I’m Changing How I Do Streaming. Here’s What You Need to Know…

Yep, I’m changing some behind-the-scenes parts. So the way that will show on stream is going to change.

How?

Well, here’s the situation:

I had done past live streams using StreamYard. Now, StreamYard DOES allow for streaming on YouTube AND Twitch simultaneously…but there’s a catch.

In order to do this, StreamYard saves streams in its own archive. The amount of hours you can save depends on how much you pay StreamYard per month. I’m on the basic plan because I’m frugal and don’t want to spend much money. Streaming is not the most significant thing I do (it’s making comics).

However, the last stream I did made me reach my cap on the number of hours I can have stored. In order to free up space, I have to delete past recordings. And here’s where it gets weird on a technical level that I can’t figure out.

I went into the StreamYard storage of my account and deleted past recordings. (Don’t worry – they’re still available to watch on YouTube). BUT, StreamYard tells me I’m still maxed out on the number of hours I can record, which doesn’t make sense. Aren’t I making more space by deleting these recordings?

So, until I can figure out what the hell is going on here, I can’t use StreamYard to host my streams.

Instead, I will be switching to OBS.

OBS Studio is a lot more technical than StreamYard, but it’s open source and free to download. So I have some basics set up for OBS now.

The problem with OBS is – I can’t stream simultaneously on two platforms. I can only stream on one.

So, I have decided to ONLY stream on Twitch for the time being.

This DOES change how streams are archived. Twitch does have archived streams available for folks to watch – if the viewer is subscribed to the channel. Not followed, because following is free. Subscriptions cost some money. And the minimum subscription is $4.99 a month. As the creator, I can tell you that Twitch takes half that amount, so I only get $2.50 of a $4.99 subscription. It’s not my favorite cut, but it’s the one that exists.

WITH THAT SAID…

You don’t have to subscribe on Twitch if you don’t have the means.

I will still be streaming Tuesdays and Saturdays at 2 pm EST. If you would like to watch it for free, be sure to tune in at those times on my Twitch channel.

However, if you would like to watch streams that get archived, you gotta’ subscribe. If you DO decide to purchase subscriptions, know that your sub will support the comics I make and the work I do! This means better tools, which make better comics, art, and videos.

What About YouTube?

The things I post on YouTube will ALSO be changing. But I’ll share that in a later post.

If you have questions or concerns, leave them in the comments and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support and understanding.

You. Are. Awesome.

Introducing: The Freelance Lifestyle Blog Series!

My previous post, where I talk about preparing for freelancing full-time again, was a bigger hit than I expected it to be. So I’m beginning a new blog post series: all about the freelance lifestyle!

What will make this series stand out from other freelance sites or blog posts out there are these big things:

  1. I’ll talk about living well on a budget. Of course I’m going to talk about how to make a budget in the first place. And I’ll also be sharing how to maximize your earned dollars and live well on less.
  2. I’ll share how I land, fulfill, and complete gigs. A lot of posts on the internet are about how to find work. Few of them are about actually doing the work and making your clients happy with your work. So I hope to share my secrets on how I keep my clients happy and coming back over and over again.
  3. I’ll share how to maximize your energy and focus, to know what things are worth your time and energy, and what things are better off left to someone else to worry about. No, I’m talking about hiring outside help – I’m talking about knowing which outlets (social media or otherwise) are worth pursuing.

If there’s anything else about the Freelance Lifestyle you’d like me to talk about, leave a comment below!

If you would like to help contribute to this series, consider giving a dollar on Ko-Fi. It’s a digital tip jar where you can give just once (and it takes a smaller cut than PayPal).

Stay tuned for new updates in this blog post series!

I’ll also be continuing my Adventures in Moving blog post series. That will update intermittently as things develop further.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

My Tumultuous Tumblr Relationship

I’ve had a Tumblr blog for I don’t know how long exactly. But how I’ve used it has always been a mixed bag.

Lately I’ve discovered the secret (or what I think is the secret) to Tumblr and using it successfully. But before I get to that, I want to make a quick statement of what doesn’t really work on that site

At least, in my experience.

KickStarter announcements – maybe just don’t share a link to your KickStarter campaign in a post on Tumblr. In my experience, those posts only get a lot of traction AFTER the campaign has ended. And that defeats the purpose of the whole process.

Original Art – this has always been a mixed bag. I don’t really know (personally) any artist who has made posting original illustrations on Tumblr popular. Comics? Maybe. Anthro art? Depends on the crowd. But original characters and comic concepts? Practically dead in the water upon arrival.

Social Justice posts – I know Tumblr has garnered a reputation for “filthy SJWs to make echo chambers” on the site, but actually no – that’s Twitter. The most common issue I see on Tumblr whenever someone tries to make a social justice-related post is someone retorting with a fact-check…or something that they THINK is a fact-check. To be honest, I have a side blog on Tumblr specifically for reblogging social justice-related posts, and those don’t get a whole ton of attention.

Here’s what DOES get attention in my experience:

FAN CONTENT.

Tumblr. Is a Site. For Fans.

Archive Of Our Own Fanfiction links? EVERYWHERE. Fanart of video games characters? CONTENT FOR DAYS. Posts dedicated to headcanons (or stuff that a fan made up that may or may not have a basis in the actual content, but they think would work in the official canon)? THERE ARE ENTIRE BLOGS FOR THIS SH*T. And these blogs can even be categorized as ones that are safe for work, or not safe for work.

I came to this realization fairly recently – and also because, of all the posts of my artwork that have gotten popular on my Tumblr blog, the most popular art posts are fanart.

There’s nothing wrong with a site dedicated to fandom. I think it’s great. Sites like Archive of Our Own are a testament to that.

But if you’re an original content creator looking to promote your work? Tumblr is not for you. Tumblr is a site for fans.

(If you’re making a fancomic, though, it’s something to consider).

To that end, I’ve been restructuring my Tumblr blog so that it IS based more in me geeking out about the content I like. So if you want to geek out with me, go check out the re-named blog.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.