Tips and tricks from a former twitch streamer

As I've come to make my way around the @DLive block, I've noticed a common theme among it's community. There are a lot of first-time broadcasters on this platform! And that's an amazing thing to me. I'm not quite sure why that is, but everyone that I have asked so far has responded confidently that DLive is the first platform they have ever streamed on. I love that this new and unusual live streaming platform can spark peoples interest to actually execute their very first live stream on it, rather than opting for an already established platform such as Twitch, Mixer, or Hitbox.

So why choose to stream on a bare-bones platform rather than a platform with all the bells and whistles?

I've chalked that answer up to 3 reasons (in no particular order): The blockchain, a tight-knit community, and the DLive Team.

This trifecta has convinced me that streaming on DLive is the best place to get your start in live-broadcasting. But for those of you who have no idea where to begin or even why you should, I want to cover a few topics that I feel will benefit you before going through with your first stream, and for those of you have already started streaming, I think I can cover some things that you probably won't find anywhere else on the internet. So whether it's streaming a game, artwork, or a web show, I want to cover a few tips and tricks that I've picked up from my days on Twitch that I hope will help you in your campaign on DLive.

Tip #1. STEEM

It goes without saying that if you are on Steemit, chances are you are aware of the STEEM blockchain and know that it has a certain kind of value that most people on this platform are trying to accumulate as much of as possible. That's mostly due to the fact that the technology behind STEEM is fantastic and because most cryptocurrencies on the market are currently in the "accumulation phase".
I have quickly come to find out that the best way to accumulate that STEEM for a beginner (other than buying in bulk on the exchanges) is by live broadcasting on DLive. They say "don't stream for the money", but that's bullshit. Everyone wants their content to be monetized. I have only ever seen one channel not have a donation link because he had a great career and streamed in his free time, but all it takes is a splinter of a thought to change that. So in my opinion, all you really need to do is prioritize your motivations and let your content influence the amount of rewards you'll make.
So if you're passionate about publishing your content on DLive, if your excited about the development of STEEM, and you're willing to put in the effort to meet a certain set of unwritten standards, you can quickly begin accumulating rewards off the STEEM blockchain. So I implore you to brush up on your STEEM knowledge by reading The Bluepaper.

Tip #2. Know your X-factor

If anyone ever tells you "Oh, they just got big because they got lucky", that's bullshit too, because the industry has made it clear that the most popular channels are ranked higher than the rest, not because of luck, but because popularity is magnetic, and it doesn't matter what game is being played, or whether the broadcaster has a camera or not, there is always an X-factor that made that channel popular. You cannot copy-paste your way to success. So, the most difficult thing about trying to figure out the direction of your channel is figuring out what your X-factor is.

X fac·tor
noun informal

1. a noteworthy special talent or quality.
2. a variable in a given situation that could have the most significant impact on the outcome.

I mentioned earlier that there are a certain set of unwritten standards to accumulating rewards from streaming on the DLive platform, and what I meant by that is that there are no particular set of rules that your channel has to abide by, but, quality of content is key. Do you need a camera? No. Do you need a mic? No, but if you plan on communicating with your viewers via the chatbox, your quality of content is going to take a major hit.
When I began my campaign on Twitch, I only started out with a headset, but as I continued on I told myself and my viewers that whatever donations were made would go towards the channel, and I quickly found out that my community was eager for my channel to be successful. So make it your goal to set goals for your channel, whether it's upgrading your PC, or perfecting your audio quality, hell, even buying a new game to stream is a goal.
Also, keep in mind that there is an audience for everyone. I believe it doesn't matter who you are, there is a community of people that will rally around your channel if you build a rapport with them and offer your X-factor as an incentive to keep watching. I can go on and on about how there are no written set of rules, no guides, no "how-to" on being a live broadcaster, and yes, you can find all the technical answers you need on setting up your stream but when it comes down to it, you will never know if you will be a successful streamer until you try it, and consistently improve it and yourself.

Tip #3. Don't just upgrade your channel. Upgrade you.

I can't stand it when people say "I hate/don't like people". I believe that %99.8 of all people that say that are hypocrites, and the rest are serial killers. If you truly don't like people, don't stream. If you aren't willing to upgrade your networking, communication, interpersonal, and personal skills, then don't stream. But if you are, then get accustomed to interacting with a wide variety of people, because let me tell you, the variety of people that will pass through, and sometimes, stick around your channel is mind-blowing.
If you want to be a successful streamer then get ready to leave your hatred for humanity at the door because there is no room for hatred of humanity in the mindset of success (unless you're a serial killer), because it takes interacting with other humans to achieve that mindset. So, be willing to accept everyone that says "Hi" in your chatbox, and be capable of allowing them to be themselves as long as they are willing to drop off their hate at your doorstep, because some of those people might make you uncomfortable at times, but that's no excuse to verbally shove them out of your channel for just being themselves. Just make sure you establish a firm set of rules for your chatbox that can be enforced by your moderators and/or viewers.
I've been trolled a few times in the past, and one time in particular was from a "trolling forum" that decided to "randomly" pick my channel while I was playing System Shock 2, and by the end of their barrage of puny insults I had one of them saying "this guys actually kinda cool", and a few of them stuck around. So, you have to be willing to accept EVERYONE, even trolls (sometimes).

Troll trick

One trick I learned on how to deal with trolls other than banning them is something we can call Verbal Aikido, or achieving peace through the intention of the troll. The intention of every troll is to harass, insult, embarrass, or just overall bug the shit out of the streamer. So in the event of being trolled, I would basically outwit the troll by immersing myself in the insult. For example, I had a troll tell me I looked like Osama Bin-Laden because I was growing my beard for Twitch, and all I had to do to win this troll over was to take on that role and somewhat make a fool of myself (which I often did anyways), but overall we achieved peace through their intentions and in a comedic way, that benefited everyone at the the very low cost of making fun of myself.

Tip #4 Manage your drama

I don't care who you are, you have drama. You have issues, you have moments, and situations that will arrise that try or will hinder your performance. I covered this very briefly in Twitch Vs DLive.

Keep stress to a minimum and be uplifting and positive in your streams, or else you'll end up like me, arguing in the living room with your girlfriend mid-stream with the mic left on.

That really happened, and I honestly didn't mean for it to, but you'd be surprised at some of the dramatic moments that can unfold in peoples live streams. I've seen a girl-streamer get shoved by her boyfriend in the middle of a heated argument, and I'm sure most of you have heard of people getting "swatted", so it goes without saying, try to keep your drama to a minimum, and do your best to be as emotionally balanced as possible, especially when you are broadcasting live all over the world.
Don't beat yourself up if you have to miss a cast because you just can't pretend not to be pist off, like "everything's fine". One of the things I learned to embrace was to be as open as possible with my audience. I made it clear that my living situation was a sensitive one, and ultimately it ended my campaign on Twitch, but I am glad things turned out the way they did in the end. I can look back and say I made the right choice to open up about my life.
But that type of honesty may not be for everyone, so ultimately it's up to the individuals comfort level on how they manage their drama. Personally, I am, and always will be, an "open book". I am ashamed of some of the things I've done in my life but the intentions of my heart are true to myself and those in my personal life, so should I choose to release sensitive information about my life, it's my choice and how the other individuals react to that information is on them, so if it means I lose a potential friend then so be it.
But keep in mind that the one thing that can and will destroy an up and coming channel is FEAR. Fear of others. Fear of rejection. Fear of criticism. Fear of anything and everything that can get into your head and potentially sabotage your success.

Tip #5. Help yourself by helping others

This one sort of ties in with working on your networking and communication skills, and it basically comes down to how you contribute to the platform, the community, and the individuals outside the community. Help yourself by helping DLive get better. You can do that by submitting any ideas that you feel can better the quality of the platform on Discord and Trello, and don't feel like you need to rack your brain to try and submit something just to get your name out there, just let the idea/s come to you as you make a name for yourself by publishing your content.
Help your fellow DLivers by hanging out in their chat once in awhile, and don't feel the need to follow expecting a follow back. If you follow someone, make sure it's genuine, make sure that your intentions are to enjoy that person. If you join their fanbase, say something! I can't tell you how many lurkers I've had on Twitch shoot me a private message after a cast to let me know that they enjoyed my streams even though they never chatted (but I could see them in the viewer list), but that right there is an example of how extending your appreciation just one time can amount to the same as someone who chats regularly. I love my lurkers.
Help the individuals outside of DLive by presenting it to them casually, bringing awareness to decentralized content, free from conglomerate oversight, and censorship. You don't need to know the inner workings of the blockchain to simply say "you earn rewards for publishing content", and this segways right into my next trick...

K.I.S.S.

Keep it simple Steemian. Don't feel the need to overburden yourself with #streamlife at first, just get started and alter things as you go. You don't need a stream schedule but it certainly doesn't hinder your success, really, it can only add to it if you feel you need it. You don't need fancy scenes, alerts, or overlays for every little thing. I used to pride myself on putting in the time and effort into making my own overlays, alerts, emotes, and backgrounds, and I still use some of them, but the one thing I love the most is my viewer made intro/outro made by @spookymcslave from my days on Twitch. So badass.

But that's it for my tips and tricks for live streaming! I certainly hope that what I have laid out here is somewhat helpful, because honestly, I've never had anyone submit this kind of information to me, and I really wish I had. You can find all the guides and videos on how to setup OBS and come up with eye catching titles and clickbait, but when it comes down to it, no tutorial, no ebook, or "how-to" will tell you how you'll have a moment of nervousness every time you hover your mouse over the 'Start streaming' button. It still happens to me every time.

So with that, I wish for you to have a successful campaign on DLive, and most of all I wish for you to have peace and emotional balance in your lives.

@joeohs