Category Archives: Streaming

Different Ways to Support Streamers

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There are many different ways to support streamers. Some are financial ways and there are many many that can also be done for FREE! Yes, you heard that, FOR FREE! People think a lot of the time that if they cant support a streamer financially that they aren’t doing a good job at being a viewer. There are a lot of things that are extremely helpful for streamers that cost the viewer absolutely nothing! These are the many various financial and FREE ways to support streamers on Twitch or even any platform that you tend to watch someone entertain you on.

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Financial Support
This is obviously the way viewers think about when they think about supporting a streamer. Sure, if this is a streamer who does this as their full time job it can be important . However it is equally respectable if you are able to just be there. Most streamers don’t talk about finances on stream however they may have goals set up and things that can help you decide if you want to help them with a sub and or bits or tip as well too! Here are some ways to financially support a streamer:

Subscribing
Subscribing is when you choose to play a monthly fee, ie: on Twitch it can be 5.00, 10.00 and 25.00 to which the streamer gets a percentage usually a minimum of 50% of the price. If by chance they have a higher percentage that they take home it was because of the negotiations of their contract. Affiliates only take 50% though. You also get some perks like their emotes being able to be used in different channels and also sometimes streamers have different perks ie: Subscriber movie nights, sub only channels on discords and even first dibs when playing games as well too! You can also cancel this at any time. Mixer has a feature though I think there is just one base price in terms of subscribing. Not to mention on Twitch they have a feature called “Twitch Prime” where if you have Amazon Prime you are able to connect your accounts on amazon/twitch and receive a free gift sub to use on a channel across the site. The only thing with using Twitch Prime is you have to remember to RE-SUBSCRIBE every month so it doesn’t go to waste! Not to mention at least on twitch, You can also sub gift to a streamer. Sub gifting is a great way to help out a streamer and bring a few extra people into the community as well too!

*** If you are someone who is really enjoying the blogs and has the financial freedom to want to support this through tips, you are more than welcome to do so by clicking on this link to bring you to my personal Ko-Fi page. Never will you ever be pressured to support in this way however the option is there if you wish to do so! Your continued support regardless of financial or not is greatly appreciated.

Bits
This is the currency that you can buy on Twitch. You would use your currency for the country that you live in to buy it. This is a currency that you can only use directly on Twitch. You can use as many or little as you like to support your favorite streamers. Some might be for different things or actions to happen on the stream and can be a safer way if you wish to donate to a streamer. Where it is already bought currency through the platform there is no risk for charge backs though there is normally a time frame or a minimum amount to be made in order to get paid for that month ie: Twitch you need to have minimum 100$ in your “account” in order to be paid out that month.

Donations
Donations can be a bit trickier in a sense because it goes directly to the streamer. No need to wait for a minimum to be cashed out or anything but there is the risk for a charge back. This is when a jerk will donate an amount of money for a specific reason, and then and they charge back. A great way to look at this is having buyers remorse. The best thing you can do is have chat logs ready and protect yourself. I always encourage people to use bits or even sub because they get something back from that. Now charge backs might depend on the streamer there have been times Ive seen streamers have REGULARS charge back when they don’t get their own way. There is no streamer big or small that is protected from this however the better notes you keep the better chance you have of this person not being successful in getting their money returned.

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Free Ways


Here are some ways that you can help your favorite streamers that are TOTALLY FREE. I mean lets be honest, using your time is not exactly free and some streamers even view it as more important then subscribing or being a help financially (*Cough* Me *Cough*). Viewers make a stream even if they don’t feel like it. Having many viewers can bring in folks who are capable of supporting financially and building a community stronger as well too. Let’s jump in and explore the ways!

Chatting
Pretty self explanatory. As we all know streamers love when chats are active and engaging. Its never fun when chat can be dead and quiet so just by being there and contributing to to the stream and welcoming new viewers can be a huge help as well too.

Lurking
Though this may be a bit harder and more chilled it can still help a streamer. I do a lot of lurking while I’m writing my blog posts for example. Though it doesn’t give a lot back it still helps the streamer you want to support by putting their numbers up a bit higher on the viewer list to bring in potentially new viewers. You do not need to be an active chatter (Though it helps, we understand you have a life outside of being an active viewer!).

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Sharing Social Medias
This can be huge! It can help reach potential new viewers and sharing the stream is a great way to do so. Whether you are retweeting a live tweet or following their socials or sharing the stream with friends it all helps. The more reach someone has the easier it is for growth. Word of mouth is a powerful way to help a streamer who you enjoy watching their content to reach new heights. Legit free with a click of a button!

Active in their Discord
Discords are a great way to connect with a community of a streamer you enjoy. Discords being dead can be super hard to bring new people in but they are a great central place to get the useful information from a streamer out to their community. Even checking in and contributing to conversations is great and a fun way to meet members as well who also enjoy things. Even make some new friends as well!

Clips
Clips is another great way to help support a streamer for free. Whether or not that make YouTube videos with them or they are used across social medias as well too. They are a great way to clip memorable moments in a stream to share with others. Especially for different commands that streamers use for moments and to help make streams more interactive too!

As you can see there is MANY MANY MANY ways to support streamers that doesn’t require money and some that do. Don’t feel like just being a viewer is not enough. If it wasn’t for viewers whether they support financially or not streamers wouldn’t be where they are today without the viewer!

Choosing an Org or Stream Team

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Why join an org/team?
Thinking about joining an Org or Stream team can be a daunting task. You hear of MAJOR teams such as G2, TSM, FaZe and plenty of other ones but there are some smaller Orgs/Teams out there that are more the willing to give people their 1st shot as well as help them grow as a content creator. It goes without saying though, not all teams, especially the smaller ones will have your best interest at heart. Most are simply trying to make it bigger, and bring as many people along the way to help them promote the team for free.

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How to pick one?
My first stream team that I was on was pretty young in the progression process. I was part of a support for support community and they branched out into E-sports, Well they wanted to. The reason why I left this team was because there was a lot of empty promises as well as negativity coming from the owners. Putting blame on the stream team when their viewer numbers were low. I decided to leave somewhere else and find the current one what I was with named Vanquish. They are established, They have some Pro teams currently and a lot of content creators. They did a lot of charity work at the time as well as helped the streamers. However when some of the bigger admins and leaders changed the team lost a bit of sight from that.

When picking a stream team you need to look at where the team is and what you want to be doing. For example, The first team I was on, obviously wouldn’t be as established as they were since they were just in the beginning stages of growth. Barely having a twitter, talking about a website, clips for YouTube and whatever else. They were just starting with not a lot of experience in the field. I felt like I was being held back since you cant really promote another team while on one (See more on this in the next paragraph). I wrote out a quick thank you for the opportunity and applied to Vanquish. I choose Vanquish (And they also accepted me of course!) because I knew a few people who were also on the team. I haven’t heard anything bad about the team and they seem to be doing things. They put their streamers on front page for charity events. They are around for the competitive scene with certain games like Fortnite, Apex, and games I had no idea about due to never hearing them before. They help one another and even have a sponsor through GamerSupps drinks. They have merch and have been established as well. I felt what better way team to be a part of though than this.

*** If you are someone who is really enjoying the blogs and has the financial freedom to want to support this through tips, you are more than welcome to do so by clicking on this link to bring you to my personal Ko-Fi page. Never will you ever be pressured to support in this way however the option is there if you wish to do so! Your continued support regardless of financial or not is greatly appreciated.

When picking a team, pick a team that will suit YOUR needs. If you want to be part of a professional/competitive scene, choose one that is known for that. If you want to join one with similar lifestyles then choose another one like that. If you want to join one with more of content creation side choose that one!
There are many teams out there however remember that they also probably have requirements to join ie: Stream x number of hours per week, Have to be affiliate, use a webcam, above a certain age, stream x number of hours on their verified (or not) channel, and other ones as well too.

Respecting the Team?
When joining a stream team or org it is important to learn about the team and respect the team too. Number one would be respect the other members. There most likely will be different streamers for all walks of life, playing many different games from the most popular to indie ones. No one person is better then another and you should respect everyone on there, regardless of what games they are playing.
Another thing is focus on ONE team and not multiple ones. Nothing looks more unprofessional then when you are representing a team but you have multiple others in your panels or bio’s across social medias.
Also, If your team you are representing has a sponsor ie: Say you are being represented by GamerSupps on your team. And you have a panel there, Do not start drinking a competitor on streams. When you do this it looks extremely wonky as well too. If you are personally sponsored by a company talk to your team about it being a conflict of interest. Show that you are fully dedicated to the team instead of sending mixed messages of conflicting sponsors. Not to mention from a sponsor standpoint, They may be less inclined to extent the sponsorship status to the team if they see these types of things happening as well too.

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Leaving an Org?
This also ties into the previous paragraph as well too. Be respectful! If you feel like an Org isn’t going the way you want it or that it is holding it back, leave. But do so respectfully. I have seen in certain situations where a person would write this huge story and publically post it in hopes they go down in a blaze of glory. Don’t do this. Not to mention if another org you are trying to get in happens to look at your socials and sees you being rude like this towards a previous org it doesn’t make you look like an appealing member they would want to bring on to the team. Keep it classy when trying to leave somewhere as well. If you need to say something and a reason for leaving then direct messaging someone would be a great way to start instead of doing it in public!

How to make the most out of an Org/Stream team
The major misconception that people make when joining a team is they EXPECT support. That doesn’t happen. Remember that teams can be extremely helpful, but you will only get what you put into them. If you don’t visit streams or support other members then don’t expect them to visit you. Though teams are a great tool to be a part of meeting a lot of different individuals who might have the same ideas for streaming as well too. If there are events happening mention you would like to take part in them, If they have an official channel to stream on, stream there, You will only get what you put into it!

Graphics, Are they important?

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Graphics can be a great way to showcase who you are and what you like when it comes to your stream. Normally partners on any platform, as well as anyone wanting to showcase their brand through photos normally customized to their ideas. This can be panels, online and offline screens, intros and outros and overlays as well too. Though this might sound overwhelming don’t be alarmed, Everyone has to start somewhere and you don’t need to have the fanciest things to begin with. A lot of streamers start with basics and move forward as they progress in the streaming world or when more money comes in. As any type of graphics will normally cost money. Getting something for free can be a good way to wait a long time for them.

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First, If you are a new streamer, make sure that the first thing you do, IF ANYTHING is to change your profile picture. Far too many times I see people tweeting and trying to get viewers, when they don’t even have a profile picture. Whether you put a photo of food, or your photo, adding a profile photo and not keeping it the default photo is a great way to show what you are about. Maybe you have a custom logo made, maybe you have a pet or something else you enjoy, changing your profile photo demonstrates you know what you are doing (even if you are pretending!).

*** If you are someone who is really enjoying the blogs and has the financial freedom to want to support this through tips, you are more than welcome to do so by clicking on this link to bring you to my personal Ko-Fi page. Never will you ever be pressured to support in this way however the option is there if you wish to do so! Your continued support regardless of financial or not is greatly appreciated.

Secondly, Don’t pay a crap load of money for panels JUST YET. There is a lot of free sites out there such as Nerd or Die where you can actually make your own panels. Nerd or Die is a prime example of a website that you can make even very basic panels for your live streaming needs. They are available to anyone so there isn’t much customization BUT its a great way to put place holders there and show that you are growing in the industry. I actually used this site and made my panels that way. Its easy to change and helps you not to stress over the customized graphics (Just yet) when it comes to building your channel.

Next is overlays. You have overlays that again, you can pay money for and have a decent overlay customized for you. Or you ca go to some sites where you can purchase an overlay that is also available to other people too so customization may not be as personal. Some sites even have packages for specific panels and overlays that you can buy for a cheaper price. I would check if possible, the popularity of the package though. You don’t want to use the same panels and overlays as all of your friends or people you watch either. You can have an overlay on your screen as well as a cam boarder. This is where you can display your stats like recent followers, subscribers, tips as well as other things that you wish.

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Another thing I would suggest when it comes to thinking about the graphics for your channel. Go into this with an idea of some sort. Not saying that artists aren’t creative or anything but if you go into this with an idea or a concept then it can make things run a lot smoother. When I went into wanting my emotes made I had the names and a few examples of something similar that I wanted. I sent them to my emote artist and she did a fantastic job on them. It can also do a lot in helping the artist as well save time. If you give them a basic concept, And they do something you aren’t fond of then they now have to go back and revise what they did. Now, yes that is part of their job is to refine what you asked but it can save so much time in the long run if you go in with a particular style or even a mascot with who you want. I am going to be personally saving my twitch pays for the next few months I would estimate perhaps.. 6-9 months given that I get pay outs every 3 to save to re-invest into the stream. I’m in no rush because for me I typically sketch out an idea and refine it over time so that an artist has a pretty clear idea of what I want and they can then put their own style onto it!

A HUGE thing to remember when looking for an artist. Nothing in life is free and you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a cheap and easy artist chances are you will get the run in to a lot of various issues with creating your design. Artists take a lot of time when making these creations for our streams some even have many years of schooling behind them. Do you have a friend who has had their graphics done and you loved the work their artist has done? Hit that artist up. One thing that is huge in getting your name out there as an artist is word of mouth. From sharing and having great emotes and overlays and things. Look at AdmiralBahroo, He is known not just for his streams but his iconic emotes as well too. You may have seen them around, the ones with the panda mascot. The power of great graphics is similar to having a great impression via word of mouth. If you use a site like Fiverr as well too, Make sure you check the artist reviews, what they will provide, revisions and whatever else you are looking for. If you get a weird feeling from someone by reading their profile or portfolio (which you should be asking for examples as well too!) If you don’t like something keep searching. There is no rush when finding an artist to make your vision become a reality.

Also this almost should go without needing mentioning, If you cannot afford emotes/graphics/overlays DO NOT STEAL THEM! If you see someone on twitch or where ever with the same emotes as you, report them. Ask how they got them. Question things. So often you see people using others designs because they wanted an easy way our. Streamers and artists are also responsible for this. Streamers if you notice that you have a product that is plagiarized then remove it. Question your artist. And Artists if you use someone else’s artwork. Shame on you as well too.

Regardless of how you want your vision to come to life remember, Not everyone had the money to pay hundreds of dollars for graphics their first stream. Save your money and invest in someone who you trust and you enjoy their work! Ask around and don’t be afraid to ask your artist questions as well too. Don’t spend a lot of money on a “Maybe” if the artist isn’t sure they can produce results!

Should I check my Analytics?

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Before I even begin. If you are a streamer who legit only wants to be casual and feels there is no need to grow or you are only looking at this as a hobby with a few friends who game together or maybe even you have streamer friends and you want to just join in on the fun, this might not be a blog post for you. There is NOTHING wrong with that. A lot of people just stream for the fun and have no desire to pursue anything from this either. Believe it or not, I even felt this way before I started really getting into streaming. A few people I knew did it and I though why not. I can do that too. And would just go live from my PlayStation whenever I was gaming. I had no desire to really keep going or to make something out of this but here we are today! I will be breaking this blog as many before it into paragraphs no particular importance but things that are important (in my opinion) when exploring this side of streaming.

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Why do I want to look at my Analytics?
This is a super valid question I think to ask. Why? Are you looking at this because you are curious about growth? Are you looking because you want to know where you can improve? Or are you looking just because you can? I used to look at my stats just for a curiosity sake. I didn’t really care much about growth I just looked and seen what happened and then I wouldn’t focus too much about them. Now that I want to see how I am growing I look at them frequently and keep track of things I’m doing that might help or hinder the growth of my channel.

**If you like what you are reading through out these blogs, and are looking at ways to financially support the blog, please consider checking out my Ko-Fi link here. You will NEVER be pressured to contribute to towards put any type of money towards the blog however if the thought has crossed your mind, here is a great way to help a stay at home mom provide some financial relief for her family.

Where can I look at my Analytics?
The main way to look at them would be on your twitch dashboard. There is a section of where you can see stream lengths as well as followers, subscribers, etc. There is also lots of websites out there as well such as:
Social Blade: https://socialblade.com/
or
SullyGnome: https://sullygnome.com/
You can go back further with these then you can the twitch dashboard but its a great way to compare other things. Also Social blade has the opportunity to check other platforms and not just twitch as well too. They can be a great way to see how you are doing in the space of your choosing.

How do I analyze my Analytics?
The best way is to look at what you want to analyze. I would also suggest NOT looking at money. At least in the beginning. Subscribers can fluctuate a lot and to analyze these numbers a lot can make you feel horrible since you cannot control who and how many subscribers you will have at certain times. If money is your goal as well talking about this a lot in your stream can really push people away if they don’t see your vision. A great way to start is viewer average. That’s what I focus on anyways though. Subscribers are great to check up on occasionally but Its something you cant really focus on though. Its also great if say you are focusing on viewers, Say you use sullygnome and you can see how your viewers were and what you were playing at the time as well too. Since that is also important. Maybe you are trying to expand your channel and you want to see which games work, Or branch out into a totally different direction.

Remember as well, Regardless of what you are doing or analyzing, you have to be doing this for a period of time. Its not enough to just analyze things for a week and say there you go not working. Sometimes things take time, Starting a new giveaway for your regular viewers, playing new games, focusing on one game away from when you started, things of that nature. I have been keeping track of my stats though some months that were not very well that it’s good to see growth. Its also important to remember that not every month will be the same. You will have some that are amazing and others that may fall flat from expectations. That’s also okay. I know depending on my life and mind frame sometimes I am way to lazy and preoccupied to keep track. But none the less that is not that big of a problem as I normally step it up the next few months!

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Also before ending this, know that even if you decide to track stats and things. The important thing is to have fun streaming. If you aren’t having fun and focus too much on numbers that almost will always translate into your streams. And with twitch (Not entirely sure about mixer) On the dashboard you can actually click away some stats like your viewers, views, followers etc. That way if you are noticing you are focusing too much on numbers then you can hide them from sight. I normally do this with viewers and than if I feel like looking at the number occasionally I hover my mouse over the hidden area and it will show in a tiny bubble. That way its not staring me in the face if I have a slower stream one day then the next as well too!

And lastly, Stats DO NOT make you. Its great as an indicator if you are on the right path or need to change some things in your channel, but it does not mean you are a success or failure. As mentioned before if you don’t give a damn about your stats that is okay too. If you want to keep growing and focusing a bit more on the analytics then this is a great way to start. I know for me I love lists and seeing how I am doing  but if I slip up a little bit I also don’t get too stressed about that as well. Since we all know outside of streaming we have a life, Its okay to take it easy on stats a month. Remember though, Being the most consistent will help with your overall picture too !

Mental Health and Streaming

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Mental health and streaming can have a very fine line between them. Streaming can also be a huge in opening the lines of communication when it comes to mental health due to the broad audiences that can be brought together to talk about things.

Before I even begin I think I should mention that this is one of the MOST if not IS the most important thing to remember when it comes to streaming and mental health is this:
STREAMERS ARE NOT THERAPISTS AND VIEWERS ARE NOT THERAPISTS.

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It is very easily for a viewer to forget that streamers are not therapists especially if a streamer is very open with a community. You build a relationship and connection with them or their other viewers too. Mind you, Normally streamers don’t mind hearing about a shitty day you had, however there is no need to jump into the details of that either. For me sometimes I mention if I’m asked how my day was I say not the greatest but here to relax and turn it around. Which is a great way to kind of mention your feelings and yet not bring down the damper of the chat. Also, by not being super specific you aren’t putting any pressure on people to try to fix the situation. Some streamers don’t mind hearing about the details but you don’t want to make the whole tone of the stream go down either. Remember, This is not your stream. And sometimes if you are close to a specific person with in the community sending a message would be more beneficial to a person/friend then airing everything out in chat while a content creator is live.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Now the flip side to this, Streamers, Don’t treat your viewers like they are your therapists. Sure, a lot of streamers who start their streams will talk about their day so far or some things that happen. And that’s okay. What is wrong (In my opinion) is when a streamer spends the next 6 hours repeating the same complaint or problems waiting for chat to magically give them an answer to fix said problem when they could have probably taken the day off of streaming and dealt with whatever their issue was for the day. It can really put a damper on streams not to mention, If you have viewers who have come to your stream to get away from a problem they may be having, coming to a stream that might not change their mood or mind off of something (Even if temporarily) might be a quick way for them to go else where. I know someone who once wanted to have their stream as an “open mental health channel”. What did it turn out to be? It turned out to be them complaining and talking about the negatives in their life for weeks and months to their viewers and then again feeling bad in tweets and things why they never seen any growth.

This also includes trama dumping. This is when a viewer will come into a streamer who is live, and talk about their major issues for the day, week, month and put the streamer on the spot or even their chat to respond. This also includes when celebrities pass away and viewers come into chat to announce that yes, so and so has passed away. This is something that is entirely unfair to the streamer since we have no idea the relationship or meaning that these statements can have on them especially while they are live.

There are great opportunities to however mix streams with Mental health days, Where chat can vent about issues and streamers kind of moderate them. Coping strategies are great as well too since everyone copes differently and hearing how others have overcome adverse issues in their lives. There is a time and place for things and sometimes streamers even have a specific spot in their discords for things like this as well too. If you know a streamer who has these days tune in, you may be able to learn a few strategies that could help you with anything you may be seeking some help with.

Another thing to remember, As a streamer, You are ALLOWED to take a day off. Whether you are sick, mentally drained, or simply put you don’t feel like streaming. From someone on the outside streaming looks easy, or fun, or no strain whatsoever on a person. That would be wrong. Trying to entertain people for a period of time can be emotionally draining and taxing to someone. And there is a good chance if your day is going crummy and you hit that live button you will also project onto your stream that you are in a bad mood. Sometimes its easier for us to click live for fear we are feeling bad or “Grinding” out time. Take time to have a break. Don’t apologize if you don’t want to. For me myself, I have missed quite a few streams in the last few weeks why? I have had my 2nd child and trying to balance a newborn, with a toddler, and a blog, and a crafting business I would like to get started too. Do I post late if streams aren’t happening? Normally. Do I feel bad? You bet. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to sacrifice myself missing out on sleep (or sanity) in order stream.

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Whatever you decide to have an open line of communication in your streams or you are a viewer seeking this. It is totally okay. In today’s world mental health should be in the open and the stigma should be gone. That being said, no amount of venting in streams or in discords will help the same way as a licensed therapist or psychologist would. There are just some situations when you actually have to seek professional help in case there is deeper meaning or reasons why someone feels the way they do. It is totally okay to reach out to others but as people who become friends online, or sometimes in cases seem like family, unless we have proper school and credentials it can be extremely hard to help someone. Even if you have dealt with the same situation os even similar, one way does not fit all when dealing with mental health. Though a lot of times listening to a problem can be a huge help. It isn’t always the only thing that someone may need.

And, Last but not least again, TAKE DAYS OFF IF YOU NEED TO! Don’t force yourself to stream or really do anything if you aren’t feeling it. Sure its okay to feel bad, However self care is IMPORTANT in anyone’s life. No matter what the profession, Taking a personal day is great for anyone!

The Importance of Discord

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Discord can have many uses. Primarily people think discord they think text channels and voice channels and communication for people who may be playing the same game together. Though getting the hang of discord can be daunting when you just started using it. It can be one of the best tools around when it comes to streaming or even meeting a new group of people who share a common interest. Whether it be for a community you follow, your own personal server, or even a game that you play a lot, there are many reasons why you would create or join a discord server.

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Communities
A great way to get involved with discord is to join a few communities. There are a few different types. If you like a streamer, Chances are they have a discord server. Join it! Make friends and chat with the community. Some even have subscriber only spots where if you subscribe to a streamer they have certain sections only for that type of support. Look at it like a benefit for people who financially support the streamer. For example maybe the streamer does a sub movie night or a special text chat channel for you to have some space away from the regular viewers. You can really build connections for others and talk about anything from food to movies to whatever. The best thing to remember though is this is not your community. Respect the text channels and don’t promote yourself OR other streamers OR even other discords. As mentioned in other blogs do not be “That guy” Who joins a server to look for a self promotion channel only to be there just to use that. It is super obvious and cringe as well too. If you want to see more of the tips I mention before and this one read this blog here.

*** If you would like to support this blog financially you are more than welcome to do so by clicking this link here to bring you to my Ko-Fi website. Supporting the blog via tips is NEVER pressured however if you feel so inclined to help out in another way this is a perfect way to do so! You can see some behind the scenes items as well as insider info on the store updates and uncensored blogs also coming soon!

Some people create communities which are people focused so that others have a place to network and meet like minded creators. They grow it and can run different events there as well. Similar to stream teams as well as gaming ORGs too. You could say one side of my personal discord is like that. Though there is a minor focus on myself there is also a side of it that I try to grow in hopes that others can use it as a tool to bounce ideas somewhere and meet some new people as well too. I have promotional channels people can use to post their links to various content, though it does have a timer to post in order to prevent spam. Also know this, unless you are actively trying to grow and post in a server, chances are very little if any people will want to check out your content if you don’t try to build connections with them.

Central Hub
Now if you are a streamer a discord server of your own can be a great way to connect with your community when you are off stream. The other side of my server is for myself. I announce giveaways, post clips, announce events as well too. Not to mention a general channel to be able to keep in touch with viewers as well as chat with my mods about upcoming things or issues that have happened (These channels can be private just like subscriber only channels as well too). Its basically a great way to keep in touch with people when you need to the most. I love using mine off stream by just chatting about whatever as well too. If I have an announcement or something this is the way to do it basically! Especially since you can “@” everyone in the server to be notified as well too. That being said don’t abuse this or people will leave or mute the channels with announcements and miss a lot of other things as well too.

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Am I too small for it?
The number one thing I ALWAYS hear from people when they are on twitter talking about discord is if they have discord is they do not think they are big enough for discord. For the record, There is no limit to having a discord. Truth is whether you have 5 people in there or 500 people or 5000 you will ALWAYS be changing channels or bots and different things as well too. When I first started my server there was legit 5 people in there. Including myself and my boyfriend as well too. I grew the server as I grew my channel. Getting viewers and friends to join in the process. And even though Ive had it for a long time I did think the same thing, ” Why would I want to have a discord I’m not nearly big enough to have that”. I revamped things before but now I’m even thinking about changing some things yet again!

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Regardless about how long you have been streaming for, Make a discord! It can grow with you. And don’t feel bad if you feel like you are constantly changing things, adding some new bots as well too or removing channels and adding more voice ones. You can add endless roles as well to best describe people in the server that join. Ive even been thinking about changing the colors myself of my own server. Discords can be tricky to get the hang of but you will never know unless you give it a shot! It is a learning experience that even to this day I still continue to try and learn different things. Discords can be a vital part whether you are a starting streamer, established one or even mega popular one. Don’t let it intimidate you and if all else fails check out some YouTube videos on how to set things up effectively too. When I have done permissions to certain channels I would get a mod or friend of mine to be the person I would demote to see if they could get into certain channels and things and worked out great if you need it!

What platforms can bring people to your stream?

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Before I begin with most of these blogs, This is my personal view and opinions on these platforms and what they can do for you. Some may agree and a lot may disagree and that’s okay. If you disagree I would like to know though! How do we differ in opinions or are we all on the right page!

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Twitter
I think twitter is by far the most complex, yet easiest platform to use. There is very rarely a streamer who does not have twitter due to being how widespread the people on there are. You are able to meet plenty of people while searching hashtags of games you play and checking out who comments on the game you play’s twitter page (Which they also should have a profile there too!). Mind you a lot of people don’t bother to use hashtags at all. They simply use far too many of them in their tweets and make them look cloudy. Search hashtags, don;t overly use them yourself in tweets! I think at the VERY least a streamer should have a twitter account. You can really learn a lot too by seeing different people there as well too. When I think about twitter I think of streaming. I also have recently been checking out local people from my province which has had a huge impact on how my twitter experience has been going. Even if you want to use it for streaming, it does have some benefits and great experiences for your mental health if you do follow and chat with people outside of the world of streaming.

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Instagram
This is a space that I know I SHOULD use more however being consistent is hard for me at times. Sometimes I post pics of my pets, clips from my channel as well as other things too! Instagram can have a totally different reach and bring new viewers who enjoy your content there also. Clips for example can be very good at reaching new audiences and potential gems hidden around. The thing I always tell myself is this, Drake found Ninja through Instagram when he posted clips of his Fortnite streams. Obviously there is a lot of value on this platform to keep or meet new people. That being said if all you do is post the same clips or nothing you will find growth to be hard. When I think about Instagram I think about streaming to some degree but a personal side of it, More into someones life or things that they like! From my understanding though, The impact of people from Instagram coming over to a twitch stream may not exactly be the best conversion and other platforms may be the better route if you are limited on time to put into social medias and growth.

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Facebook
Facebook can be be even more complex. For someone like myself, When I think about Facebook I think about family and friends. If you have super supportive family or people who understand gaming on there I would for sure try that out. If you don’t it may be a bit trickier to gain any traction. A big reason I think for this is because when you create a Facebook page that you can live stream to, your viewers have their real name not a handle. Same reason why some folks aren’t a fan of Facebook Gaming. Unlike twitter or twitch or Instagram or you tube you have your legit name on there. To make the switch from Facebook to a streaming platform can be quite tricky. Though if you want to have an extra platform I would suggest maybe dabbling on this. I typically use this for my business of artwork and what not, however I do not focus a lot of my energy on it in terms of streaming or content. I do have these posted to my streaming page but my streaming and content here are separate from my creative business.

TikTok
Now this is a space that I have 0 knowledge so this is strictly  based on what I have seen on Twitter. TikTok seems to be the new “Vine”. Its a spot to post videos with songs or whatever. That being said I have seen it be successful among streamers however the TikTks that are shared have nothing to do with gaming normally. They are mini skits or cosplays and they are super dependent on comedy or something cute or fun. If it clicks with the current popular trends then it seems to help in reach but I’m not entirely sure the translation of people from TikTok coming over to Twitch/Mixer streams are. I will hopefully be taking a plunge early in the new year so I can try and pull in some type of influence here. I need to plan a schedule and hopefully try and get something happening;. In recent months I have seen some friends have a lot of success in growth and what not for TikTok and I would like to see if I can get some of this magic for me!

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Youtube
This can be a great place to bring people to your content. A lot of folks seem to post really good games they have or even montages of great plays or funny moments. This is a spot that you need to either teach yourself or spend some time trying to get things happening in the sense that people want to see quality on YouTube. It doesn’t have to be mega big but this is where you can zone in on certain areas and put together a nice quality. People who want to see the plays in real time will perhaps come to your channels from there. I myself also need to get into YouTube. For me where I am hoping to do more creative and art streams I would like to make a quick video fast forwarded and with some music of how I create specific things. Again, Time consuming and it will not be a primary focus however I know the benefit that this can have on my streams or on my channel also too.

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Regardless of which platform you choose to pick when it comes to trying to reach a broader audience, Its all about consistency. Start with one platform and expand from there. Maybe you know how to make videos and want to start with YouTube. Or maybe you want to start with twitter. Master that platform before going to a different one. Its a lot easier to start with one maybe 2 if you are familiar with it then trying to start with all of them. When you start adding too much that’s when you stagger different platforms and you go days or weeks without even posting (I am so guilty of this it is terrible!). I try personally to focus on twitter, Then I try to go to another spot like YouTube or TikTok and perhaps sometimes Facebook, though it is not my focus by any means. Discord I wouldn’t say is a huge focus for me because I use it so regularly however its also important in its own rights in networking too.

Also remember, without some type of other platform work, It will be EXTREMELY difficult to see any growth as you begin to stream, or continue to stream on Twitch. Unless you are a god tier player of one specific game being discovered on twitch/mixer is not easy. You RARELY see any popular/partnered streamer only on Twitch with no other social media. They are using other platforms to bring in viewers of different parts of the world or different backgrounds. Don’t limit yourself and let yourself be discovered. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are doing the same thing. Look at streaming exactly like a business, You need to sell yourself because if you don’t there is someone who is willing and waiting to take your place in the entertainment and gaming space.

What is Networking?

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Networking is such an over used term now a days, By myself included. Here is my thoughts about this and what it means to you or should mean anyways!

Networking is a veiled word that people use when “meeting” people. Especially in streaming. Networking is in my opinion, a fancy word for getting to know new people and faking relationships. The fact is, There is no easy way to make friends and chances are people can smell when someone has the wrong intentions. People do this to expand their reach as well as hopefully make some new connections that will aid them on the road to success. This can be for multiple reasons, Whether the interactions are on twitter to help boost their impressions. Or this could even be in the person’s stream where they may have double or triple the number of viewers than a person also has. Regardless of which platform a person is trying to befriend another, there is almost always little to no benefit for the person being befriended.

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Networking can look anything like connecting on a game. It could also be considered something along the lines of co-streaming as well too. Could even be collaborating on a project as well too. From a pod-cast, graphics, challenge or something you know collectively as well too.

A big issue with networking is people are fake. This is what they call when you want to make artificial connections. You have to genuinely put in the effort to get to know people and actually make connections. For someone like myself, I trust people way to much. I let people into my circle and stream with them. And what happens, is they normally try to “self promo” over my stream due to them not understanding what the hell push to talk is. And with that being said I no longer play with them again. The people I know who are friends and genuine don’t need to do this since Ill call them out anyways and promo them on my own time. As a streamer it can be PRETTY obviously when you have a person come into chat and the first few times they are there they are pushing you to play with them or use voice chat.

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Networking is not necessarily hard, however it does require a lot of work. You cant just meet people online through a platform and automatically jump on their back for something when you see that they are successful. It takes a lot of time to make friends and built a relationship. Just like real life people forget that making friends and growing friendships stronger is time consuming. You have to put time into it. If you don’t want to do that, don’t even bother. Mind you it really is easy to spot when someone isn’t interested in wanting to pursue anything with you, Mostly due to the short answer or overall feel of how conversations are going.

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For me, I try to focus a lot on twitter since it can be so diverse in the sense of meeting different streamers from different places. I have a few friends who I frequent their streams a lot. They are typically some of my mods and I am theirs. This is a great base to start since a lot of people frequent them. Then once they raid/host or even talk to their friends from different spots I keep going that way. Building a network of people in the genuine way. Sometimes they come to my streams sometimes they don’t. That’s okay though. I enjoy their content. My intentions is never to have a gain from it. If it does happen great, if not I still like to see their content when I am able to.

A big reason why networking is tricky is when people are “networking” they only see it as a success if they get something in return. Sure getting something in return is huge, However if you go into this with the mindset that “I want something in return” You will be quickly dismissed and overlooked. Going into it as the mindset of ” I’m supporting what I like/who I like” will give a lot more rewards then that.

Someone on Twitter mentioned this:
“I think that when we approach others with: “How can I enhance your experience here?” or “What can I do to help you?”, we create stronger bonds. True Networking is about giving, serving others—not taking.“

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And this is exactly it. People want to know what you can do for them. They want you to give them some benefit. It doesn’t work that way. It never does. For example. When I network I never endorse follow for follow but always offer out my discord server due to the fact I try to grow it as a tool for others to use. That being said you can tell pretty quickly who is in it for themselves when they don’t attempt to be active or their 1st question is how to self promote in the server. Instead of trying to get to know the people. It’s the same type of people who meet someone and go to their streams for the first time and talk about their streams. Or they are in partnered servers (Or any for that matter) and they NEVER talk and continually use self promo channels in order to hopefully “grow”.

Also, Networking is NOT when you post tweets on twitter and BEG/ASK others to make the 1st contact. People don’t do this. Making a tweet about “I have x number of followers and you need to jump in to my DM’s or comment on this tweet let’s connect” Doesn’t work. When you put the responsibility on the other person chances are that person won’t do anything. If they wanted to then you would have already made contact. Networking is not to be put on other people in the sense, Putting it on other people looks lazy, desperate and needy. Put YOURSELF out there. Showcase who YOU are and make other people want to be interested in getting to know you.

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The moral of networking is stop looking at it in the mindset of, What can others do for me, but look at it as what can I do for people. When you look at what you can do for others it helps create a mindset that is far greater then one where you take from everyone around. “Networking” Is not something that can be faked, or even rushed. It does take a lot of time but the reward of actually making friendships and connections that are real and in a lot of cases life long is far more superior then the temporary connections that rotate out every so often when you or the other person realize it is not Genuine.

Unspoken Rules of Streaming

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Different from streaming don’ts here is a few of the unspoken rules of streaming. Each subject will be from a streamer perspective to a viewer perspective as well. Being a streaming and understanding a viewers standpoint is just as important as streaming itself. The better that you can understand your audience the easier you will understand streaming. These are the time of things that you normally will not know until you do it yourself or you see it done. I say this because a lot of people who want to start do not really research it before hand, they simply click their “Go Live” button and hope for the best. Which is totally fine, however you do not want to be caught in a place where it can be awkward or you find yourself doing one of these tacky unspoken rules.

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No Self Promo
Streamer: DO NOT DO THIS. SERIOUSLY. There are a few things that look worse then when you go to a stream, or are the streamer, And you have someone random come into your chat to comment about their personal streams. As a streamer DO NOT do this to other streams. This includes veiled Self Promo ie: “Yeah I’m about to start the stream, have a great day though” Blah blah blah. Change this to “Heading to do a few things” or “I have to run for a bit, I might be back later” but do not self promo. Its a quick way to be scolded if not timed out or banned in a channel. This includes channels you may frequent every day. Chances are if you are close to the streamer they will talk about your stream when they pop in on their own terms. Not on yours.

Viewer: Don’t go into another streamers streams and shout out your friends and their streams. It looks tacky and does not help your friends. Not to mention its a great way for the channel you promo yourself/friends in to troll the promoted channel. This also includes if you are commenting on other streams. Its one thing to be in a stream but it’s another to be like “Oh so and so went live, Imma dip”. These don’t always make the streamer feel great. Sometimes we have to remember that the golden rule is key here.

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Talking about others while live
Streamer: Talking about other streamers when you are live is a quick way to be clipped and called out. It starts unnecessary drama and shouldn’t happen. Do you ever see HUGE partnered streamers talking about each other? Not normally. There is a reason for this. As much as there is a large percent that does like drama, or to hear the latest juice, there is also a larger part that does not want to join a stream to hear the streamer

Viewer: Stop trying to bait streamers into talking about another person. A big reason for this is you look foolish and drama fueled. Whats worse is that people will go to streamers chats and do this in order to bait these clips above as well too. If you try to do this which I STRONGLY would suggest not to. Respect the streamer. If they ask to drop the subject or not to talk about that here. Do it. Or again you risk being banned or timed out. Streamers have enough drama on their plate they don’t need to be baited into creating more. Politics and Religion are other topics that are widely known to not be spoken in twitch chats. Mostly due to the fact that so many people have various views on this and chat can become very sour very quick. Another reason is when you talk about these particular topics (Though any topic can also generate this) it normally becomes personal. Something a streamer may just not have the time to deal with when the time comes so the best practice is to avoid it all together. (Unless specifically stating that your channel is about this subject)

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Back Seat Gaming:
This can be super tricky I would say a major rule of thumb would be to look at the tags at the bottom of the stream. If you do not see these tags it may just be safe to assume that the streamer DOES NOT want any spoilers or help. Twitch has tags where you can see if streamers are encouraging backseat gaming, or no spoilers or no back seating. Remember also that a lot of streamers do in fact talk out loud and they might appear to be asking for help but they aren’t really though. Before spilling the secrets of a boss fight or how to conquer the next aspect of a series of segments in a tough game, ASK. Or wait and see how the chat is. Normally a regular (If that’s not you) will help or will comment on ways to help.

Being Creepy/Asking way to personal questions OR  Hitting on streamer
Nobody likes this shit. Some times people forget that streamers DON’T want to talk about their life on stream. While others don’t mind it at all. Being creepy and trying to make something bigger with a streamer can make things super awkward. And what is awkward for one person is not for the next. For me I HATE when people call me baby or babe. My BF doesn’t even call me that and it makes me extremely uncomfortable. That being said I’m sure that there are streamers who actually enjoy this as well too. It really takes a lot of skill to read a streamer and what makes them feel icky. Not to mention if they have a web cam then you can NORMALLY see visibly if they are uncomfortable with the topic. This also means prying for personal information. If a question is asked once and the streamer declines replying, OR if they ignore the question, This is also a great indicator that they do not wish to respond. Some streamers just do not want their personal side to be showing to everyone and are hiding that. There is nothing wrong with that!

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Talking about viewer numbers
Streamers:
This can also be a tricky one. I know a lot of people do not like to hear their viewer counts in fact a lot of people turn them off. It is however a great indicator on how you are doing though in terms of growth. As a streamer a lot of times people don’t want to hear viewers it can make them focus too much on them and it can make them nervous and not relaxed. Sometimes people also get a host with a bunch of viewers as well too and you don’t want to make it awkward in that sense by mentioning it. Whether they have a whole lot of viewers or a smaller number then normal. I normally turn off the viewer counts because when it is a slower day I focus too much on it and become quiet. However depending on my mood I do leave it on from time to time as well too!

Viewers:
Nothing is a big damper when someone comes in chat and points out “Where are all your viewers gone” or “Whoa how did you get so many viewers”. Let people live in the moment. This falls under the same category when viewers come into chat and comment how quiet the chat is. Sometimes chat is just quiet. Maybe there is a lot of lurkers for the day? It honestly just depends. But going into someones chat to point these out can really put a damper on how the stream is going.

Regardless, These are all valuable tips from both streamer and viewer perspectives brought to you by folks in the community! Be mindful and remember, If you aren’t being constructive, And you think your comment might hurt someone, Is it worth even saying it!

One Game Streamers VS Variety

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When it comes to streaming it can be extremely hard to find your “Niche”. I asked this question on twitter and the results seem to be overwhelming. Ill lay out the two sides and then at the end say what the majority had thought as well too.

One Game Streamers

Picking one game to play can have many good or bad reasons. One good reason is you can pick a game (Mind you saturation somewhat does have a factor here as well too) and You can build a community around one game and grow on this. Plus side is you gain regular viewers because they are normally seeking out a person who plays this specific type of game. They know what to expect. Keeping in mind, Whether you play a game that is over saturated or one that is under saturated you still have to put in the work and the time it takes to bring viewers to come into your stream. Playing a game like Fortnite, or Apex or Dead by Daylight, that has some of the top viewers on the directory can be hard to make your place. Unless you are a professional player/competitive player, or extremely funny, It can be hard to make a footprint there.

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There is also A LOT of risk if you stick to one game. Say this game is new, taking off and some what popular. You play this game every single day. And one day the it flops. Whether the fan base disappears, The developers pull the plug (Which we all know too well on games and companies in the gaming space) and now what? Do you try a brand new game? Stick this out til its gone? Find a similar like game to start playing? It really depends. You have to also ask yourself this “Have I built this community big enough and been personal enough with them that they will watch me play anything?”. If the answer is yes normally you can switch games easily because folks aren’t there to watch game play, they are there to see YOU. And that is just a bonus if they like the game.

Variety Streamers

Now you have the flip side of this, Variety streamers. These streamers play any game they want and aren’t limited to anything other then what they want to play. Again, they have pros and cons. A pro would be you wont get bored of games. When you do get bored you just flip to a different game and play that. Mind you variety can be great if a game you frequent is not that great and you just switch games. Though building a community could be extremely hard for the simple fact that you are always changing games. And changing games so differently like going from a Battle Royale, to a Team game, Then you flip to an Indie game and a simulator game it can be quite challenging. Though you might pick up a follower or two while doing this you have to really drive home who YOU ARE personality wise to keep that viewer coming back.

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Being a variety streamer in my opinion means having to really lay on who you are. Connect with your viewers on a personal level. I’m not saying go out and spill your entire life story or social insurance numbers. For example, I share A LOT with my stream, But I also don’t share a lot either. Like what the name of my BF is, Or my family names for example. But we talk about life and issues that happen to be happening in my life as well as my viewers as well too. I think this makes people want to come back due to being able to relate to you as well. Finding the balance between disclosing certain information and not disclosing others can be really tricky. Give it time though and patience with yourself and you will find the right balance for your stream too!

Genre Streamers

These are streamers who stick to one genre and only one. Which I would also consider a type of variety. These people stick to team games, MMOs, battle royales, simulators, really anything from horror to indie games too. They play something similar enough that people enjoy their content and will watch normally since the games aren’t that drastically different. A lot of people dabble in this version of Variety and it seems to be a successful one for them as well too.

As you can see there really is a lot to streaming, Especially the type of content that you want to put out as well too. Personally, I stream variety. HOWEVER I would say I do main the game Dead By Daylight which will again change if you have been following my stream, now in 2022 I am primarily focusing on arts and crafting as streams. I will play games like Overwatch, Stardew Valley, as well as simulators and random games here and there. Making a switch in games can be really hard and challenging however if you let your viewers know and plan plan plan like I have with my main game of DBD to Arts and Crafts it can be more forgiving than just giving it a go blindly.

Now on to what twitter says. They have basically agreed across the board that Variety OR genre streaming is the best way to go. A lot of people even made the comments that they could not see themselves playing a single game for a long period of time as they would probably be extremely bored from this. Which can be extremely taxing especially if the game is going south or has a bunch of bugs suddenly. Twitter seems to agree that having multiple games or at least a few that are rotated around them makes the streaming experience easier because when you are bored with a game the whole stream feels it as well.

*** If you are someone who is really enjoying the blogs and has the financial freedom to want to support this through tips, you are more than welcome to do so by clicking on this link to bring you to my personal Ko-Fi page. Never will you ever be pressured to support in this way however the option is there if you wish to do so! Your continued support regardless of financial or not is greatly appreciated.

I think regardless of your choice, A streamer should always remember that whether you play a bunch of game or just one there is a lot of behind the scenes things that need to be done. As was mentioned in previous blogs, There really is so much to do. It is not enough to just turn on the going live button and hoping for the best. And whether you decide to play just one game for years you are always able to change up your style if you feel that it is needed. The streaming world is constantly changing, therefore we need to adapt and change things where we see fit! And there is no magic formula for streaming. Just have fun and play what you want to ultimately!