Lots of chatter around the Internet bout Facebook’s decision to delete LIVE Videos.

Facebook announced that they will start deleting users’ live broadcast recordings after 30 days starting on February 19th. Users who go live after that date must download the videos to save them from getting deleted before their 30-day expiration period ends. They claim the change necessary because “most live video views occur within the first few weeks of broadcasting” and to “align our storage policies with industry standards and help ensure we are providing the most up-to-date live video experiences for everyone on Facebook.”

All previously recorded live videos that are older than 30 days will also be removed. However, there will be email and app notifications that go out before your archive is completely deleted. Once you get the notice, you’ll have 90 days to download or transfer the videos. Facebook plans to delete old broadcast recordings in waves over the coming months.

Also, a user can request a bulk download of all their videos within a custom date range. The videos can also be transferred directly to a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive, or you can edit and upload to to your YouTube Channel.

Maybe this will be a good time for those of us actively using Social Media to step back look at our content and appraise its REAL value. Video is a powerful communication tool and has proved to be effective in generating new customer bases and the actual direct sale of products and services. Also, videos are a powerful source of website content and can be created or edited to have an EVERGREEN status.

If you do choose to store your Videos on YouTube and want to also incorporate them on your website, seriously consider using the Embed Code

A favorite client, Geneva Shore Report, is a local print and digital newspaper in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, that also has been filming live ‘on the street’ Facebook Live Stream. Originally they filmed the episodes and uploaded them to Facebook and also their YouTube Channel. That obviously took more time than using Facebook Live Stream. It will be interesting to see what decision will be made in the future with this new decision by Facebook to only allow storage of 30 days of Live Stream Video on the platform.

Are you using Facebook LIVE?
If so, what direction will you be taking?
Share your thoughts below.