Hello again, I hope you are having a good weekend so far my friends.
This time I'm sharing a live video I recorded while trying to find a more accessible method for recording live interviews for my podcast.
Why Am I Doing This?
My friend, mentor, and client Alex Sanfilippo founder of Podmatch has encouraged me to set a goal of turning The Accessibility Advantage into a daily live show.
He believes, and I agree; that most anyone who meets me wants to help me or work with me.
So I can see how doing more podcast interviews could be a great way to put myself out there more, meet many more new people, and hopefully attract new clients for my writing, speaking, and consulting on accessibility.
The question then became how to go live.
This video is all about my progress so far including the frustration I'm feeling for not yet having found a truly accessible platform for hosting a live stream solo.
What Are My Standards?
Before I recount my progress, I want to share my criteria for a streaming platform or for any piece of software I have to use in my business.
It has to be accessible, easy to use, and reasonably affordable.
I identify accessibility as meaning that someone living with a physical challenge can perform all major functions without assistance.
I consider something easy to use if I don't have to constantly think about the steps required to complete regular routine activities.
Affordability is a little harder to define, so I choose to look at alternatives in the same space.
For live streaming the options seem to run somewhere between $15 and $45 per month.
Of course, an option could appear more expensive if the provider insists that users pay for a year in advance.
Zoom
I spoke about how Zoom checks all of the boxes except when wanting to go live on your social media platforms. .
My primary social media platform these days is Linked In.
The problem is that you can only connect Zoom to Linked in using what is called the RTMP, Real-Time Messaging Protocol. Which is very challenging for a blind person to configure without help.
Riverside
I actually tried Riverside a few months ago after Zoom ate one of my recordings requiring me to re-record my interview with Missy Sue Mastel.
I found it has many unlabelled buttons. It doesn't have the plethora of keyboard commands that Zoom offers.
I also found the process of retrieving the videos or audios of the content I did recored to be confusing and very annoying.
And while I have not tried to use it for live streaming, my research tells me connecting it with Linked in would be similarly challenging.
StreamYard
Next, I tried StreamYard.
I almost didn't give them a try because the pricing information on their page was confusing.
It wasn't clear that while the usual charges are $45 a month that it is only $25 each for the first three months.
But I persevered, and set up an account.
It took several dry runs and a couple of live interviews before I started to feel like I was getting the. hang of using StreamYard.
However, between my second interview with Teri Brown and my third interview with Lee-Ann Reuber changes were made to the site that prevented me from clicking the go live button.
Which is the most important reason for having a live streaming platform to begin with.
I was able to save that interview on universal design by starting a new stream while my guest waited patiently.
By starting the stream from within StreamYard instead of scheduling it through Linked In the go live button did appear where I could click it and start the stream.
I was prepared to give them high marks, and had started to update my booking process to change from Zoom to StreamYard.
But this basic disregard for maintaining accessibility is really hard to overlook.
Ecamm
As you will see when you check out the episode, this was my first experience with Ecamm.