Finally streaming: First impressions and Misconceptions

Thinking about doing something and actually doing it are two different things, like reeeeally different…

I think that everyone can picture in their head what streaming or live content creation is like, but all too often, they later find out it was actually nothing like they had imagined. It need not be better, or even worse for that matter, just different.

I really thought that it would be an exhilarating thrill whilst I’d be ‘LIVE’ and that I’d get constantly overwhelmed by the chat interaction on account of being new and not very fast, or expedite, at dealing with the questions or situations as they arose. I also thought that I’d be somewhat held by, or tied to, something similar to a more professional conduct, or relationship, commonly held by any other kind of Entertainer and their audience.

Turns out that, regarding the excitement of it all, it’s more like a rollercoaster ride that you can get on, but can’t really leave. You have some breaks, which are pretty much the off-stream times, but it seems as though it’s merely set on PAUSE and will resume the next time you go live again (you find yourself constantly thinking about the last few streams, or even a single specific one, trying to see where you could’ve done better, what people seemed to enjoy the most and what they were looking for that you didn’t follow through on… mostly, trying to see which parts of your shy self they really seemed to enjoy or which of your reactions might’ve appeared, or actually been, over the top).

The truth of the matter is, it looks like a crazy adventure, filled with excitement and possibility, but, while there’s definitely some excitement and it definitely can be described as a long-ass quest or journey, it has more to do with hard work when it comes down to it. A constant search for self-improvement, willingness to learn more and accept you don’t yet know everything, as well as a deep desire to engage people with your content and really see or ascertain their enjoyment of what you tried to produce for them.

So, first impressions were kind of a surprise in and of themselves really, I went in wanting to do my best to entertain or amuse, and came out really thinking that, ‘holy shit, this isn’t so much about ME and what I can bring to the table, but very much so about the people, what they want to see, what they enjoy, how they’d like me to interact with them, but also with them wanting to get to KNOW me. This is a much more personal and intricate connection than I thought’.

And then, Live Stream is over...

Well, when I turn off the camera, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Of a ‘job well done’. I feel as though I worked hard, before and DURING the stream, but it was all well worth it, ‘because people enjoyed themselves, the channel, the content and their interactions with me and amongst themselves’! That is, on most days, where everything went sort of according to plan or just with some slight deviations from it, really. Those are the golden days, from the good ones, to the highs of streaming. But...

There can be some days where, despite some of your best efforts and sometimes even a massive amount of planning, a particular event or special meaning assigned to that day does not, or did not, shine through to the other people... the audience, your followers or your viewer-base.      

Therefore sometimes they don’t all show up exactly when you sort of felt like you needed them most. Those days can be sort of devastating, if you allow them to, especially on the post-stream routine. You’re left wondering where it all went wrong, if you had not publicized the event enough, if people just didn’t care, either for the event, the theme/category it falls into or just your channel in general…

It raises a lot of self doubt and the only real way to fight it, is to stay consistent and not give in too much to the highs and lows of it all. Just TRUST in the work that you put forth, the QUALITY of the content you try to produce for your viewers and the RELATIONSHIP you’ve established with them so far, and that it will eventually guide people to your channel again in the future. Some days might be slightly off, but better ones WILL come.

All things considered...

So, in the end, I might say that streaming is quite a bit of excitement, definitely a long journey, requiring a lot of hard work, some sacrifice and a need to understand that it’s NOT all about yourself, the streamer. It’s about everyone who will be involved, from the people who will watch it, to the community that you will build around your channel AND, above all else, the relationship you will build with them. Without it, you’re just a trained buffoon playing some video games and throwing out catchphrases.