Sharing video files at MQ

When sending a document to people for review, a common and simple approach is to attach the document to an email. When sending video files, it is a different process. This can be confusing for the first timer given all the options available. Do you attach it in the email? Do you upload to your own personal Youtube channel? Is there a recommended option by Macquarie? What is iShare?    

There are two reasons why you would share a video you have created within Macquarie:   

•    Draft stage – You are sharing it for feedback and review   

•    Publishing stage – It is complete and ready for sharing with your audience   

With so many choices on where to upload a video, some options will lend better to your needs than others. Below are my workflow recommendations. These are what works for me with my work at Macquarie as an Educational Media Producer.   

My workflow recommendations 

This is my current workflow for sharing videos:

Draft stage 
Use Office 365 SharePoint/OneDrive  

Publishing stage
The video is going into a unit - use iShare 
The video is not going into a unit - use Macquarie Community Youtube channel  

Sharing with an external stakeholder
Use SharePoint/OneDrive/Cloudstor

Let’s go through some of these options and examples. 

Office 365 SharePoint/OneDrive 

What I like about using Office 365 SharePoint/OneDrive for sharing video files is that:   

•    There is seamless access whilst I am already logged into my Office 365 Calendar and Mail apps.    

•    Access is available from multiple devices. This is great for when I am out and about and need to send someone a file from my smartphone.   

•    There is a preview/streaming function. This means that my recipients do not need to download the file.   

•    Easy to set sharing permissions. 

**Tip** Between SharePoint and OneDrive, I find it convenient when a video file is accessible from a team’s SharePoint site. When a video file has been shared with me from someone else’s OneDrive, I have to go looking for the file under the Shared with you category in my OneDrive. Whilst this works, it is more convenient when the file is in a central location that everyone in your team has access to. Of course, this depends on the video that is being shared and your needs. If it makes more sense to use OneDrive, go for it.    

Setting access permissions 

In Office 365, there are helpful sharing settings that can be configured for who can access the link. These include:  

•    Anyone with the link  

•    People in Macquarie University with the link  

•    People with existing access  

•    Specific people  

**Tip** Consider the sensitivity of the file and how many people will need access when setting the permissions. For example, I will often use the People in Macquarie University with the link option when I’m delivering video to a project’s lead contact. This is useful when they will be sharing the video with the rest of their team and other stakeholders for review. This saves me from having to approve multiple requests for access as the link will be accessible to anyone from Macquarie.

If you are sending it to a stakeholder outside of Macquarie, you can use Anyone with the link or Specific People.   

iShare    

iShare is Macquarie University’s digital content management repository, designed to share digital resources across the university and systems, such as iLearn. iShare works as a repository of files that can be used in multiple online locations. Once an item has been added in iShare it can be used in multiple places in iLearn by simply using the generated URL for the document. 

Digital content such as video files that are uploaded into iShare are only accessible by people in the Macquarie community (i.e. those who have a mq.edu.au email address). If you need to share a video with an external stakeholder, consider using Cloudstor, SharePoint or OneDrive. 

**Tip**  I will use iShare when the video is going to be used in iLearn.   

Cloudstor 

Cloudstor is an AARNet developed and supported service that is available to Macquarie University users. FileSender is a service available from the CloudStor portal that allows you to: 

·       Provide a URL to your files that you can share with non-CloudStor users. 

·       Send “Vouchers” to non-CloudStor users so they can share files with you. 

·       You can put an expiry date on the files that you send. 

·       Provide notification emails to you and your recipients about your files and transfers. 

**Tip** I primarily use Office 365 SharePoint and OneDrive for sharing video files. Though, it is useful to have backup options available in case there is an unexpected issue with the preferred option.   

Youtube 

Youtube is a good option to consider when your video is complete and ready to be shared with your audience.  

Personal Youtube channel  

In the context of working at Macquarie, uploading work related videos to your personal Youtube channel is not recommended. It can create issues over time when those videos need updating, removal, etc. For example, when a video needs removal because of a sensitive issue and the owner has lost their login details or is no longer working at the university.   

Macquarie University Youtube channel 

This Youtube channel is designed for brand building and student recruitment. The videos hosted here are usually produced in collaboration with Group Marketing.  

Macquarie Community Youtube channel 

This Youtube channel is designed as an internal channel to embed videos and is not publicly available. This is recommended for videos such as webinars, presentations, events, internal communications, learning and teaching etc.   

**Tip** If your video is still in the draft stage, Youtube is not a recommended option. This is because the Macquarie Community Youtube channel has regular contributions across the university and using this channel to host drafts can become messy in regards to file management.  

For more info on how to upload to the official Macquarie University Youtube channels, visit this page in the staff portal. 

These examples and guides are by no means video file-sharing law 🙂 They are observations into what’s worked for myself and others in Macquarie that I thought would be worth sharing. Feel free to share any tips, approaches and examples that work well for you in the comments! If you have any questions, reach out to the Educational Media Producer team at lih-sst@mq.edu.au and we’ll help you out!