Tag Archives: Twitch Streaming Live

Streamers and “Pity Parties”

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If you haven’t been keeping tabs, that is totally okay! I am a streamer though I am so bad with a schedule that it is incredibly hard for me to even keep it going half the time. Juggling two kids, being a wife, and pregnant with our 3rd child, and trying to keep a household kind of clean while cooking, cleaning, playing, sewing, writing, the things that are being done are endless.

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Though there is one thing that has never changed since I first started streaming. I don’t really care about a lot of things streamers do, but one thing I do mind is streamer pity parties. I know, does this make me sound bad? Sure, maybe to some people who consider this as a tactic to make money. But for the vast majority of streamers I think we can all agree that sometimes it is PRETTY OBVIOUS when a streamer does this.

So what is a pity party? And what is it in regards to streaming? Streamer pity parties is when a streamer will play on the emotions of their viewers by trying to get some sort of compensation from them. Sometimes this is in regards to maybe their mental health has been struggling, other times it may be the unexpected bills, or maybe it is simply put, because they know their viewers will donate to them for whatever reason so they try to get that motivation for their viewers to feel bad. To guilt them so to speak.

Before I continue, I do want to state, not everyone is like this. There is a lot of people who have donation goals or different things that people love to help out when they have a few extra dollars. Which is totally okay when you think about it. What I am referring to is streamers in particular who will take extremely long breaks, And on top of it come back with new hair, fresh clothes, nails done, and everything else, and complaining that they no longer have their rent. This is weird and while many of their “financial supporters” are unaware of this hidden agenda to others it couldn’t be more brighter of a light.

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One of these tips to figure out if a streamer you watch is playing this dangerous game would be that they constantly talk about their hardships. Maybe they talk about how they are eating ramen all the time due to being unable to afford food. Maybe they talk about how there pet is suddenly sick, and I say suddenly because they have been sick perhaps for the past year multiple times with various ailments. One thing that is blinding when it comes to these is that someone who complains they are unable to afford rent, however they have a fresh set of a full foil highlights on their head which can be hundreds of dollars. Maybe I am the crazy one, but I would like to think rent should be the priority over a personal appearance thing.

Another red flag is when someone has a donation goal which is bigger than a lot of the other elements on their streams. Now before you are all “Stacey, You too have a donation/subscriber goal”. Yes I do! However it is smaller and in the corner of the stream to not take away from the stream itself. Does that mean I don’t mention it if someone asks? No I will. But I don’t continuously talk about it either. I will never mention that we are xxx closer to our goal, or whatever you want to say too.

The fact is, a lot of established streamers do have some people who are in a position financially to support the stream. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people who do this. What I am talking about is people who KNOW who these people are and will do anything that they can to get every single cent from them. Have you ever noticed that established and good streamers never mention money? hard times? or anything else? Because people know that like myself and others, when you mention these things constantly you run a major risk of actually turning people off of your stream. The fact is a lot of their viewers too could also be struggling and they don’t want to also hear someone else who is struggling.

Why might this be? Because at the end of the day a lot of people around the world are also struggling. To the point that they are working two jobs, making sacrifices to their daily lives while hearing someone sitting on their computer trying to make money from other people. I am a big supporter of the “If you cannot afford to stream you need to find different ways to make money”. This is more or less the people who think streaming more will mean more money, which is totally wrong. There is a lot of different ways to make money and streaming is one way to do so. Maybe they need to pick up a little part time job or maybe go different avenues of making content. One that can bring money in.

MAYBE I am so out there in left field that I am the one who is jealous or envious of people who have these suckers who have the money to spend on them. As I mentioned, I am all for transparency. If you are struggling, by all means, you can share with viewers, but if the topic of conversations always end up to the fact that you need money in some way shape of form and that you need money then it may be a sign that you are watching the wrong streams. Especially if the streamer is using emotions to make you feel guilty about not donating. That is just not okay.

We live in a world that there is an abundance of jobs and if you want to be a streamer then you need to do more than going live and hoping for the best. To be a twitch streamer you need to be looking at all pathways to bring viewers in and performing to the best of your ability. This does not include making your viewer, who watches you regularly, feel bad that you are unable to afford that new set of fake nails, especially since as streamers, we don’t know just how much our viewers are struggling, and at the end of the day they could be struggling far more than we are!

Overlays, Good or bad?

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An overlay is a great way to display to your community different things that you want to achieve ie: A sub goal, Tip goal, Follower goal, Top tippers and anything of that nature as well. You can even display most recent followers if you wish too. As simple as it sounds there can be a right way and a very wrong way to do this as well. Here are some questions you should ask yourself when you decide to add an overlay to your stream.

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Should I get an overlay?
This should be the 1st question you ask because there are certain circumstances where you will not be able to use an overlay. IE: if you stream from console and DO NOT use a capture card then it will be harder/not possible to use an overlay. I have been told that if you use a console and stream directly from there to Twitch or whatever platform, that if you use the remote play feature or do it through a computer then you should be able to use an overlay. Personally, I have no idea how to use that as I never needed to but apparently it is possible. I used to have an overlay when I did use a capture card though. This is because it runs through OBS and you are able to add the file/image to your scenes. If you stream through a computer then you will have no problem adding an overlay to your streams to make them a bit more personal as well too! I personally never got one until I was on a PC/Capture card. If you are in a position where you are unable to have an overlay, that is totally okay too! You will be able to add one eventually as you continue to progress in your journey!

*** 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.

What is an Overlay?
An overlay is any type of information or design that you want to display on your stream. In order to do so you need to either be using a capture card or streaming from a PC. Some streamers have different scenes where their overlay displays chat, or the top donators or subscribers and things as well. It really depends on what you are looking to show to your community in your stream as far as how you would like this to be shown. If you wanted you could also display certain types of goals you might have for your channel as well too. It really depends on what you are looking for as a streamer! For myself, I sometimes show the subscriber goals that I have when trying to save for certain things, I also try to show things like followers sometimes. I also have a chat overlay as well sometimes depending on the scene that I am using too.

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How can I get an overlay?
There are places where you can get a pre-designed overlay. This would be the quickest and one of the easiest ways to get one. Another more expensive way would be to commission a graphic designer and ask them to do a one of a kind overlay for you. Keep in mind if you want all the “Bells and whistles” then it will cost some money to get done. I always say when looking for ANY type of graphics it can be extremely helpful for the artists if you have somewhat of an idea. Even knowing which colors you would like on there is a huge help! And if not, that is also okay since your artist should be able to articulate your idea’s for you if you have trouble.

My Overlay
When I decided I wanted to do a little revamp, an overlay was something that I wanted. I knew I wanted it to be simple and I knew I wanted it to be timeless. I asked for my name “StaySeeJ” to be on there and I dropped the 08. Why? Because eventually if I got to the point I wanted a name change I would be dropping the 08 if it was possible. Spoiler alert: Fast forward to now, and I have actually dropped the 08 from my name which is great I thought ahead and am able to continue to use the same overlay! And I felt this was going to be cleaner without the number too. My colors that I liked was blues and white/black. The whole point was to have it slick and clean looking. I wanted it to be very minimal at the top of my screen and that’s how mine was done! Its simple, customizable and easy to add to any streaming software. I have also added through Streamlabs the different information that I wanted at the top. ie: Sub count, Sub Goal, Top Bits, Recent follower, Recent sub. The best part is that if I want to change out the displays I just need to add text and find the different spot in Streamlabs to get it done!

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DON’Ts of Overlays
– Don’t make your overlay too cluttered. People are either watching your stream for yourself or game play. Nothing is more annoying when you click a stream and 75% of their screen is filled with different alerts, text, logos and many other things. Its cool to display things but making your overlay look like a collage board from school is not the way to do it. It also can be very distracting to what you maybe trying to portray. If you are a great Apex player and all everyone see’s is your logos and things flashing on the screen it will make it incredibly hard for anyone to really focus on what it is you want to people to focus on.

– Don’t make donation goals the center of your overlays. Though I think it can be important to showcase a tip goal for your community I don’t think making it the most important thing is going to do a lot of good for people wanting to help out. If you do have one on your overlay make sure you STRESS the importance of your viewers simply being there instead of making them seem like your only goal is to get their money. When streamers talk about money as their goal it can really put a damper on things especially if people in the chat are unable to financially support your stream.

And lastly, As I have mentioned with lots of other posts. Be careful who you get to commission your work! Make sure you do your research before putting your trust into another person. Word of mouth when it comes to designers is a huge way to see how they are and if they are worth your time and money. If someone is known for copying other artists or not getting back in a timely fashion then they may not be worth you giving your ideas to. If you aren’t sure with what you want and are not in a rush post on your twitter, discord, ask in streams, or even check reviews if a person has an online portfolio in order to make sure you choose the right person for you! Go with your gut too, If you have a feeling that the person may not deliver what you expect then don’t go with them! This is something for YOU to showcase your brand and you shouldn’t take anything but the best for that!

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!

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.

**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.

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.“

*** 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.

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.

*** 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!

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!

What NOT to do Streaming, According to Streamers

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Before I begin, Id like to say that some of these topics are from people on twitter and their names are omitted just in case they did not want to be part of this but wanted their 2 cents to be added in. I will be sharing my views on them as well since chances are Ive probably encountered them as well too!

1) FOLLOW FOR FOLLOW WILL NOT HELP YOU GROW
The only time that I have ever seen this being MAYBE okay is when someone is nearing 50 followers.
“But Stacey, It does totally work you know”
No. It doesn’t. When I first started streaming I was in a community that was just this. The main person would go live and they allowed  people to legit follow for follow folks regularly in their chat. Sure this sounds great in theory BUT here is how it doesn’t.
For example: Say I’m in this chat for a few hours when said main person is live. Say I do this a few times during the week and one week I follow between 250-300 new people. And say those same people follow me back. GREAT! Right, Now I have an extra number of followers. Its starting to look like I have a handle on this streaming thing! WRONG! You need to ask yourself #1, How the heck am I supposed to support 250-300 people and make myself seen by them in there chats enough to be impactful and them wanting to actually visit my streams. #2, How are these people supposed to come to my streams if they also followed the same amount of people? They don’t. All that follow for follows does is inflate your follower number and then when you have about 4000 followers and average maybe 3 viewers they wonder why this is the case when there was never actually ANY real connection for people to want to enjoy your content.
++ THIS INCLUDES THOSE TWEETS LIKE:
” Lets grow together,
1. Follow me
2. Post your link
3. Follow everyone back.
4. SUPPORT FOR SUPPORT”

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This does NOT work either.
The only thing this is actually doing on twitter for example, is inflating the amount of impressions that a tweet is getting. The chances of that person who first posted the tweet for interactions will never be checking out your stream, however will be reaping the benefits of so many people seeing their post and following them blindly.

2) When using twitter, Stop using TOO many hashtags
Contrary to what people may think. Twitter is not Instagram. Instagram is designed for hashtags. You fill you’re posts up with as many as you possibly can. That’s the goal after all. Twitter? Not the same. According to the majority of people as well as some algorithms anything over 3 hashtags will slowly but surely hide your tweets. It also depends on the context of your hashtags. If you are using #SupportSmallStreamers or tags along those lines it a) Makes you look like you are stuck in that mentality of only being a small streamer (Don’t worry, I also was stuck in this mind set as well too) and b) If someone has this hashtag muted/blocked (Maybe the tag made their home page super cloudy and they were no longer seeing tweets that they were interested in) Then your tweets are hidden and thus limiting who potentially sees your tweets. Using hashtags based on the games you play ie: #Fortnite, #BR, #Dbd, etc and or Tagging a profile of the game you play work a hell of a lot better then using random ones in there. Remember to try to change it up and if you have to research which tags are popular for games you play do it! If you only ever use the same tags you will still be reaching the same amount of people and you want to be reaching new people as well too! Also, STOP using irrelevant tags. If you are playing Fortnite, Dont use tags for different BR’s or popular games. ie: #Fortnite #Overwatch #EscapeFromTarkov .. It makes you look silly and that you don’t know how hashtags work. It can also be seen as false advertising when you want to promote 25 other games which you are playing one of its competitors.  If you use too many hashtags to the point that people have to ask themselves while looking at your tweet “I wonder which game they are actually playing” Then it might be time to clean up your tags.

3) Support for support is overrated
From a Tweeter: “Support support and support was the advice given and I did that for almost 4 straight months when I was unemployed and people supported me back. Then I got a job and couldn’t support as much and everyone stopped helping me so ya support is way over rated.”

*** 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!


These types of communities can be extremely difficult to be successful. The fact is unless you are giving a whole lot of support, You will not get much back. People want to do something when they get something in return. This is why all these “Point” communities and “Lurk” communities are super unsuccessful. When twitch changed the algorithm to prevent this from happening people were no longer getting the gratification they felt they needed from this. The short of this, Support who YOU want to support. Don’t support because you expect anything from the streamer or in return. If you enjoy someones content then just support! And you never know what will come back in the process. Streaming is a very difficult career to get into. You will be doing a lot of live hours for little to no justification in the beginning, and especially if you are not working on other socials and are only clicking the go live button.

4) You don’t need to be oozing positivity to be successful
From a Tweeter: “A positive attitude everyone always talks about how you have to stay positive and how positive attitude makes all the difference. The truth is it doesn’t. Yeah you can’t be mopey while you’re live on stream But Being positive itself doesn’t make a difference”
This is completely relatable. Sure having positive vibes is great. But if you are only projecting this type of mentality and people sense that it is fake they wont stick around. It is a great attitude to have being positive by everything that is for sure true, BUT if you have no weird/wacky/sad times people will think that it is just a show and a facade. Positivity is great, But so is being real too. I actually have an entire blog post written about Fake Positive People, If you want to check that one you are are more than welcome to read it here!

5) Being unique will make you successful
From a tweeter: “Be Unique.
Nah.. don’t worry about being unique, worry about being yourself. There will always be people out there that vibe with you. You don’t have to have a gimmick or a schtick or a special thing.”
You will not be the next Doc, Shroud, xQc or even Lirik. Don’t try to mimic someone else and their success. Be who YOU are. Whether that is thinking of a new personality, just chatting with viewers or being yourself in general. You do not need to have a “fake” personality in order to grow. Doc created his personality, Want to do the same? Do it, But don’t try to BE Doc. It will not work. You will find viewers are more genuine when you are genuine with them.

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6) Streaming more means better success
From a Tweeter: “I’m just starting to stream myself, and already I have been amazed with all the conflicting advice from pretty established #Streamers .
Worst Advice IMHO: Make your whole life about streaming.
Best Advice IMHO: Be yourself and enjoy the experience. 🙂 “
Streaming more does NOT increase your discoverability. Fact is if you are streaming 12 hour streams multiple days a week to maybe 1-4 viewers that could be time way better spent streaming more consistently, for less time, and focus on different platforms. The hardest part is to bring in new viewers from different places. Then it is completely up to you to keep them coming to your channel!

7) STOP SELF PROMO THIS INCLUDES VEILED PROMOS!
One of the worst things that you can do is self promote in SOMEONE else’s channel. DON’T EVER DO THIS. This includes the veiled comments like this:
– Hey, Whats up
– Oh not much here, Okay, Going to start my stream here, Have a great time!”

THIS IS STILL SELF PROMO!
Change your wording, I’m heading to get some games in, I have to run and get things done. It shows a lot more class. If you go into a stream and the streamer asks you how your streams are going or opens the door for you. Sure, talk about your streams (Modestly of course) And don’t go on about them entirely. Mention it and if the streamer keeps the conversations going do it. but don’t keep the subject. Focus on the stream that you are in, not your own. That’s what you do on your own channel!

Hopefully this is informative for anyone who might be new. I’m sure I missed a bunch but this was also based on the community when asked my twitter! If you want to be part of these keep an eye out for my poll tweets to better be able to vote and participate in future blogs!

Why I Decided to Re-Vamp My Streaming Blogs

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This may come as a shock to some of you, However before I went kind of the parenting and lifestyle route for blogging I was aiming to be a streaming blogger. I was continuing to post 2x per week however I was writing ONLY about streaming. My reasoning for this was I wanted to produce content when my 1st son was born and where I was a streamer I thought I had to do something similar. Fast forward to now, nearly 2 years later and I am having far more success with my lifestyle and random blogs than I ever did with streaming. There is many reasons for this which I will explore in the coming bodies of text however I think there could be some valuable information hidden in these that maybe just are hard for people to find due to their lack of SEO, tags, or whatever else have you! I know as a blogger I have so much to learn and so far to go to make this a viable source of income however I think it could be a great way to recycle content and bring back some new content and eyes to the blog also!

One of the hardest parts of content is well, making content! So often whatever you choose to do you may find yourself like me, getting stuck and trying to do the same thing over and over again. To the point it feels super repetitive. This is why I switched subjects in blogging because after writing blog after blog about streaming I felt like I Was starting to either run out of ideas, or I was finding I was repeating the same things over and over again and that is just not where I would like to be. In turn I found myself slacking and missing schedule blog days because it just was not working for me. Being a content creator is hard. We are always looking at ways to re-invent ourselves and make it so that people see things new and fresh from us consistently. People do not realize just how hard it can be to be a content creator, I know I felt that way with blogging when I was getting little to no one reading my blogs even though I felt the content was useful.

**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.


While on Twitter one day I seen someone post about a tweet that may have flopped. What they said was if you post something you think has value, and maybe it flopped for whatever reason, be it wrong time of day, wrong audience, worded wrong, take it down, and re-post it at a different time. This really stuck with me and makes me think of blogging about streaming for all of those months. Sure, I was super new and felt like just posting a blog about streaming would some how gain followers or viewers. I was sadly wrong. At the time I had no idea what Search Engine Optimization was (SEO) and I still really don’t all that much. However I am learning more and more about what I can do to make my blogs become easily available to many readers instead of waiting to be found. I wrote about streaming for so long and feel like they are just sitting in my archives collecting missed opportunities that I feel like it may be time to re-vamp them and spice them up a bit for the new year. I can take my time and find out proper tags and titles that can bring people into the blog. Even though currently I am trying to get back into streaming after having a new baby in the recent months and streaming is kind of on the back burner, I think this could be a great way to share the knowledge that I have with others in hopes they don’t make the same mistakes that I did when I started! The fact is streaming is not for everyone, but there is so many tools out there to help you decide or become successful that if you only know where to look you will find it a lot easier!

Here is what I am going to do starting in 2022. I will be taking some older, more popular blogs that I had written about streaming. I do not have the amount to go weekly here however I do have quite a few that I will be re-vamping or tweeking a little bit to add into a bi-weekly feature. These blogs will be released again on Sunday’s and hopefully with the knowledge that I have made in terms of blogging it can reach a new batch of folks who may be looking for their own tips and tricks in terms of streaming. I know I am still learning about streaming in so many ways that having a batch of ideas in one spot for others to see would be a huge thing I think especially if some things were updated and what not too. It also will help to put out a little extra content in the blog periodically through the year!

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In short, I am really excited to hopefully see this used information re-done and brought back to life. I think it could be a huge way for me to recycle information and bring back some of my first blogs back to life. I was so naive when it came to blogging I legit had no idea what I was doing. I just posted and hoped for the best. Now with some knowledge over the past 2 years I cannot wait and see if there is a difference between the quality and how well it will be received! And if there is no difference obviously I need to go back to the drawing board and majorly look over some successful tips for blogging!

Have you gone back through and tried to re-write or re-vamp some of your old blogs?

Did you find a big difference between the originals and the new ones?

Let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear your experiences!

4 Things You Need For Streaming in 2021

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If you are unaware about what streaming is which is totally possible, you might be living under a rock, respectfully of course. Streaming is a way for people to connect with the world right from the comforts of their own homes. Whether or not they are playing video games, chatting, doing art or anything they want really. There is a few basics that you should do though if you want to take the plunge into streaming. In order to give yourself the best shot at success at least. Remember also, you do not need the most expensive equipment in order to be successful however having any of these is better than none. Even if you start with a lower end item you can always upgrade and get the higher end models as well when things are accessible.

The 1st two things can be debatable however way you want to look at it. Get yourself a solid camera. They have cheaper ones and they have higher end ones. For me, I started on PS4 and had to use the camera that they offered. However I moved up to a bit better one which was about 80 dollars and now I used the Logitech c922. This is a lower end/mid tier camera however it can go on sale quite a bit so you can watch for that and save yourself a few dollars also. Then you have the higher end cameras that you need special hook up’s and cords to be able to charge the camera while using it and set them up. I have no idea how to do this as it is far above what I make streaming. Though if I wanted to upgrade I would ask my boyfriend for them for holidays as a gift or I would save the few dollars that I make streaming in order to upgrade my equipment also. Having a webcam will immediately set yourself above the streamers who do now have a webcam. At least starting out. If you see streamers who do not have a webcam and are successful that is fine. However chances are they did start by using a webcam and grew their audience. At some point they would have realized having a camera while streaming does not add any value so they stopped. One of the main reasons besides being live that people want to watch live streams is the interaction. You can see a streamer getting scared, laughing, facial cues and other things also. Personally I never started with a webcam I waited to get my Playstation 3 one after I hit 250 followers because I wanted to be able to know I was serious or semi-serious about this before dumping money into it.

Next which interchanges with having a camera is having good audio quality. That being said, Do not go out and buy 300$ headphones because they will not make you a better streamer. For a long time I started using headphones that were just ear buds from a gas station. Then I upgraded to a pair of razer krakens when I got a capture card and still used the earbuds but I used it for myself to be able to talk to my chat and razer krakens for the stream. You do not need to have expensive headphones. Not to mention, there are plenty of things that you can also do in order to make your sound more crisper, clear, etc. This being said. If you are planning to stream, Remember that having a quiet environment, relaxed, and peaceful can sometimes be great also. No one wants to sit there in the middle of a stream when you have your kids running around and yelling, if you are unable to find a time to stream that accommodates this maybe putting this dream or hobby on hold is best. Another thing to be mindful of is that stream/game audio is not louder than yourself or vice versa. Check clips or vods to make sure that your sound is the best it can possibly be also.

Scheduling streams is important even if you are just starting out. The only way scheduling is not important is if you have absolutely no desire to grow or maintain anything don’t worry about this. However if you want to grow somewhat I would suggest starting with a schedule, even if this is only 2 days a week. On top of that, if you have a job that doesnt allow for a set schedule you can always start and post a stream schedule once a week to update it every week. You have to let people know when you are live even if it changes or else people won’t want to find you as easily. Play around with times maybe you have more viewers different time zones, or times of the day even. Maybe evenings are worse than mornings for you. Or maybe you only have very specific times due to prior life commitments. For me I stream evenings once my son goes to bed, However once I have my second child I know they will change slightly but I will still do my best to try and be consistent though!

Lastly, streaming more will not make you more successful. You need to be putting content out to many different platforms in order to be successful. There are millions of streamers that go live daily from hundreds of thousands of countries across the world. If you are only streaming on twitch that is just not enough to be successful. Whether or not you try and put content out on twitter, or tiktok or instagram putting content on other places other than twitch would do a lot of good in terms of growth.

So there you have it. Streaming really does not have to be hard. Whether or not you are streaming on a playstation or you are streaming directly from a PC or even an xbox, you only need to do a few things in order to set yourself apart and begin the journey.

Do you know what streaming is?
Would you give it a shot or are you completely not interested in it?

Let me know in the comments below!

– Stacey

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