Virtual events have their own needs and challenges. This reference guide, written by the Office of Communications and the Department of Information Technology, explains online video policy, technical needs, and best practices as they relate to YouTube. 

Captioning

On-demand videos

Harvard University policy requires that all “on demand” videos posted online offer a transcript and/or closed captioning.

Live-streamed events

Major School-wide events, such as graduation, must have live captioning. However, live-streamed events that are not major School-wide events, such as a departmental lecture, do not require live captioning. You must add captions or a transcript to your video after the event, even if it was live-streamed without live captions.

How to get captions for your video

1. Transcripts and captions should be +99% accurate to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. Automated captions provided by YouTube, Zoom, or Facebook do not meet this standard. However, they can be a good starting point before you correct the captions manually. 
   
2. To simplify the process, we recommend using the University-preferred vendor 3Play Media to generate transcripts and closed captions. All details (costs, how to get started, etc.) can be found on the IT Service Catalogue.
   
3. Transcripts will be generated as SRT files to upload to your YouTube video. SRT files can be previewed on your computer using the program Notepad.  

Creating a High-Quality Video

When planning a recording session on Zoom, take time before the session to ensure that you are capturing high-quality video and audio. 

The Media and Educational Technology Services (METS) team has created a video with practical tips for making the best Zoom recording possible. 

Recommended best practices:

• Ask event speakers to arrive on the Zoom call 5-10 minutes before the scheduled recording time to ensure that you are able to troubleshoot any technical issues before the event begins.
• Make sure all speakers’ faces and eyes are well-lit.
• During the day, ask speakers to sit facing a window, within 10 feet of that window.
• If there is no natural light, ask speakers to use a ring light or desk lamp. Overhead lighting is not recommended, as it does not light the face and eyes.
• Ask speakers to frame their head and shoulders in the middle of the screen. 
• In Zoom settings, speakers may enable HD video and adjust their own brightness settings to improve the video quality.
• To capture the best audio, ask speakers to use a headset or a USB microphone if possible. If speakers are using their computers’ internal microphones, ask that they sit in a quiet room, away from indoor or outdoor noise.  

For questions about recording, or to set up a consultation with METS, email helpdesk@hsph.harvard.edu.

YouTube account management

Deciding if YouTube is the right place for your content

The main Harvard Chan School YouTube account is a curated collection of videos that benefit the whole School community. All of the content on our YouTube channel is public-facing and intended for a wide audience. We will post content from departments, institutes, centers, and administrative divisions if the video meets the following criteria:

1.  The content is intended for public distribution
   

2. The quality of the video and audio is high. This means: No dropouts or extended periods of silence, and no excessive audio or video “noise” or static. All speakers should be clearly identified. “Housekeeping” at the start or end of a recorded Zoom call should be edited out (e.g. time spent ensuring that speakers are not muted).
   

3.  The content of the video should advance the educational or research mission of the School.
   

4.  The video has been captioned, following the best practices outlined by the Harvard University’s Digital Accessibility Services. Auto-generated captions are not acceptable, as they do not meet Harvard University standards for accessibility.
   

5. If you would like to embed a video on your website, it will need to be hosted on YouTube first. /wiki/spaces/sphwebdocs/pages/56918536 shows you how to embed a video on the Harvard Chan School website. All video on the School's website must be captioned, even if it is hosted by another organization’s YouTube account.

6. To request that the Office of Communications upload your video to the Harvard Chan School YouTube channel, please fill out this form.

Creating a YouTube account

Departments, centers, and institutes are encouraged to create their own YouTube channels if the following conditions are met

1.  There is a designated point of contact who will manage the channel, take ownership of captioning, and ensure that any new University and School-wide policies on accessibility are implemented correctly. Your team’s point of contact will be responsible for ensuring that the captioning policies outlined below are followed. A backup point of contact is recommended in case of emergencies. NOTE: New information about digital accessibility will be sent to the point of contact’s listed email, and it will be their responsibility to share policy information with their team as needed.
    
    There is or will be more than one video on the channel. If the department only has one video, please contact digitalcomms@hsph.harvard.edu  for advice on how to host that video. 
    

2.  The videos on the channel are intended to be discoverable by the general public. While you can make videos “unlisted,” there is always the possibility that someone will stumble upon that video in future. For advice on posting videos that are meant to be password-protected or otherwise hidden from the general public, please contact digitalcomms@hsph.harvard.edu.
   

3.  The channel uses proper branding elements, including proper use of the School’s name. Please contact digitalcomms@hsph.harvard.edu for brand-related questions and resources.

Account set-up

1. Best practice is to use your Harvard email or a departmental email using the hsph.harvard.edu domain to create an account with YouTube. This article explains how. 

2. Register your YouTube account with the School using this form. 

3. Give IT access to your account by adding webapps@hsph.harvard.edu. Follow these instructions. IT will access your account in the event that both your designated point of contact and your backup point of contact are unable to do so.

Customizing the channel 

1. Click on the “customize channel” buttons to add a channel description, links to social media accounts, and organize your videos into playlists.
2. Choose a channel trailer to introduce new visitors to your content. 

Uploading a Video

1. Click on the camera icon in the top right corner and select “Upload Video”
2. Choose the video file you want to upload from your device. 
3. While the video is uploading and formatting, add a title, description, and tags to help viewers find your video. 
4. Set video visibility (public, private, or unlisted) and add it to a playlist (if desired)
   1. You may not publish any videos to your YouTube channel before they have been captioned. Auto-generated captions are unacceptable, as they do not meet Harvard University standards for accessibility. When captioning videos, follow the best practices outlined by the Harvard University’s Digital Accessibility Services.  

Video dimensions and Metadata

1. Dimensions: YouTube recommends using a resolution of 1280x720 (720p) or higher for the best quality. The max file size is 128GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.
2. Title: Keep it clear, descriptive, and engaging. Include relevant keywords to improve searchability.
3. Description: Write a detailed description of your video, including keywords, links to related content, and a call to action.
4. Tags: Add relevant tags to help YouTube understand the content of your video and suggest it to the right audiences.
5. Thumbnail: choose a high-quality image that accurately represents your video and entices viewers to click.
6. End Screen and Cards: Use end screens and cards to promote other videos, playlists, or channels and keep viewers on your content. 

Other ways to boost content

1. Write a brief description that uses keywords likely to be picked up by search engines (SEO).
   

2. Create playlists to organize your content and make your home page easy to navigate. Content can be organized by topic, series, etc. Be creative! 
   

Optional decisions include: 

1. Whether to turn comments on or off. If on, choose whether to hold comments for moderation. You may wish to have the comments on to encourage discussion, or you may not wish to invite comments on your videos. 

2. Whether to make videos “unlisted” or “private.” Making a video private is a good way to test it before publishing it for the general public to view.