Using Facebook Live and Zoom as Tools for Online Radiology Education: A Practical Guide

Abstract

In early 2020, the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began to shake the world. As the resulting pandemic, quickly dubbed COVID-19, unfolded, we learned to enact public health safety measures to reduce or prevent its spread, particularly “social distancing,” an expression once alien but now understood all too well. Consequently, many sought online resources when they would have previously accessed them in person. We have used Facebook Live for several years to discuss radiology topics and, on occasion, interview experts in the medical field and beyond. Much like live television, Facebook Live enables creators like us to share videos with followers in real time. Unlike live television, Facebook Live allows viewers to leave comments and questions in real time, rendering the platform much more interactive. Because Facebook Live has been a helpful tool for us to speak to radiology students and professionals around the world, we looked for another way to continue our interviews on Facebook Live while maintaining social distancing. We have managed to continue our interviews while socially distanced using the video communications software Zoom. With an increasing number of people migrating to online technology, the widespread use of social media for radiology education is imminent. We encourage others to consider mixing Facebook Live and Zoom to create more holistic educational experiences for radiology in the digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that life can change unexpectedly and quickly, but online education is here to stay.

In early 2020, the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began to shake the world. As the resulting pandemic, quickly dubbed COVID-19, unfolded, we learned to enact public health safety measures to reduce or prevent its spread, particularly “social distancing,” an expression once alien but now understood all too well. Consequently, many sought online resources when they would have previously accessed them in person. Internet users increased by 120 million people from January 2020 to January 2021.¹ As of January 2021, approximately 4.66 billion people were using the internet actively.² Distance learning, in particular, has migrated online with a 93% increase in distance education enrollment between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020.³ Ninety percent of Americans have labeled the internet to be essential or important to them during the pandemic.⁴ The time to be online is now.

We started sharing radiology education on Facebook (Menlo Park, CA) under the page name CTisus in 2009 (Fig 1 ). On our page, we provide various resources such as case images, lectures, and illustrations from our website CTisus.com, as well as radiology news and additional information. To date, more than 243,000 individuals follow our Facebook page.⁵ We have used Facebook Live for several years to discuss radiology topics and, on occasion, interview experts in the medical field and beyond. Much like live television, Facebook Live enables creators like us to share videos with followers in real time. Unlike live television, Facebook Live allows viewers to leave comments and questions in real time, rendering the platform much more interactive. This tool is quite popular. As of August 2021, Facebook Live videos receive 44 million views per minute.⁶

FIG 1.

The CTisus Facebook page. In the bottom right corner is our pinned post, a Facebook Live video published with Zoom.

Our live segments have reached as many as 64,000 people with a single discussion.⁵ Topics have ranged from patient shielding to artificial intelligence to neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas. Interviewees have included medical physicists, radiological technologists, and company founders. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews were conducted in person. Because Facebook Live has been a helpful tool for us to speak to radiology students and professionals around the world, we looked for another way to continue our interviews on Facebook Live while maintaining social distancing. We have managed to continue our interviews while socially distanced using the video communications software Zoom (San Jose, CA).

Streaming on Facebook via Zoom

Facebook pages are free of charge and users only need a Facebook profile to create a page. Though this technique works on personal Facebook accounts, we think radiology educators are more likely to share to a company page rather than a personal profile.

Zoom, on the other hand, requires a subscription for implementation with Facebook Live. Subscriptions can cost as little as $12.49/month depending on the plan and billing period.⁷ As of November 2021, prerequisites for streaming from Zoom to Facebook include: a Pro, Business, Education, or Enterprise account; a licensed host; a proper Zoom desktop client; and enabled Live Stream on Facebook.⁸ Streaming to Facebook Live can be accomplished with either a standard meeting or a webinar.

To stream on Facebook via Zoom, one must start a meeting or webinar on Zoom before clicking on “More” and then “Live on Facebook.” An internet window should open to Facebook. Here, users can choose where on Facebook the discussion should be broadcast (Fig 2 ). We publish our interviews to the Facebook page CTisus rather than our personal profiles. Users must press “Go Live” and then a livestream is created (Figs. 3 and 4 ). As with all Zoom activities, speakers must ensure they are unmuted so the audience can hear them.

FIG 2.

Once connected to Facebook, users can select where on Facebook they want to broadcast their Live video. Options include sharing to one's own timeline, a page, or a group.

FIG 3.

Users will be notified when a Zoom meeting or webinar is broadcasting to Facebook Live.

FIG 4.

Desktop screenshot of a Live segment as it appears to viewers on Facebook. Comments appear on the right side of the screen.

Unlike a typical Zoom meeting, viewers are unable to share their audio and video. However, they can interact with the video on Facebook. Like other Facebook posts, users can “react” to Live videos with one of seven emotions (i.e., like, love, care, laugh, amazed, sad, angry). They are also able to leave comments, which we have found to be an integral part of the Facebook Live discussion. Comments we receive on our Facebook Live segments include questions, opinions, and experiences, as well as the simple “hello,” usually followed by one's location. We receive several comments such as “Hello from Nepal” and “Greetings from Jordan,” exhibiting our global reach. Comments are posted in real time so those running the discussion can answer and react to the questions immediately.

When a Live video has ended, the video will be available for on-demand streaming unless it is deleted by the creator. This allows the video to reach a wider audience and makes it more accessible to viewers.

Discussion

There are a few other free and paid ways to achieve a digital interview on Facebook. At first, we tried Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) (Corunna, MI). This required more internet data than our institution could handle, so we ruled it out as an option. We then used Zoom and had a seamless experience, which is why Zoom is our software of choice. However, there are other ways to reach the same goal of broadcasting an interview online.

Based on our experience, we believe Facebook Live is an effective tool for communicating with thousands of others in the radiology realm, including students, technologists, radiologists, and nurses, as well as other professionals. These discussions are a free and accessible way to reach a global audience. Inviting others to speak allows for a wider variety of radiology topics and subspecialties to be discussed than we can offer by ourselves. Interviews also display a multitude of perspectives. Using this format, we have learned from medical physicists, radiologic technologists, and company owners in discussions on vital topics such as patient shielding, scanning protocols, and the expanding use of artificial intelligence in radiology.

Though nothing can replace the natural aspects of an in-person experience, we think that our interviews on Facebook Live bring a more personable and social experience to our page. Our interviews have helped to fill the void created by the need for ongoing social distancing.

With an increasing number of people migrating to online technology, the widespread use of social media for radiology education is imminent. We encourage others to consider mixing Facebook Live and Zoom to create more holistic educational experiences for radiology in the digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that life can change unexpectedly and quickly, but online education is here to stay.