The Basics:
YouTube LIVE is a function of the YouTube platform that allows channel hosts to live-stream their videos either publicly or privately. This feature was likely created to compete with the live-streaming service Twitch (see also: YouTube Gaming). Although this function can at first be difficult to implement if you do not have experience with broadcasting software, there are endless instructional videos available for review on the primary YouTube platform. From my experience, most people can learn all the skills they need to successfully host streams within less than 48hrs. YouTube reliability depends heavily on your regional internet access and speed, however, the primary site itself is always available. As far as I have experienced in the past, the only external links YouTube (YT) generates are for site monetization. However, users themselves are free to link to any external site they wish (as long as it follows YT content guidelines). In 2013, YouTube received a “technical Emmy” from the National Academy of Arts & Sciences for its video recommendation algorithms; however, the corporation has yet to receive any educational awards that I’m aware of.
Twitter, much like Facebook (FB), is a social media platform. However, unlike other applications, it offers the ability to communicate with global users, corporations, and organizations that otherwise, a singular user may not ordinarily have contact with. Moreover, while you may only receive occasional updates from your FB profile, Twitter offers the opportunity for constant and instantaneous communication between parties in a live format.
Existing Demographics:
Despite Donald Trump’s proclivity to use Twitter, this site is surprisingly unique in that many of the most vocal users belong to minority groups (see: black twitter).
Moreover, the primary group engaging on Twitter are of the same age as high school and college attendees (12-34 yr old).
According to archived Neilsen Reports and writers like PiperJaffray (author of The User Revolution)
the demographics for YouTube are situated within this same age range. However, YouTube's users more closely mirror the overall online population (with 87% of users identifying as non-Hispanic Caucasians).
Classroom Application:
By using both Twitter and YouTube simultaneously, teachers can encourage cross-cultural communication between various ethnicities that may not typically expose themselves to one another. Twitter can be used not only to update students on live classroom (or lecture) streams, but continues to offer surprising new educational discussions, techniques, and communities held together largely by specific hashtags. Teachers can follow along with multiple live hashtags by using various services like TweetDeck. Here’s an example of what my personal TweetDeck looked like earlier today.
I used the YouTube format to host a trial stream on academic discussion covering topics like Youtube, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), and Elian for ESL learners & speakers. You can watch my work on my channel here. By integrating multiple web 2.0 software strategies, it is my belief that we have the opportunity now, more than ever, to connect with our students in meaningful, intuitive, and organic ways.
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