Posts

Streamer Tip: The Professional Lurker

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Photo by Dids from Pexels The Professional Lurker For starters, it's not what you think! If you're unfamiliar with message boards, forums, chat rooms, or live streams; you may think a lurker is a negative entity to have around. We think, someone or some THING is watching, stalking, and waiting. In the streaming world however, lurking can provide some benefits. What is a stream lurker and why do they lurk? Simply put, a lurker is someone that chooses not to or is unable to participate in a stream's chat. There are many reasons a person may not participate in a stream or the stream's chat that may be, but not limited to, social anxiety, shyness, out for a drive, working, and/or just about any reason that hinders the ability to type or click something in the stream. So, why lurk?  Support! While some lurkers are there to just check out a streamer most lurkers, from my experience, are there to support the streamer. In most cases, while not active, they still count as a numb

Spotting a Phishing Scam: Discord Edition!

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Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko Spotting a Phishing Scam: Discord Edition!  Note: Please note I am not a professional security analyst. I am sharing what I've learned from my experiences. This post is not limited to Discord chat only. It can be applied for emails, other chat platforms, social media, phone calls, and more! It's just aimed more toward the Discord platform in general.  You've just landed in a new Discord server or you just had someone land in your own personal Discord! The moment is exciting as you're ready to explore or be explored. All of a sudden, someone provides a link aiming toward an offer for a free game key/code, free Nitro (monthly membership), or a gift card. Sounds super exciting but before you click that link, keep reading!  What's likely happening here So what's going on in this kind of situation? The most probable would be a scam! In some situati

Streamer Tip: The Dreaded Follow for Follow

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Photo by Savvas Stavrinos from Pexels.com The Dreaded Follow for Follow If you're reading this chances are you are a Twitch, YouTube, or similar type of streamer who's heard of or received a request for a "follow 4 follow" or "F4F". If you're new to streaming you may not know what it is and if you're experienced it can be annoying. Hopefully I can help with how to deal with this ongoing issue and provide some tips and tricks. What is "follow 4 follow" (F4F)? In short, "I will follow your channel if you follow mine". The idea behind this is growth which usually is due to a yearning to grow your channel to fulfill one of the affiliate/partner requirements. Becoming an affiliate or partner on a specific platform allows you to get paid to stream. It sounds like a great idea but, is it really?  The truth and side-effects of "follow 4 follow".

Ben's Pool Care Guide: Making Your Chlorine Stick!

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Ben's Pool Care Guide: Making Your Chlorine Stick! Pools sound like a wonderful idea but can easily turn into a nightmare! It can get costly, time consuming, and even dangerous. In some cases it can take as much time and maintenance as a pet or child. Thankfully, through experience, heart ache, blood and tears, I have figured out how to tame the swimming pool beast! Welcome to my pool care series where I'll take you through some tips, tricks, and overall guidance to get your swimming pool in beautifully clean condition. These guides are going to be brief and made for "easy swimming" 😉. Disclaimer:   These series of guides are 100% suggestions and opinions. I am not a professional however, I am sharing what really works for me. If this guide does not relate to your current p

Ben's Pool Care Guide: Less Chlorine, More Ionization!

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Photo by aftab chandsha on Unsplash Ben's Pool Care Guide: Less Chlorine, More Ionization! Pools sound like a wonderful idea but can easily turn into a nightmare! It can get costly, time consuming, and even dangerous. In some cases, it can take as much time and maintenance as a pet or child. Thankfully, through experience, heart ache, blood and tears, I have figured out how to tame the swimming pool beast! Welcome to my pool care series where I'll take you through some tips, tricks, and overall guidance to get your swimming pool in beautifully clean condition. These guides are going to be brief and made for "easy swimming" 😉. Disclaimer: These series of guides are 100% suggestions and opinions. I am not a professional however, I am sharing what really works for me. If this guide does not relate to your current pool setup, plea

A Paranormal Experience #6 The 4th Sense, A Patriotic Spirit

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Photo by Designecologist from Pexels A Paranormal Experience #6  The 4th Sense, A Patriotic Spirit Prologue In life, there are just some things we cannot explain. We often chalk these situations up to be a figment of our imagination, the dark playing games with our eyes, or just the wind blowing through a drafty house. For some, these are very real experiences and known as supernatural or paranormal phenomena. The following is an experience I've personally encountered. Please Read: The following is a story. It is a situation I've personally encountered. You may or may not take it as fact or believe it. You're allowed to be skeptical. This story is for entertainment purposes. Now to the story! It was a super eventful, hot, and sunny 4th of July day at my family owned apartment complex where we spent most of the day outside. We hung out hours on end in our parking lot, eating, laughing, and roasting in the heat together. The kids played with their water toys, drawing and col

Grab And Go Emergency Kit Guide

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Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash Grab And Go Emergency Kit Guide  It is unfortunate that we currently live in uncertain times with more man made and natural disasters than usual. With uncertain times, comes unexpected situations that may require us to leave our homes in a hurry. This post is not meant to scare anyone but, intended to help us be prepared for any disaster, whether it be natural or man made. Preparedness is always good. These products and ideas can be applied to any situation like earthquakes, fires, floods, or in a worst case scenario, war. When considering a quick and efficient escape, there are major necessities required. To follow, there are minor, but also pretty important items to keep in mind as well.  The Bare Necessities Just like the song from Disney's Jungle Book, Baloo makes a few key points that are important. Like surviving an actual jungle, an urban jungle can be just as hard to survive in during a crisis. Let's take a look at a first and practical ch

Beginners Guide To Being A Game Streamer! (Baby Steps)

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Photo by  Pixabay  from  Pexels Beginners Guide To Being A Game Streamer! (Baby Steps) About myself: First I will tell you that I'm not a pro-streamer who made partner or has sponsorships at this current time however, I am an affiliate. I myself feel I am a "journeymen" streamer with a decent amount of experience under my belt to be able to get you started. As I am learning, I would like to share my knowledge with you on how to succeed!  Related to this tutorial: There is a starting point for everything. This is the second installment of my streamer tutorial series. If you haven't read the first article, please click here: ( Learning to Crawl )  About this guide: This guide is intended to encourage you and get you more refined with your stream and content. If you've read my first article, let's do the next step and ramp up your content. I believe absolutely anyone can be a streamer! Let's start taking some confident baby steps! Get Excited, Get Obsessed