All through #2016USCA, we are excited to bring you Facebook Live interviews with thought leaders from the HIV community. But first, get all you need to know about Facebook Live. Maybe try it for yourself at the conference?

This post originally appeared on AIDS.gov

Since 2007, AIDS.gov has been producing video blog interviews with federal and community thought leaders at conferences and meetings in the U.S. and abroad. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about managing production and handling the challenges of coordinating filming, editing, and posting videos across distances and time zones.

But we always enjoy a new challenge, so we were excited when Facebook announced the public release of Facebook Live last Spring , which records videos and posts them to the site in real time. (The videos are also recorded and posted to your Facebook Timeline Exit Disclaimer for the benefit of viewers who may have missed your “live” stream.)

We incorporated Facebook Live into our planning for the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) in Durban, South Africa. We produced 13 videos from AIDS 2016 and just returned from the 2016 Ryan White Conference on Care and Treatment where we produced another seven videos.

“Broadcasting live on-location works well from both practical and informational perspectives,” said Anne Rancourt, a member of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases communications team who helped interview experts at both conferences. “Logistically, it’s easier to schedule a live interview, and since there’s no editing, when the conversation ends, you’re all done. Also, broadcasting in real time from a colorful location like the Global Village in Durban helps viewers feel connected to an event more than when a video is shot on a typical sterile interview set.”

Needless to say, we’ve learned a lot from our first 20 Facebook Live videos. Here are the 6 P’s of what we’ve learned so far (you can also sign up for Virtual Office Hours with us to learn more!)

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