Chat donations are usually an increasingly popular method for fans to provide back to a common streamers. They’re furthermore an excellent monetization tool for YouTube stations. But it’s important to know very well what you’re doing so that you can use them properly.
YouTube Super Chat
In 2017, YouTube rolled out a new feature known as Super Chat that enables viewers essentially donate money to streamers via their chat home windows. It’s unavailable for everybody, but it’s the best way to assistance your preferred creators.
Whenever a viewer makes use of Super Chat, they’ll see a cash symbol at the top of the chat windows, plus they can touch and drag it to the right to send the creator money. The amount of money you send depends on the creator’s settings, but generally ranges from $1 to $500.
Applause
Another way to donate on YouTube is usually through YouTube’s Applause program, which expands on Super Chat by permitting users to provide a quantity that’s add up to $2, with 70% heading right to the creator (YouTube takes a 30% cut). The Applause option has been available to some select YouTube creators since September, and it’s now being tested in a wider range of videos.
Donating anonymously on Twitch
If you want to make a donation to a streamer on Twitch without revealing your identity, you can use a feature called Bits. It’s easy to set up, and your payment will undoubtedly be anonymous until it reaches the streamer’s accounts.
The only caveat is that if you don’t send your payment in bits, the streamer will still see your name in chat. They’ll also be able to observe your PayPal name when you get the payment.
Using bits to donate on Twitch is also a great way to earn badges and emotes. However, you do have to pay out Twitch for the bits you’re purchasing, plus they don’t always market them at a lower price.
Some viewers could be abusing these functions to send toxic chat communications. One streamer offers exposed a viewer who sent 170 hate donations to his stream in an attempt to undermine him.
To protect your Twitch stream from this type of misuse, consider banning the /me order. This will stop trolls from abusing this feature to focus on you or your channel. It also allows you to handle who is able to send you artificial donations , and can help to keep your stream from learning to be a hotbed of negativity.
Phony Donations on Twitch Are a Real Point
A few months ago, well-known Twitch streamer Felix “xQx” Lengyel uncovered a viewer who donated over $800 to his stream in an attempt to send him toxic chat messages. While this sort of fraud isn’t widespread, it’s a genuine problem that may harm streamers and hurt their reputations.
In this case, xQc was surprised to find a viewer delivering him over 170 various text messages that contained adverse commentary on his aims in FPS video games, his lack of rhythm, and his methods of communicating with chat.