We're Affiliated, Now What?
As of 24 February, 2021, the Requiem has officially been affiliated. So first and foremost, thank you all for helping make this happen. Whether you're stopping by and saying "hi" or following the channel, our momentum is made possible by you. So, what does all this affiliation nonsense mean and where do we go from here?
We continue to evolve
let's get into it
I've been on the fence about whether or not to sign the affiliation agreement when it becomes available. I honestly didn't see a lot of value in it, save for the one viewer experience enablement that affiliation provides, transcoding. Within the Twitch hierarchy, transcoding is only available with priority once a streamer becomes affiliated. Because transcoding has such a profound impact on view experience, I've decided to commit to the affiliation agreement. While there are other perks to becoming affiliated, some of which I think we'll have fun with, transcoding is the only one I really care about.
Great, so what's changing?
Now that we've broken the affiliation barrier, for you, novi animarum, hopefully the viewing experience will be vastly improved. Viewers worldwide will be able to view our streams at a bitrate that suits their connections and can be adjusted on the fly to meet the capabilities of the global network of interconnected networks (the internet). One of the things that will change across the board is that we'll no longer be simulcasting the stream. Because Twitch requires exclusivity as a part of their affiliation contract, we're no longer able to live stream on multiple platforms.
Where are we producing content now?
The content strategy is as follows, for the time being:
- We'll be producing live content on Twitch
- Long form content will be on YouTube
- Short form content will be on Twitter, Facebook / Instagram
What about bits, subs, channel points, and other monetization things?
Now that we're affiliated, some new monetization options are now available to us on Twitch. We can now get subscribers, which can help support the channel. We can also accept bits which help show support for content within a given moment. While all of these monetization options are wonderful and much appreciated, we're not streaming for the money. So from day one, let me state this clearly, the net proceeds collected through twitch subscriptions and bits will be donated to charity. I don't have a specific charity I'll contribute to; I suspect we'll spread the donations around; however, I believe I'll likely focus on kids in STEM and animal rescues.
Donating to charity is great but how will you remain accountable?
Some of my accountability efforts are very much TBD; this is all new to me. However, I intend to publish everything here on peznauts.com. All monies in and out, including a detailed breakdown of where the money comes from. I also plan to set up Peznauts broadcasting as a 501c to keep everything on the level and even publish my tax records. Getting setup as a legitimate non-profit corporation will also take some time, so please be patient as we evolve.
This seems insane, you're essentially saying that you'll make no money while broadcasting. Why are you doing this?
As I mentioned, I'm not live streaming because I think I'll become prosperous. I'm streaming and creating content because I find it fun, and I would like to connect with both old and new friends. I know many streamers say things like "I'm building a community," but for me, I am actually trying to put together a not-for-profit neighborhood of like-minded residents. An interactive family that is friendly, entertaining, fun, promotes learning and is inclusive. I was lucky to have met someone who believed in me while growing up; it is my hope that one day I will live up to my mentor's greatness. Although I am not directly molding a future generation, like my mentor, maybe we can help those that are.
So why am I doing this, because I want to.
So where do we go from here?
From our point of view, we just keep doing what we're doing. We keep building the broadcast, publish more content, help people with technology, and develop new and exciting things. If our stream garners subscribers and receives donations, we'll also help folks in the form of contributions to various charities.
New here? Join us
Let's laugh and fail together. We're absolutely going to continue to make mistakes, we're going to break things, and we're going to crash the stream; no matter what happens, we'll have a blast doing it together. If you've already been committed to the Requiem, buckle up for moar of the same.