Using Crowdcast for our Education
Crowdcast is our webinar platform of choice. We use it for our Snapshots and also our paid courses. As well as being great for watching webinars live, it hosts our past videos which you can access by clicking on links on our website or via our Crowdcast channel.
NOTE THAT ALL OF OUR EVENTS ARE RECORDED! You don't need to attend an event live. it's always a good idea to register anyway as you will get reminders for the event and it's easy to forget what you are interested in watching. You can watch the replay anytime. In our experience, though, attending an event live is more fun, more engaging, and you are more likely to commit the time and focus on the content. So try to join us live, but don't worry if you can't.
How to register for an event
Each Crowdcast event takes place via a single web 'URL'. That means you'll use the same link to register, attend live, and watch the replay of an event. Click on the provided event link in email/social media or via our website or Crowdcast channel. Then, click the Save my spot! button.
If you’re not signed into an existing Crowdcast account, you’ll be asked to enter your email address and then name. This is how you appear to other people in the webinar. You can set up a password at that point (recommended - see your crowdcast log in below).
Once registered, you receive a confirmation email (check your spam!) with a 'Visti Event/Let Me In' link in the email and a link to add the event to your calendar, so you don't forget. You can also follow any link to the event (eg from our website) to join using the email/log in method you used to register. We will also remind you 10 minutes before the event is due to start.
Your Crowdcast log in
When you first register for a Crowdcast event, you also have the option to add a password. You don't need to, and you will be emailed an 'on the fly' log in link for each registered event. You just use the 'email me a log in link' option each time you want to watch. You find the link in your email and the link expires in 60 minutes. This works, but you have to do it every time.
We think setting up a proper account and password works much better as you can easily log into Crowdcast, stay logged in, and have access to all the videos you've ever registered for. You can add a password via account settings in Crowdcast. Click on your account top right next to options and choose account settings>Add a password. A link to add will be emailed to you.
You can also use the usual Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter account log ins, but bear in mind you will
need to use the SAME log in credentials to see the videos you registered for under those credentials.
Using Crowdcast during an event
The interactive elements of a Crowdcast event are stacked vertically on the far right side of the event window. You can start using these as soon as you’ve registered for the event.
Use chat to make general comments and Q&A to pose a specific question. We do like to suggest people consider carefully what they post. Our events are viewed by hundreds, so it can get quite distracting and chaotic. Try to consider if the answer to a question might be coming later, and try to avoid the temptation to start long conversations. Please respect the content as is, avoid the temptation to self-promote or 'show off' your knowledge. We mention this as good etiquette for our webinars as well as in general.
If you hover over the comments of others, you can add an emoji reaction. If you hover over your own comments, you’ll also see the option to edit or delete your comment. You can also view any poll results and see a list of other attendees.
How to watch a replay
Follow the link on the Lifecode website or Crowdcast channel. The same link you used to register will also give you access to the recording once registered. Log in using the method you used to register for the event. See troubleshooting if you do not see what you expect.
Follow us!
If you follow our channel, you’ll be notified via email and/or push notification whenever we go live. Tap the Follow button next to our channel name within an event or via our channel now. If you've done this already, it will change the button to read 'Following'.
Edit your Crowdcast Profile
Once registered you can edit your profile, including name or picture. Click on your account top right next to options and choose Edit My Profile. See Crowcast's instructions to do this.
Troubleshooting
Choppy video, video freezes, sound drop outs. Video is very 'bandwidth hungry'. In our experience it is almost NEVER is due to Crowdcast, but due to local factors i.e. your device, internet connection, including WiFi. Try exiting and going back in to the webinar using the join link. Is the webinar accidentally streaming on multiple browser windows you have opened? Close everything else on your device. Is anyone else in the house streaming video, playing games or video conferencing via Zoom etc? Is it better in a different room, close to your router? If necessary restart the device and log back in. The old cliche of turn it off and back on again!
The sound is echoing - this is almost always due to you accidentally having 2 instances of crowdcast open perhaps in 2 tabs or 2 instances of your browser. If you can't locate the extra window, close all browsers and go back in (Browser software includes Safari, Firefox, Chrome so look for those and close.
The sound is too quiet - it's an obvious point, but try turning up the volume on your device!
I can't hear anything - it's an obvious point, but have you muted your device sound? We often do to avoid distractions. Is the sound being diverted to bluetooth head/earphones or another device like TV?
I can't read the slides - Try making the browser window bigger. If fuzzy due to your connection being slow, open up the presentation slides version as pdf in another window. They will be bigger and clearer and you can make notes.
I can't see the events or videos I registered for. Usually if you are not seeing what you expect, it’s because you’re not logged in properly and Crowdcast thinks it doesn’t know you! Try signing out and back in with any different email addresses you’ve used before. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can use the reset password option on the sign in page.