Five live lessons learned this week

I’ve been trying some stuff out for the first time this week – some of which has been successful, some less so.

Here’s what I’ve learned;

* Uncouple your cross-posting applications before testing. I managed to spam followers of @Sarah_Hartley with various tests of the video streaming in advance of the Congestion Charge debate held at the M.E.N this week having forgotten it was set up to automatically post on Twitter. Apologies again, patient followers.

* Using external platforms carries an inevitable risk that things can go wrong out of your control. While Twitter and Twitpic behaved theselves to the extent I could send 13 live text updates and three pictures from the debate (albeit with plenty of typos!) Bambuser failed me totally in the live setting when the audio track completely vanished.

* Utterli has the best customer service department of any of the social media apps I’ve had reason to contact. Personal and quick replies to my email and a concerted effort to track down my missing pictures. After various tests, we discovered that my phone is set up to someone else’s email account so the picture and audio couldn’t find each other.

* Don’t lend out kit – related to the above. If using a piece of equipment which someone else has been using, check the settings. (I’ve also now got a N95 phone with no battery cover which is held together with sellotape and a video camera with a broken lens cover and dented battery!)

* Google only like Google apps. Not related to the live activity but, while compiling this Google map I found that, despite saying otherwise in the ‘help’, the placemarks will only properly embed Picasa pictures and youTube video clips. Flickr and Brightcove just wouldn’t do it.

If anyone else is embarking on such a journey – good luck and I hope this helps.

Now, let’s see what this week brings………