Streaming Events
People
How many people do you need to stream? Well, in theory 1 person can do the encoding, audio tech, camera work, vision switching, irc moderation, management of incoming interactions (video chat/conference calls/text chat etc), titles, editing, and archiving for a single stream. However, that is not generally the best way to do it. If you had an ideal set-up you would have one person for each of these roles (and perhaps a camera person for each camera).
So, lets consider the optimum staffing for a single stream coming from a conference.
Streaming Engineer
It is always a good idea to have a specialised 'streaming engineer' to look after the stream. This person should know how to troubleshoot if the steam goes down and they should also monitor the stream, this is usually done through a separate computer which draws down the stream from the streaming server. Its necessary to monitor this during the entire duration of the event since this is the only real way to know if the stream is actually working. It is quite possible, for example, that all the signs from the encoder suggest that the stream is going out but actually it is not.
The stream engineer should know how to manage the streaming server (if they have access to it), the encoder, and any incoming signals from hardware (audio/video signals etc). The stream engineer should also know something about networks and know how to trouble shoot out of sticky network issues if there is a problem.
If all goes well the stream engineer will end up doing very little after the initial setup and testing. You may end up thinking 'what do they do!?'. However if something goes wrong this is when the stream engineer kicks in and troubleshoots their way quickly out of the problem.
If all goes right during the event the stream engineer only has to start the streaming, stop the stream, and probably make sure the stream is archived.
Camera Operators
It is good to have a camera operator for each camera in operation, however this is not always necessary. It is completely feasible for most panels in conferences, individual presentations, or even performances to have a single. or 2 camera set-up which is operated by the stream engineer or by one camera operator. Note : while a single camera shoot is feasible just about any situation I can think of would be much more dynamic and interesting with the addition of just one more camera. TV camera operators are potentially good candidates for the job as they have good technique however they need to be managed as camera shots which look good on TV generally are not suitable for streaming. Long shots, which might give some detail on TV, would not work out well in a stream since the video window is much much smaller. Also, pans and zoom shots should be eliminated as much as possible unless you know that you are sending out relatively high bandwidth streams. Sometimes I have found its better to work with people with no TV experience since they don't have to 'unlearn' the rules of their industry.
Titler and Switcher
If you are using titles then get someone to dedicate themselves to this. Since most titles will be embedded in the stream itself if you make a mistake you will find it difficult to correct it in the archive. So, its better to have someone that is concentrating only on this to minimise mistakes. This person will prepare the slides and jocky the video mixer to flip them on and off. The person in charge of titling should also identify the persons that need to be titled in the stream and get the correct spelling of their names. At conferences, for example, the Titler should talk to the moderators of the event and asked to have all the people participating so they can identify them suring the event.
The Titler also needs to be someone that is not going to get bored easily. You don't want titles jumping on and off the stream constantly - its better to have less than more, so patience is a virtue in this role.
It is not usually necessary to have a separate person for vision switching (switching video inputs) as the titling person can deal with it all. However if there is a lot going on and fast switching is necessary then you could consider one person for each role.
Video switching for streams also requires someone with patience. In a conference the only reason to switch video inputs (eg. camera 1 to camera 2) is to follow the conversation, however if someone is talking for a long time then its good to break up the video by switching camera angles every couple of minutes. Once again, a person that is used to switching for TV is probably the wrong person for the job as fast video switching (which is what is common for producing television) actually deteriorates the quality of an out going stream.
Audio Technician
If you are streaming a performance probably there will audio be an audio technician on board. However it is surprising how many small scale events do not organise an audio tech and then expect the stream team to manage the stream and all the audio in the room. These skill sets are not the same. Usually most stream techs know how to work their way around such issues but generally speaking its best to have a dedicated audio technician onhand.
IRC Moderation
If you use a chat/IRC in the event to encourage remote participation it is often useful to have someone on board to moderate the remote participants. The moderator should know how to manage people in the chatroom, and be familiar with the commands for kicking people out etc. Additionally, when it comes time for questions (if the event is a conference) then rather than the onsite moderator having to work out what is going on in the chatroom, it is better if the chat moderator comes forward and asks questions to the conference on behalf of those in the chat room. This can ease the flow a little and generally, since the chat moderator has been following the online conversation, the moderator is in a better positon to represent the remote particpants questions more accurately. To do this of course the chat moderator should be in the same physical space as the conference.
Remote Links
If you are going to integrate remote video or audio presentations into the event then ideally there should be someone dedicated to managing this. Plenty can go wrong here from the remote presenter getting the timezones wrong (a common mistake) to bad quality audio or video or network problems.
Producer
if you want to be kept sane make sure there is one person that knows what is going on. They need to do the preparation before the stream and make sure all the needs of the stream team are fullfilled.