Another fun build stream yesterday (Wednesdays 11am ET on Twitch and YouTube). Really pleased with the solid core of regulars and new folks coming on board.
One thing I’ve noticed over the past month or so that may not be immediately apparent to the audience, is I feel like I’ve started to find a comfort level with streaming. I’m not a naturally “in front of the camera” person (hence, you know, the puppets) but just out of sheer practice I’m finding it flowing more. I’m not as worried any more about not being entertaining or tongue-tied, and generally more confident. The friendliness and welcoming nature of the O:P community is a big factor in that.
As more people move away from big predatory corporate platforms to more grassroots and community-focused digital spaces, it creates a cozy dynamic that just isn’t possible in the Facebooks and Twitters of the world, and that’s something that seems very appropriate for Operation: Puppet.
One thing I’ve been toying with is doing streams directly to the Discord instead of Twitch/YouTube. Things like the build streams and Frankie Play should still go out on public broadcast, but there’s other stuff (like me tinkering with the Neverwinter server) that I’d like to share, but which would be casting too wide a net on the external feeds.
It occurred to me just before the build stream yesterday that one thing we could do on Wednesdays is a pre-stream Discord-only stream. I usually am done the equipment check pretty early and am just working and killing time before a stream, so it wouldn’t be hard to just send out the feed to a Discord Stage while I do so. And this has the added bonus as since it’s not a fully public broadcast, I can listen to whatever music I like without the threat of DCMA take-downs. They would be super casual, just hangin’ out kind of things, and a nice little bonus for the folks on the Discord. Will likely get that rolling for next week.
Two lessons from this:
- Join the Discord.
- Coffee.