Twitch For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Twitch is all about interaction, and one of the key ways to interact is through Chat. There are a number of Chat commands you and your community can use, not only to moderate your channel but to create connections with other streamers, customize messages appearing in your Chat window, and more. Here are a few Chat commands you should know for your stream:

For broadcasters

• Raid — /raid <channel>
  • Takes host and Chat automatically to another streamer’s channel in a raid
• Mod — /mod <username>
  • Promotes a user to channel moderator
• Unmod — /unmod <username>
  • Demotes a channel moderator
• Host — /host <channel>
  • Allows you to host another channel on your own channel

For broadcasters and moderators

• Timeout — /timeout <username> [seconds]
  • Temporarily bans someone from Chat
  • Timeouts last for 10 minutes, by default, or can be set by an optional [seconds] value. A new timeout command will overwrite a previous timeout
• Ban — /ban <username>
  • Permanently bans a user from Chat
• Unban — /unban <username>
  • Lifts a user’s perma-ban from Chat
• Subscribers — /subscribers
  • Sets Chat to only subscribed users
• Subscribersoff — /subscribersoff
  • Returns Chat from Subscribers Only to all users
• Emoteonly — /emoteonly
  • • Allows your Chat to use only emotes as messages
• Emoteonly — /emoteonlyoff
  • Returns Chat from Emote Only to all users
• Poll — /poll
  • Creates a poll that Chat can participate in; type /poll into Chat and press the Enter key twice to create the poll
• Clear — /clear
  • Wipes Chat history

For everyone

• Mods — /mods
  • Displays all Chat moderators for the channel
• Color — /color <colorname>
  • Changes the color of your username. The <colorname> options are:
    • Blue
    • Coral
    • DodgerBlue
    • SpringGreen
    • YellowGreen
    • Green
    • OrangeRed
    • Red
    • GoldenRod
    • HotPink
    • CadetBlue
    • SeaGreen
    • Chocolate
    • BlueViolet
    • Firebrick
• Ignore — /ignore <username>
  • Blocks specific users in Chat and Whispers if you do not want to see their comments
• Unignore — /unignore <username>
  • Lifts “Ignore” block from specific users
• Me — /me <text>
  • Colors and italicizes your text based on your Chat name color

Before going live, your stream is allowed tags to appear in searches and specific subcategories where people may be searching for new content. The following are only a few examples of the many tags available to streamers. Here’s a complete list of Twitch tags.

A11y: For streams featuring the accessibility community

AMA: For streams with an emphasis on the answering of viewer questions

Baking: For streams with an emphasis on the preparation of baked goods

Blind: For streams and content featuring the blind community

Charity: For streams with an emphasis on fundraising for a charitable cause

Chatty: For streams and content featuring a chatty mood or vibe

Drag: For streams in which the streamer showcases the art of drag

Dreamcast: For streams in which the streamer is playing on a Dreamcast console

Emote Design: For streams with an emphasis on the discussion or design of emotes

Extra Life: For streams that feature participation in the Extra Life fundraising campaign for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Filming: For streams with an emphasis on the act or discussion of recording video

First Playthrough: For streams that feature the first-time playthrough of a game

Game Awards: For streams related to the attendance or discussion of the annual Game Awards event

Gay: For streams and content featuring the gay community

He/Him: A masculine pronoun used to refer to a person in place of their name

Horror: For games that feature elements consistent with the Horror genre

When setting up your channel page on Twitch.tv, it is a good idea to have a complete profile. If you don’t know what to put into your channel page, here are a few ideas to consider:

• Schedule
• Rules (for Chat)
• Brief biography of host(s)
• Technical specifications of streaming PC
• Best online contact information
• Social media links

Are you planning to interview someone on your stream? If you are new to interviewing others or want to level up your journalism skills, here are a few tips to take to heart:

• Know who you’re talking to and what you want to talk about. It’s a good idea to visit guests’ websites or social media to do research. You don’t have to be an expert on their subject matter, but you should be familiar with it.
• Ensure that your questions follow a logical progression.
• Prepare twice the number of questions you think you’ll need. Then if your guest gives brief answers, you have a stockpile of questions to call upon.
• Never worry about asking a stupid question. Chances are, your audience has never heard it answered before.

Console streaming take a lot of the guesswork out of streaming. When you jump into the stream with a PC, a whole new world opens up before you. It’s good to have friends along with you on this journey, and here are a few friends you should keep close:

OBS

StreamElements

Streamlabs

Nerd or Die

Discord

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