I've done a little homework on webcasting and if we decide to go this route I think the best option available is USTREAM. USTREAM is a web-based, interactive broadcast platform that allows you stream live audio and video from your PC. It has everything we need, it's fairly easy to set up, and it's free.
Features:
- Free web hosting - will broadcast and archive our event for free
- Interactivity - viewers can interact via web chat or Twitter
- Customization - can customize the look of our USTREAM page
- Portability - can embed the live video and chat module right on our own website
- Audience control - we can create a login to limit the audience to registered attendees (however, since we're not broadcasting the entire conference I think it should be open to all)
- Audience-building - includes audience-building tools to help promote our event on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
- Statistics - records the number of views/attendees
While broadcasting is free, we'll still need to figure out how to get the necessary A/V equipment. (Can the Grad Center supply it?) Depending on cost and the availability of funds, LACUNY might agree to front the money.
Equipment Needed:
- Laptop PC ~$600-$800
- Wireless Mic ~$100-$125 (we may be able to skip this if there is a way to capture the audio output from the speaker system)
- Digital Camcorder (w/ firewire) ~$500-$700
- Tripod ~$50-$60
And of course we'll need a high speed Internet connection and someone (maybe two) to run the show (i.e., set up, work the camera, moderate the chat, etc.).
I've taken the liberty of setting up a USTREAM account for testing. Our page is located at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Library-Leadership-The-Next-Generation
If there's an interest, I can run a test broadcast from CSI so we can get a better sense of how this all works.
~ Joe
Adding on....
Adding to this post, because what I have is too long for a comment....
First, thanks Joe for investigating the options. I just chatted with my brother, Scott, who is an Instructional Technology Specialist in a Texas school district, about Ustream.
A little background before the chat transcript - his school district was one of the first to report cases of swine flu these past weeks, and they closed for a while. During the closure, he worked with the Superintendent to keep the community updated via Twitter, podcasts, and webcasts. He used Ustream for the webcasting, and here is what he had to say about it:
Scott: we used it last week to stream our press briefings
me: AHA! So, what did you think?
Scott: it was pretty successful except that the browser crashed when I hooked up a DV cam to the mac - I wanted to be able to pan/zoom and have a little better video since the web camera we were using had webcammy video. We used the dv cam successfully on Thursday, then Friday it crashed and burned
me: Good to know...
Scott: I'm still talking to ustream support and a couple of other people to find out how to get it to play nice with a dv cam and a mac. I'm watching a presentation right now that's being streamed off a macbook pro with a DV cam and it's working great but overall, the service works great!
I'm very impressed with it you can record/archive the video to view later, too
Scott: if anyone has questions, have them email me!
So that's good news for us, and he said he's willing to answer any questions we have.
~Sarah
6 comments:
Thanks Joe, and Sarah for working on this. I'd say we give it a go--test it out at CSI?
Jane, can we have LACUNY pay the equipment costs? ratther than charge to the Institute? Since it'll have recurring use...
~Brian
The LACUNY executive council has already expressed an interest in purchasing equipment for webcasting future conferences and events. They've asked me to look into requirements and cost. I plan on giving Beth Evans a more detailed report pending some further investigation.
~Joe
We were considering buying equipment for LACUNY. You should submit a request to the budget committee. I would think the sooner the better, and maybe it could be resolved by a quick meeting at the spring mtg. in June. As for AV, I'm sure the GC can handle it. We would just need to find out if they charge extra.
Joe--can you present this to the LACUNY budget committee as you have all the figures
~Brian
Jane, who can we talk to at the Graduate Center to inquire about A/V support? If they can supply the equipment then LACUNY need not purchase anything (at least, not for our purposes anyway).
~Joe
Here is contact information for A/V needs. You are required to contact Facilities(x7730) for your set-up and Audio Visual(x7330) for any AV needs you have at least one(1)week prior to your event.
Also, for food, All food and beverage, including any desired for Saturday events, must be catered through Restaurant Associates. They can be reached at 212-817-7951
And here is the link to the menus:
http://web.gc.cuny.edu/DiningCommons2/RA_GraduateCenter_CateringMenu2008.pdf
There is no deposit but they need a few days advance notice. We can call in September.
Jane
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