So I’ve been thinking recently quite a lot about where I stand on the fact that noted person who had money and did okay with it but he’s a wee bit of a numpty Elon Musk has bought my favourite social media site. There are far more interesting takes about what the hell he will do with it (I urge you to read The Verge article on it).
I worry about what he will do to the place. I worry about it’s role as a player in a future Arab-Spring like event. I worry about my friends who – somehow – made it a safe space going forward. I worry that it’ll become a haven of extreme right wing rhetoric it’s been pretty good at stopping. I’m also worrying that he will kill the site, as so far his rhetoric on making back $44bn has been small fries. I do feel with a lot of these systems the only way they make money is by trying everything else (anybody else remember when WordPress.org started selling links?), and $8p/m verification doesn’t seem like it ever will recover the investment. Like a shiny toy, I worry he’ll get bored and abandon it. That’s how it happens in tech, right?
If the latter will come to pass, it’ll be a shame, as it has been one of the more positive social media sites I’ve been on. It was instrumental in phase 2 of my career (back when MancSEO was in it’s infancy, I travelled to their meetup on a random Thursday night in January 2010, and met the wonderful SEO Community that I’m still friends with), but that was when Twitter was a lot smaller, and it was easy to find people to connect with and chat to. The Tweets were shorter, but the conversations were longer.
I miss that.
But then, I miss the old internet. I don’t want to gatekeep people from access to a tool that has started revolutions, but I do feel like the internet was maybe slightly better where we didn’t congregate around singular water coolers, as turns out a large group of people in one place invariably generates some bad apples, and maybe we need to go back into our respective silos.
Sure, we may not get the reach. I doubt this blog post would get the eyeballs on it that if I posted it in a thread on Twitter I would have got, but is that a bad thing? Surely you would want to share your content to the largest eyeballs as quickly as possible, but if we get one or two people who are genuinely interested, rather than those with a passing glance, surely that’s better? A warm lead, as opposed to an ice cold one, to use marketing speak.
Retro Gamer forum meetup at r3Play Blackpool from 2011. Ironically it came up in my Facebook memories today.
But that’s the thing, they need the eyeballs, they need the communities. I miss forums. Forums were a thing, but they went away when we all transferred over to social media. Maybe they should come back, as they were great for conversations surround great topics. I remember sitting for days on the Retro Gamer forums (a forum that only shut recently) discussing retro games. A couple of the members of said forum I class as close friends. Heck even on forums where I didn’t dedicate all my time I have had positive experiences – even now on Facebook I have a couple of people who I befriended on a Blitz Basic coding forum on my friends list. Maybe I want people to have similar positive experiences, that have enriched my life like the years I’ve spent online.
The best conversations with the best people I’ve had recently have occurred on Discord, and it’s the only system since early Twitter that I’ve been happy to meet people off of it. I’m not sure if Mastodon and a decentralised system is really the solution (purely because joining is a bit of a nightmare), but maybe they’re on to something with a decentralised system.
Maybe as well as having a decentralised system, we need to decentralise the users as well.
Well, COVID became a bit less of a (but still a thing) in my thirty-eighth trip around the sun, and for a large part of the year I was in a holding pattern. Ironically much of my 37th year was spent adjusting to a phrase that I grew accustomed to hate – getting back to normal. After getting vaccinated in the arm in spring, August and once again in December (each with stronger side effects but less emotion), I began to see friends and family a bit more, which was lovely.
Yes, since purchasing my house last year I spent a bit of March & April as a hermit, before things began to get a bit brighter in the summer. Highlights was attending the Ale Trail (twice!) with good friends, exploring Liverpool a lot more, the Retro Asylum 10th Anniversary celebrations in Arcade Club, Play Expo in Blackpool and going to Brighton SEO. Each event saw me meet new friends, reconnecting with old, and just having a good time. I joked when I was leaving Play that this year I’ve more photos with friends than machines!
I feel that being around friends is what is the most important thing of last year, and when you read it, I’ll be actually travelling abroad. My COVID vouchers for a potential trip to Amsterdam have been redeemed. Feel free to send over tips!
So things have – slowly – been getting back to normal.
Work wise it’s been solid. Outside of the main job I’ve sold one of my sites (Wrestling Betting), another (Drive in Cinemas) has been ticking along, but the real joy of 2022 has been my Twitch Stream. This time last year I started my first “Game Show” stream (we played Blockbusters online). Since then I’ve introduced two new games (Wipeout and Wisdom of Crowds) and they’ve really been well received (well, Wipeout has. Wisdom of Crowds will have debuted by the time you read this). But the real joy is finding myself in a community of actual genuine friends. Hanging out in each others streams and also having voice chats and spending nights playing video games together have been so much fun. Contrary to popular belief, I rarely play video games online – preferring more single player events and narrative driven games. But with Fall Guys, Dead By Daylight, CS:GO, Golf with your Friends (or – as it’s known after one game – “Golf”) and Jackbox, I’ve actually had great fun connecting with wonderful people. There has been discussion about possible meetups in real life – one thing I’d be delighted to do at some point.
Actual chaos
One thing about work that streaming gives me is something you build and continue to build on. I’ve enjoyed building websites, but in the end of the process you finish the site and then ship it off to somebody. Sure you get repeat clients (which makes the bulk of my work), but I’ve begun to look at more opportunities to build something more permanent, something longer lasting. Actually thinking of a 5/10/15 year plan on where I want to be (a conversation started with my pension advisor when he said “what is your 5 year plan” and I gave him a blank look). I joked that one idea is now I’ve got my feet under the table around Earlestown & Newton-le-Willows area I’d like to open up a co-working space around here. Just something for the community to use. That’s totally a pipe dream, but you know, one day.
I’ve also been focussing on myself a bit, and beginning to look for things to do that don’t have me stare at my screen. I bought my first car late last year which has given me some freedom. I haven’t been everywhere or very far (taking the East Lancs road to the second nearest Tesco has been the furthest I’ve been), but it does offer me some freedom. I also began dating again, with mixed success (I had a lovely but short lived relationship towards the latter part of last year), but alas I enter my 38th year single.
Alas, also not so much in the fitness side of things – DDP Yoga died a death as my workload increased. However, I am walking more though. I’m also trying to think of things to do to improve or pick up a new hobby. I keep threatening to myself to try golf as there’s a driving range a short drive away from me, so I can see myself picking up a clubs. However I think I (also?) need a hobby to meet people. One of the highlights of aforementioned dating was actually spending time with somebody doing things (mind out of the gutter folks), and I feel I need to spend time with more people to form more relationships, as I fear I am becoming a bit of a hermit – but then again: how the hell does a mid 30’s freelancer make friends during the latter stages of a pandemic? On the plus side last year saw me drink less and eat a lot better, so I’m happy with that.
So without further ado, here’s my updated comparison with you know who.
Rhys (With a Spoon)
Reese Witherspoon
Age
Nearly 38 (Up 1)
Nearly 46 (Up 1)
Oscars (Nominated)
0 – No Change (0 – No Change)
1 – No Change (2 – No Change* )
Books Written
1 (No Change)
1 (No Change)
Marriages
0 (No Change)
2 (No Change)
Children
0 (No Change)
3 (No Change)
WordPress Plugins Written & On the WordPress Repository
Post Script: Unfortunately, most of this post I write a month or so before my actual birthday, so it misses current events. I’m sure you’re all aware of the tragic events taking place in Ukraine. I’ve at times felt numb, but I’ve been donating to the British Red Cross’ Ukraine Appeal. I’d urge people to donate to reputable charities especially around now. Hopefully by my Thirty Nine post it’ll be over.
My 36th lap of the sun I thought would be dominated by Brexit, but reading last year’s update I talked about how much travel would take place in the first half of the year in a big fuck you to Brexit, but – on the first trip (a visit to Berlin to spend time with friends, a trip I value dearly looking back) – we got the announcement that Twitchcon, the reason I was going to Amsterdam, was cancelled. This began a massive domino effect that saw all 5 of those trips cancelled.
Yes, a week after writing the post, COVID-19 became a thing in Europe. And my “settling and slowing down” goal became a grinding halt. A big client left, and by April I had effectively no income.
Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
Thankfully, with the world moving everything online, a web developer wasn’t out of work. The work was different, it wasn’t always constant (I started side projects like Drive in Cinemas that actually got finished, and the wonderful Auction Request that burned bright and then exploded), but it was there. And it eventually got to the point where mortgage companies would take a second look at me.
So yeah, settling down. I ended up getting to the point where I felt like getting on the property ladder was actually possible. I got an idea on how much I could afford, but you couldn’t get much for your money in Manchester. However, one day in a WhatsApp group where Shane shared a few properties in the village he lived, which were 60k cheaper and included such luxuries as a garden, third bedroom and a garage, I ended up circling a few properties in Newton-Le-Willows.
The first property I talked myself into putting an offer in, it was accepted, and 4 months later (which apparently is super quick) I got the keys.
So, since then, most weekends has seen me covered in soil, paint, or god knows what was in my drain. It’s been fun! I’ve enjoyed having my own space and being a hermit, and whilst it’s not perfect the house yet, I’ve loved every second.
The business has taken a hit, I’m not going to lie. I’m probably about 10% down on last year, I feel some business decisions may have cost me a bit, but it’s purely down to not wanting to go through what I professionally went through April & May last year. Business wise I’m happier (the current grump I have whilst writing this aside), if not necessarily richer.
Of course, with travel out the question (so much so that on one day where I made it to Llandudno between lockdowns on a beautiful sunny day I cried), I’ve had to spend my time doing other things. Before leaving Manchester I found parks I never knew existed 10 years living in the city, I have discovered similar beautiful places (many of which you can see on my friend’s Del’s Instagram, usually with a description of “I LIVE HERE!?!”) in Newton-Le-Willows, I’ve been attracting the neighbourhood wildlife with all manner of bird feeding contraptions, and I’m hoping some of the garden things I’ve planted turn into plants or vegetables and don’t remain mounds of dirt.
The first time I could touch the ground with straight legs. I can also almost now do a push up….
Health wise drink was up and down (shout out to the Corona Pub), so I gave up on the drink free days (It’s a pandemic, duh!). Similarly because of the Corona Pub my diet fast became “a pizza in front of the webcam”. I’ve stopped the majority of this now, largely due to moving and actually having access to a kitchen when I want it. But maybe do have the odd pizza here and there. 6 weeks ago I also began DDP Yoga and whilst I can’t say I’ve lost weight (I tend to not track weight) I do notice my sides are slimmer (if not my belly), my arse is a little bit less flabbier, and I’m more flexible, so that’s good.
A happy moment for me in my 37th year was the Corona Pub, getting to know people. I didn’t create it, but did keep it running, and it meaning so much to people that they would send me Christmas cards made me happy.
In a weird way, sitting here, a week before my 37th Birthday, I’ve begun to think about the past year, largely alone, largely in lockdown, and where exactly I am. Of course, there’s things I want to come back: seeing my friends, going to the pub, generally wanting to be able to travel are all things I want back. However, I’m also reflecting of the things I’d like to stay: I think masks when you are sneezy should be a thing in supermarkets going forward, working from home is likely to continue (I worked out I spent more time in Zubaz in my career than wearing a suit, that makes me happy), and also spending time in the community – one I’ve yet to experience fully – would be nice. Of course I’d love my business to pick up again, and see friends again (as well as meet new ones I’ve made on Zoom chats in the past year), but maybe this is the new normal.
And the new normal should be better than the old one.
So without further ado, here’s my updated comparison with you know who.
Rhys (With a Spoon)
Reese Witherspoon
Age
Nearly 37 (Up 1)
Nearly 45 (Up 1)
Oscars (Nominated)
0 – No Change (0 – No Change)
1 – No Change (1 – No Change)
Books Written
1 (No Change)
1 (No Change)
Marriages
0 (No Change)
2 (No Change)
Children
0 (No Change)
3 (No Change)
WordPress Plugins Written & On the WordPress Repository
I’m a rarity amongst my friends in the mid 30’s – I stream on Twitch. I started mainly to cut down on drinking, but it’s made me connect with some amazing people, become better friends with people I already knew, as well as earn a little bit of money.
In recent weeks, with the Coronavirus issues, people have been looking to get more into Twitch streaming, and asking me how I did it. I’d thought I’d teach you how I do it. Here is a guide of how I did it.
Starting for “Free”
Before starting, I’d recommend getting things up and running as quickly as possible for free. I started with Retro Gaming with a stream of Championship Manager 93. For this I simply needed an emulator, ‘acquired’ copies of the game, and Open Broadcasting Software. Open Broadcasting Software (henceforth referred to as “OBS”) is a piece of software that has Mac, PC & Linux alternatives and allows you to put together a “scene”. This scene can pull in any window on your machine, images, your webcam, as well as any audio associated with it. You can then immediately stream by connecting the software to Twitch (here’s a guide on how to do it). Test everything is working (you can run test streams) and then go live!
My OBS for when I stream ZX Spectrum games (in this case Manic Miner)
Your first streams won’t have many viewers, that’s fine. I think my entire first 2 months of streaming I had less than 1 average viewer per stream. If you can bring people in that can be useful (my first regular viewers were people I knew outside of Twitch). But you should use this time to speak and get comfortable, which is why a game like Championship Manager is great as it’s slow paced and you can talk about what you’re seeing. Things like that. People may show up. People may not. But you should decide if you enjoy it, which is why I say a game like this is perfect. You can stream direct from Xbox/PS4’s, however they don’t have features like webcams, and it’s far easier to connect when you see somebody.
Investing in Streaming
Decide you enjoy it? Great stuff! Now let’s spend some cash
My entire streaming setup (outside of games & consoles) cost me about £250-300. I had some elements already (like the computer), and I did use some tokens to take some of the damage off, but this is what I bought.
Elgato Game Capture HD60 Capture Card. This is the main thing, which allows you to capture any footage with a HDMI output and output it into your stream
Havit 12″-17″ Laptop Cooler – this is because my laptop can get hot when running a stream. I’d probably recommend it.
When all the gear arrives, in between your console and your TV put the Elgato Capture Card and your console. You’ll want to capture the signal to put it into OBS, there are millions of ways to do this and my way is rather complicated (but works for me!). So I’ll not share it. However you should have something that looks like this.
I don’t usually put the streaming card this side of the laptop, but you can see how it is structured with the grey HDMI cable being the input (from the Raspberry Pi) and the black being the output (into the monitor).
Notice the fact that what I’m watching on the screen (top screen) is not running at the same time as my stream (bottom screen). This is deliberate as there will be a delay. Also it’s a good idea at this point to run as lean as possible – close all programs, drop the bitrate of the video (I stream at 760p standard definition as for retro stuff & my ugly mug it’s fine) and generally try and run the games in the resolution they were intended in on your monitor.
Bots
A Chatbot is a good thing to have in your stream. They can do basic moderation, help sort out spam, and respond to events as well as provide commands. You can see this in action by going to my stream and typing in commands such as !social, !discord & !prime. Or just write a few messages relatively slowly (so not to set off the spam filter). Here are a couple of ones.
Streamlabs Cloudbot – probably the simplest to set up, and I’ll talk more about Streamlabs offering in another part.
Nightbot – Popular with some elements of the community.
Phantombot – What I use. Self hosted (so you have to pay for server space). Complex to setup, but I love their dashboard and it is open source. Plus it allows me to tinker and improve it however I wish.
Dashboards
You can also setup a dashboard. Dashboard are what you look at whilst streaming. It can tell you things like the bitrate (how your internet connection is), how long you’ve been streaming, how many viewers you have watching and anything that’s happening on your stream.
The Default Twitch Dashboard
Some dashboards I’m familiar with are the following.
The default Twitch Dashboard. If you watch it disable your video, as I found it make things all a lot slower.
The default Twitch Dashboard on Mobile – again can be useful and easy to setup, running the dashboard on your mobile. I started with this.
Phantombot’s Dashboard (this is what I use). I found it light and didn’t take up as many resources as the default Twitch Dashboard.
I’m not sure about any other Dashboards, but I’m sure there are plenty more. If you set up a dashboard switch off viewers. It can be distracting and disheartening when you’re performing to an audience of zero.
Alerts
One thing I quite like is Alerts. They help improve interaction between you and your streamers. These are little animations that pop up when things happen on your stream. Two of the most popular ones are the following:-
Streamlabs Alerts – I have this, and has a wealth of tools available to handle alerts for anything from followers to subscriptions.
Soundalert Extension – This will allow users to donate bits (more on Bits later) or use channel points to play sound effects on your stream.
Maintenance
It’s up to you, but I put my streams up on My YouTube Channel whenever they are finished. Streams last on Twitch for a couple of weeks, but can be exported with the click of a button in Content > Video Producer.
Anything you clip, or one of your users clip last permanently though.
Growth & Monetization
And so the big one, how do you grow or monetise it? Well let’s start with growth.
Growth kind of happens slowly. It’s a good idea to have a community or things you can latch onto to help. If you can bring viewers to Twitch in some way (say if you have friends that enjoy games) that’s an easy way. Other than that, my three tips are.
Share the love: once finishing streams “raid” a random person. Raiding is passing on your viewership to somebody else. Some people switch it off as it can be a bit overwhelming, but if you have a few viewers, find a streamer of a similar/larger size, and raid them. Be friendly and chatty and hang out for a bit – I try to end a stream earlier than you wish to make sure that I can have a small chat.
Jump on hashtags: Some such as “#SmallStreamersConnect” and “#StreamFrens” retweet go live notifications – though you may want a dedicated Twitter account.
Sit and watch other streams: Some of my earlier viewers came from people I had previously watched. You can do that.
Some communities exist that can help you grow. These are things such as the following:-
And finally onto earning. Well you cannot earn straight away, you need to become a Twitch Affiliate, to do this you need the following:-
50 Followers on Twitch.
Stream on 7 Different Days over the last 30 days.
Stream for 500 minutes over the last 30 days (8 and a bit hours).
An average of over 3 viewers on your streams.
It sounds like a lot but it’s quite easy to get, it took me about 2-3 months to achieve but if you are committed you can do it quicker. Becoming Twitch Affiliate allows you to earn using the following ways.
A share of the ad revenue.
“Bits”, small donations when something cool happens (usually works out at 1 bit for $0.01).
Subscriptions.
Affiliate income from games – rarer.
Subscriptions are the best way to earn as if you have Amazon Prime you can get Twitch Prime as well, which allows one subscription to somebody that’s not yourself on a monthly basis – you can read a guide on how to subscribe to a streamer with Twitch Prime here. So ask your friends to subscribe to you!
The only thing that is lacking is that it doesn’t auto renew, and designed to be a service where you share the wealth. A good alternative is my side project Streamer Sub Alert, which allows you to generate a link that you can put on your profile, or activated via a bot which allows people once subscribed to put a calendar reminder into their calendar to resubscribe. Paid subscriptions do auto renew though.
And how much can you earn? Well, it’s a slog, I’m after 9 months about a third of the way to the payout level. But it’s something to look into a side project rather than a main source of income. Do it for the love, rather than the money.
Thanks For Reading!
If you’ve enjoyed this article, great! I hope I answered questions. My inbox is open for any further questions. If you are on Twitch, please follow me on Twitch. Also YouTube, Twitter & Discord for my other services. If you have Amazon Prime and haven’t used your Twitch Prime Subscription, please consider using it with me – you get a cool emote that you can use on Twitch & Discord (thanks to ArdonPixels for the design). You can do so from my Twitch Profile by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top. If nothing else, thanks for reading and please share.
My 35th celestial orbit was a year I’d suggest of personal settling down, if not slowing down. I felt like in my year I’ve changed a bit personally, if not necessarily professionally.
Business has been good – or so everybody has been telling me. It saw me speak outside of the UK for the first time (WordCamp Dublin), at the time of writing in 2 weeks I do my first talk in mainland Europe (WordCamp Antwerp). I’ve also been growing a quite fun little side project – (Streamer Sub Alert), and became a Twitch Affiliate. Although I enjoy all my projects and sites I work on, a particular highlight was working with Fullfact on their Fact Checking Schema Markup WordPress plugin, purely because it shared my values & it was working with some interesting people on this project. At least that’s one I can talk about a bit!
So yes, settling down a bit. Last year around this time I was a bit down with the whole Brexit nonsense. I’m still down about it. But one brave moment in my 35th year was to put my life on hold in Manchester & decamp to Berlin for a period of 3 weeks over the original date of the transition period (March 31st 2019). I always promised myself that should the fateful day come, I wanted to be on the other side of the wall. And (originally) I was. But the date moved and I was in the UK when we finally shot ourselves in the foot.
However, within Berlin I began to realise just how difficult it is to move. I fully intended to integrate and learn the language, but after a short while I was simply watching Premier League Football in an Irish Pub most nights. I had fun, don’t get me wrong, and I spent time with amazing friends which was always great. However to start a new life (or begin to)? At 35? It’s tough, especially as somebody who struggled a bit with the language. I have a new found respect for people who do this to better themselves, as I feel people forget how hard it is.
With that said, a part of Mauerpark will always have my heart.
As such, with the Berlin trip, I spent more time abroad overall, but to less places. Berlin (twice), Oberhausen, Dublin & the only new country Morocco – with a trip to Marrakesh just before Christmas. This was my first trip to Africa.
It was there surrounded by all inclusive treats I realised that I’m getting a bit bored traveling on my own. There were a few times in Marrakesh that if I was with somebody I’d probably would have done more.
I’ve 6 trips abroad booked right now (Berlin, Antwerp, Mönchengladbach, Prague, Amsterdam & another place I cannot say), and all six I’m either traveling with people, or traveling to meet people. Some cases (Berlin) it’s both. But I cannot always rely on other people like this, so at the turn of the year – I did something rather brave for me.
I’ve actively started dating again. Or trying to.
You see, online dating is a thoroughly depressing experience. So far I’ve been on two dates and they’ve been the most successful moments which ended with “lets just be friends”. They have been the better ones where there has been a closure and certainty. It’s certainly a place where your ego gets a massive battering and you are left wondering where you screwed up. Apologies for sounding so neckbeardy & edgelordy but it’s such a depressing procession. But we continue as there’s literally no chance of me meeting people outside of it (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody outside this medium, not for 10-15 years or so).
Finally, onto settling down a bit. I’ve been trying to cut down a bit with alcohol and I’ve begin to notice the effects, I’m more alert, I’m more sensible, and I’m more fun to be around. At least I hope so! Other people may disagree. No large part has been streaming games on Twitch, which began in June of last year. It’s about the level of responsibility I can stomach now. Between that & using the NHS Drink Free Days app I’m well on my way to my goal of less than 100 days drinking in 2020.
Anyway, that’s my rambling mess for my 36th year. Here’s my now yearly Rhys With-A-Spoon/Reese Witherspoon comparison.
Rhys (With a Spoon)
Reese Witherspoon
Age
Nearly 36 (Up 1)
Nearly 44 (Up 1)
Oscars (Nominated)
0 – No Change (0 – No Change)
1 – No Change (1 – No Change)
Books Written
1 (No Change)
1 (Up 1)
Marriages
0 (No Change)
2 (No Change)
Children
0 (No Change)
3 (No Change)
WordPress Plugins Written & On the WordPress Repository
