How to add Facebook Comments and Reactions in a live stream
This mimoLive tutorial will explain how to configure the build-in Facebook Comments And Reactions template in mimoLive and how to add viewer interaction to the live video.
Prerequisite
In order to use the Comments and Reactions feature in mimoLive, you need to login to your Facebook Account in the mimoLive Preferences. Please read Accounts to learn how to do this.0
Creating a new Document from the Facebook Comments and Reactions Template
- Launch mimoLive. The New Document window will open up and let you select either a Template or choose from recently opened documents. If you don’t see the New Document window please choose “mimoLive > New…” in the main menu.
- Find the “Facebook Comments and Reactions” template in the list of templates and select it. A sheet will open up at the bottom of the New Document window showing additional options.
- You need to specify the frame rate and the dimensions you want the video to be. It’s reasonable to go with 30fps and a 720p dimension.
- Click on the “Create New Document” button in the lower right corner. A new mimoLive document window will open up with lots of pre-configured layers.
Configuring the New Facebook Comments and Reactions Document
In order to make the document work you need to set up some things:
- Find the Main Camera source in the Sources Repository on the left side of the mimoLive document window and select it.
- Make sure that the Video Source is set up correctly. The Main camera should be visible in the upper left corner of the Program Out.
- Make sure that the Audio Source is set up correctly, too. You should be able to see a peak in the volume indicator below.
- Below the Main Camera Source there is the Social Media Source.
- Make sure that the Account popup shows your Facebook account you set up in the mimoLive Preferences. If your account isn’t shown here you probably didn’t set it up as described in the Prerequisite section of this document!
- Check the “Content Type” to be “Live Video Comments & Reaction”.
- Ignore the “Live Video” and “Live Video ID” for now.
- In the Layer Stack find the Facebook Reaction layer and select it. A yellow border will indicate that you are changing the settings for this layer in the column right next to it.
- Set up the “Data Source” of the layer to be the Facebook source configured above by selecting it in the popup menu in the “Content” section.
- Find the Live Streaming Output Destination on the far right.
- Make sure that In the Service popup menu your Facebook account is selected.
- Check the “Audience” and “Privacy” settings to make sure to reach your desired audience.
- Open the Comments Window from the “Windows” menu in order to be able to monitor the comments that are coming in from your Facebook live stream.
Streaming To Facebook
Now everything should be set up for your first Facebook live stream.
- Find the Start/Stop Show Button](doc:startstop-show-button) at the top of the mimoLive document and click it. The [Live Streaming Output Destination should turn red to indicate its streaming to Facebook.
Select the correct Live Video in the Facebook Social Source
Because the Facebook Live Video ID wasn’t determined when setting up the document you need to do this now that the live stream is running. In the Facebook source on the far left select the current Live Stream as the Comments & Reactions source.
Comments are coming in automatically
If you don’t want to show the reactions for your Facebook live stream in the stream itself you don’t need the Facebook Source. The comments get read in automatically without the need for the Social Media Source configured for your live stream
- Engage your audience to write some comments in the Facebook chat. Those messages should appear in the Comments window and in the Program Out.
- If some Facebook users are showing their reactions to your live stream by clicking one of the common emojis in their web browser. the Facebook Reactions counter should pop up and show the numbers.
- Once the live stream is over click on the Stop Show button at the top of the document window again. The Live Streaming Output Destination will turn green.
Stopping the show may end your live stream immediately
Your live stream usually has a delay of 10 to 20 seconds between you creating it and the audience seeing it. This is due to video buffers at the streaming services. Unfortunately, some streaming services shut down the live stream immediately once you close your stream so that the audience won’t see the lasting 10 to 20 seconds buffered video. It makes sense to close the event with an outro of any kind (e.g. fade to black), mute the audio and wait 20 seconds before shutting down the live stream.