This guest blog post was written by Molly Herndon, social media specialist for the MFLN Personal Finance team.  The Military Families Learning Network (MFLN) is part of a DoD-USDA Partnership for Military Families – connecting military family service providers and Cooperative Extension professionals to research and to each other through engaging online learning opportunities.  You can follow Molly and the MFLN Personal Finance team on Twitter .

Facebook Live is a streaming service offered by Facebook that allows real time, live videos to be posted in the newsfeed. People who like a Facebook page can view the video directly from their newsfeed or on the account page. They can also click “subscribe” to receive notifications the next time that account shares a Facebook Live video.

In July, the Military Families Learning Network Personal Finance team hosted a 30 Days of Savings Program that included two Facebook Live events, hosted by Dr. Michael Gutter. During the two, 15-minute videos ( and ), Dr. Gutter went through savings strategies and offered his own personal plan for saving $100 in 30 days. Viewers can post comments, likes, and other affirmations during the presentation.

Since June, the videos have received 1,282 views, the highest engagement we’ve had on our Facebook page since its launch in 2012.

Facebook Live was a fun, informal way to reach a broad audience in a new space in real time. Dr. Gutter was a dynamic presenter that was able to react to the live comments and questions and made the event fun and lighthearted while also offering real, practical savings tips.

However, Facebook Live doesn’t allow for much audience interaction. It is still just a video stream which means the presenter can only view the text comments. The live streaming feature is only available on the mobile app, which limits user’s ability to use it in a more formal, classroom setting.

Have you used Facebook Live to extend your program outreach and participation?  If so, how did you use it?