Video Comments
Your voice plays a key role in sparking change. Make your voice heard – literally – by posting a video comment. Videos can be powerful advocacy tools because they help connect abstract policies to community members who are affected by them.
When you see this icon on a Firesteel post, it means that you’re invited to record a video comment about that topic. You can also watch videos other Firesteel community members have posted.
Video comments on our bills pages help decision makers and other community members understand what you think about housing issues. Video comments on our blog posts help keep the conversation going on important topics like homelessness, domestic violence and racial equality.
You can record your video using just about any camera. Smartphones, webcams, digital point-and-shoots – they all work!
Tips for recording an effective video comment:
• Keep video under one minute in length. Thirty seconds is ideal.
• Stay on topic. Check out our speaking templates for ideas on talking about legislation.
• Make it personal. If possible, share how this topic affects you or people you know.
• Try to have a light source in front of you and not too much light behind you. This will help everyone see your face.
• Keep it civil. The Firesteel team will review all videos before they go live. Our goal is to create a platform for your authentic voice, but we won’t post anything obscene or hateful.
Posting your video comment
Sharing your video comment is easy. First, log in to Firesteel through your Facebook or Twitter account. At the bottom of each Firesteel post, you’ll find a link that reads “Post a Video Comment.” Click this link.
Next, click the “Choose File” button, and locate the video file on your device.
After you've chosen your video file, click the “Submit” button.
Voilà – you’ve made your voice heard! There might be a delay in uploading your file depending on how large it is. Please do not browse off this page (press the back button, click a link, change the URL, etc.) until after the upload has completed. A message will pop up when you're good to go.
Firesteel administrators will review and approve all comments; check back soon for your video!
Having trouble uploading your video?
It might be too big. Please keep your file's physical size to under 20Mb.
Or it might be a file type our system can’t handle just yet. Accepted video file types are mp4, avi, flv, mov, mpg, mpeg, 3gp, ogv, and wmv.
If you’ve checked the file size and type and still can’t make it work, please let us know by sending an email to support@firesteelwa.org.
Thanks for doing your part to spark change and end homelessness!
