Last weekend I started to explore a new passion of mine. I know it seems like odd timing given my post about setting goals and sticking to them. But I do have a logic around this choice. But it has brought up some questions about separation of the arts we partake in.
Let me start with the… well the start. I have begun streaming on Twitch. You can find me there streaming games I like to play. In the post I referenced above, I mentioned that video games are something I have to set time aside for. So, to me, streaming games offered only a little more time commitment while also allowing me to build up some type of social community.
I have talked about the community that KailelleXD has built on his streaming community in Twitch. I realized it was something I wanted to do, and I realized that I could offer something unique with my perspective and my passions. And I even thought maybe I could mix some writing related streams into the mix.
But there in lies the question, and the topic of this post. Should my Streaming aliases by separate from my writing and publishing? Should I have a separate Twitch social media platforms from my writing platforms? What are the advantages to separate and what are the advantages to linked?
Right now I am keeping them together. I had two Twitters when I ran Factor Four Magazine and it was tough to manage two of them. I also am not sure if I want to set up another Facebook page, as they are terrible at presenting information to followers anyway (unless you pay). And finally, the idea of a second YouTube for highlights seems silly.
Starting with the YouTube, I honestly don’t use it much for writing so that could easily become a streaming showcase. But I do eventually want to go back to doing readings, vlogs, and Q&A sessions. All things I intend to do on Twitch, eventually, for a live audience. I have seen artists using Twitch to showcase the art process, and I wonder if writing can’t cross into that realm.
Writing is less visual than the visual arts… obviously. But couldn’t there be a chance to do something fun with readings and other interactions. My thought is like convention panels, but virtual, and one time. If 2020 showed us anything, there is an opportunity to do things virtually.
Twitter on the other hand has been very writing and publishing focused. So I have been almost feeling like I am crossing a line by posing Twitch content. The other side of this argument with myself says it is my Twitter and I can do whatever I want on it. And obviously there is an opportunity to build an audience that may cross over with each other. I certainly have noticed a videogame fandom and Science Fiction fandom overlap.
This website and the blog have always been writing focused, and I am not sure that I will dive too deep into the streaming world on here other than to briefly mention it. But I am not sure I want to create another website for myself that is around streaming. Besides the Twitch site capture about all I need from a streaming site.
Facebook, well they are useless for promoting the artist and content creator anyway, so that’s not a real concern. But there is a new factor to consider. Discord. Discord is really popular in the streaming world and I see a huge value in the writing world to create writers groups within it. I thought about creating a discord for Factor Four Magazine before I closed it.
The final factor is that so many people within the Twitch community stream behind aliases. I have one too. This is a lot for the same reasons as writers use a pen name. I don’t write under a pen name, and so if I combine the social presence it will be easy to determine who I am in real life.
However, the way I see it, since I am already out there in this community what would be the difference. And my Twitch alias is something I’ve used for years. In the end if someone wanted to know who I was, they’d find out.
Overall, I don’t have an answer yet. But I feel like I need to get to an idea very soon. If you have any input, thoughts, or ideas please let me know because I want to know what you think.