Top 5 Things You Need To Know On How To Be A Good Twitch Mod
Top 5 How To Be A Good Twitch Mod
So you have been giving the opportunity to be a moderator for a Twitch streamer. Perhaps it’s someone you know in real life or just a streamer you been following for a while who is in need of a helping hand. The simple fact your researching and reading up on how to do your job better is a great start. People think being a good twitch mod is just policing that chat by banning people. Far from it, as a Twitch mod, you are now a representation of that streamer and the brand/community they are trying to build. So below are 5 simple things that can help you be the best Twitch Mod for your streaner.
1. Make Sure You Can Be There
First things first, if you want to volunteer to be a mod, make sure it’s something you can actually commit to. Being a mod means the streamer will rely on you to be there from start to finish, and if they stream a lot, then that’s a lot of time, work and energy needed from you. Now we all have lives outside of Twitch, so, understandably, you can’t be there all the time. But before you volunteer, ask yourself, can I be there at least 70% of the time? As 70% should be the minimum. Anything less than that, and the streamer should find someone to replace you.
2. Learn The Rules
Each streamer will have their own set of rules for their streams. If you just become a mod, then the first thing you should do is have a chat with the streamer and talk to them. Discuss when they want you to ban someone, time a person out or delete their message. Some streamers are quite tolerant of trolls and enjoy a bit of banter, and others might be offended easily. These are important because you wouldn’t really want to hurt the streamers growth by being too quick to censor chat. Think about it like this; you don’t really want to do what the streamer wouldn’t do in that situation. If your streamer wouldn’t delete that message, then nor should you.
3. Be Welcoming to all members
As a moderator, you are an extension of the streamer when you see new members in chat or recognize regular users. Greet them accordingly. “Hey @user, welcome back, how have you been?” or if you see a new member come in saying, “Hey, I just found your stream”, you can reply, “Welcome to the stream.” make everyone feel welcome and part of the stream. Don’t just talk to the regulars and ignore the newcomers.
4. Handling Trolls
There are different types of trolls, there are humorous ones that are just there for a bit of banter, and then there are the outright toxic trolls. The toxic trolls don’t come straight out with the bannable comment. They tend to build up to it. Many of them actually test the waters with borderline comments to see if there are any active mods or see how the streamer reacts. As a Twitch mod, you don’t want to be too quick to deleting/banning people for light-hearted banter. I have seen plenty of white knight mods for female streamers who would delete/ban a member for getting “too flirty”. These could have been potential subs. The toxic trolls, when they step over the line, time them out. Please do not reply to their comment or engage with them in any way. If they continue with their toxicity after their time out, then go for the ban.
5. Know Your Stuff
Being a good Twitch Moderator isn’t just about policing the chat. You have to know your stuff when it comes to Twitch TOC (Terms and Conditions) and community guidelines. Your streamer has the responsibility to know what they can and can not do, but it helps if the mods are brushed up on the latest Twitch policies as well. Just in case the streamer forgets or heads into a grey area. Some things on Twitch’s TOC are black and white, but others are pretty vague.
It’s also a good idea to learn how to use bot commands. There are quite a few bots streamers use to help monitor Twitch Chat. Night Bot and StreamElements bots are the most common. Whichever both your streamer is using, learn how to use the commands for that bot. This way is something needs to be done, like a command added or title to be updated. You know what to do.
Conclusion
In essence, your there to help the streamer grow, maintain and build a healthy non-toxic community. So don’t be scared to give your opinion to your streamer after they stream and have regular meetings with them. Share ideas and discuss any situations that might have come up. The streamer is learning many new things as well, so openly communicating one’s thoughts and feelings to each other is important. And if you ever wondered what not to do as a Twitch moderator, then read the red flags of a Twitch Mod. Good luck!
