YouTube facing up to Facebook

YouTube gets into Live Streaming, introducing Go Live

Facebook finally meet someone its own size! YouTube.


Live Streamers on YouTube, California's Merrell Twins.

YouTube just rolled out some new functionality – the ability to stream live from your mobile phone. With hours of live, in-the-moment content available at their fingertips, YouTube fans can now watch their favourite personalities like California's Merrell Twins shown above in a YouTube Go-Live stream. What does this mean to parents? Caution. There's no bleep button, there is no moderator, no 5 second delay, its a live stream from anyone to everyone.

We checked into it and for the moment its only YouTube personalities with 10,000 subscribers or more can use it. But road testing is finishing up at the moment and full roll out is scheduled for 2017. That’s live streaming from any phone, anywhere for everyone on YouTube. So that Facebook and YouTube both offering live streaming.

After starting with an initial test of YouTube personalities, they are now challenging Facebook for the live streaming crown. While this feature is currently only available to channels with over 10,000 subscribers, by the end of 2017 anyone will be able to live stream from their phone. Find out why this matters to your kids – and what you should be on the lookout for.

GO LIVE

What does it mean to go live? Going live is the term used for live streaming on social media, whether on YouTube, Facebook, Periscope, Instagram or Snapchat. Live streaming content can vary based on platform and personality but each stream is happening in the moment.

Download our free e-safety E-Book

Is it important. Yes, Very.

Lots of people are live streaming these days, much of the content is click bait, social media types chasing more audience with even more drivel. News outlets, micro celebrities, politicians, your next-door neighbour. People are sharing their life moments with friends, family and even strangers. As a parent, this can be concerning, to say the least.

Keeping a watch on social media is a huge task, but the added unpredictability and potential pitfulls of live streaming – whether what your child is watching or what they’re sharing – live streaming poses a unique challenge.

While YouTube Live is not available to everyone right now, there are plans for all users to have access to mobile live streaming later in 2017. Their tagline of “Go Live. Anywhere. For Any Reason” is reason enough to pause.

Fortunately parental control option can help parents meet the challenge. Remember its not Apple, Samsung or YouTube’s job to manage this for us. Its your responsibility as an adult.

It's a Business.

Driving all of this is money of course and of course Google / YouTube (remember Google owns YouTube) are master at squeezing a dime out of something. YouTube have an army of personalities, building revenue streams everywhere, serving you interesting content and adverts built to your taste. And they were first so Facebook will probably never catch up.

YouTube courts and treats its stars like Rock stars, has been sharing revenue with them for years. So they know how to do this i.e. get right into your face.

Facebook VS. YouTube.

You can be sure that the content on YouTube will be slicker better produced content designed for purpose, with real money backing it up. Money seeks a return which makes much more likely to be much more effective.

In Live streaming, Facebook has been the platform of choice for most users over the 15 months or so. Everyone on Facebook is able to “go live” on Facebook and users can live stream with ease. This has given rise to off-the-cuff, unproduced live streams with the main audience Primarily, YouTube is used by searching for specific content from users looking for tips or how-to advice.

The good news in YouTube hitting the trail here the content is likely to be more finished and elegant. YouTube has been the leading source for video for the past decade, their production standards are higher and YouTubers creating content are simply smarter. The exciting thing about YouTube Live is that now your child’s favourite personalities can feel more “real” and accessible, like the popular Merrell Twins.

A word to Parents.

So your child has the opportunity to “go live”, regardless of social platform exercise real caution. As with all social media, once something is posted, it lives forever, so it’s important to monitor all social media and online activity using parental control software.

Kids are creating a digital picture of themselves to last a lifetime, a digital reputation ultimately their online reputation which will determine their future, jobs, success. There is now 3 kids per child in your house, your kid, the kid their friends know & the digital one viewable by all online, possibly the only one that matters.

BeSecureOnline - Internet Security Software and Online Safety UK

Here at BeSecureonline.co.uk we are leading partners for F-Secure. We sell F-Secure SAFE in the UK and we also sell F Secure SAFE in Ireland. BeSecureOnline.co.uk in based in London and Dublin selling SAFE from F-Secure and F-Secure Windows Internet security.

We sell and support online safety software including parental control software. We also sell the low cost Windows F-Secure 'Internet security' for windows only. For privacy we have the VPN software F Secure FREEDOME.

CONTACT US:

YouTube http://tinyurl.com/gmqqxzh 
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BeSecureOnline.co.uk
Twitter  @BeSecureOnline1
Instagram:   besecureonline

Comments are closed for this post, but if you have spotted an error or have additional info that you think should be in this post, feel free to contact us.

Subscription

Get the latest updates in your email box automatically.

Search

Archive