebook, Switcher Studio streams your full frame in landscape model. I would definitely recommend it if you have the time to test it out beforehand! 

How are you effectively incorporating live streamed video into your social media content at your university? What were the results? Tell me in the comments below!