troling2

So this is my very first blog post…. EVER….. you there reading this, all two of you. You are witnessing greatness in the making!

I’m not sure if it’s strange that my very first post ever is about dealing with trolls on Twitch.  I’m sure enough has been written about the subject to fill libraries, and yet everyone has a slightly different take on the subject. Given that Twitch is a large portion of my life it was bound to come up, and that’s exactly what happened a few days ago. I simply wish to share some thoughts on the subject and give you guys an example of how i deal with them.

Now I’m no stranger to trolling in general. In internet years I’m about 300. I’ve been around since the days of modem based BBS’s, AOL’s message boards, CompuServe, Newsgroups, IRC, and so on. The advent of video streaming however has given the troll instant gratification (with video) and most would agree, that’s far more fun than posting to a forum and waiting for a response.

I think the trap some people fall into is how instant it all is for the streamer.  With a forum post you’ve got time to read it, think about it, and hopefully respond in a cool collected matter, if you respond at all. But when you’re streaming, maybe playing an intense game of Solitaire, hype music in the background, chat rolling by, and all the sudden you see it……. “Should have put the 4 on the other 5 YOU FAT FUCK!!!“. You react instantly, almost on instinct. Some people are hurt (a lot of people surprisingly), most get mad, and at that point you’ve already done it….. You fed the troll NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM.

Allow me to show you how i deal with trolls:

I prefer to interact with the trolls that show up in my chat. Most trolls don’t like direct attention. They enjoy the havoc they might cause, the anger, sadness, rage, or whatever else. But if you start messing back with them, actually interacting with them instead of yelling at them, a lot shy away from the situation. I think my favorite part about that video is my regulars joining in, giving the dude hugs and what not. My regulars know me and they know how I deal with situations like that. I think they appreciate it and enjoy joining the fun, and they’ll back me up shouldI need it. I have some amazing viewers 🙂

Back on the subject of trolls though, you know what the most amazing part is with my methods…….. It’s entirely possible to convert a “troll” into a viewer. Some people just like to “test” a streamer so to speak, see how they react. I have actually had people stay and even become productive members in chat. You might ask me, “Void, Why would I want someone like that in my chat?” To which i’d say maybe you don’t, it’s your channel after all, but I look at it this way. Were you ever picked on as a kid, or had friends who were, or even watched TV shows showing it? There are a lot of opinions on how to deal with it but the two main ones are, walk away/ignore it, OR stand up for yourself. I choose to stand up for myself, show them I’m not an easy mark.

Everyone handles situations in life differently. There is no “right” way to deal with a troll, but I do believe there are plenty of wrong ways. At the end of the day it’s your channel and you should do whats best for you. Whatever you decide though, don’t feed them. Quietly ban them or mess with them like Ido, just don’t give them the reaction they are looking for or expect. They will tell their friends and at some point you could have a full blown raid on your hands.

I’ve rambled on enough, If you’ve made it this far congratulations for reading my first blog post. I’m certain you are wiser for the experience, you can thank me later 🙂

Void4ever

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