Tee Morris

Writer, podcaster and video game streamer

Twitch

Playing the Toughest Game on Twitch: The Numbers Game

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As you’ve probably figured out by now, between my social media posts about Destiny and my recent title, Twitch for Dummies, I play video games. And I have a Twitch channel. When Destiny 2 went live on September 6, 2017, I set out not only to make myself a better Guardian (what you are known as in the game), but set a schedule for myself to see if streaming was for me. I spent my first few gaming sessions using an earbud-mic included with my PS4. I picked up a modest $30 gaming headset shortly after. Then my enabler good buddy, Matt Drake, offered me a PSEye, the console’s proprietary webcam. Thus began the evolution of my stream.

This is something I’ve noticed about being a streamer. Your channel, regardless of the platform, experiences pockets of evolution. My first was the incorporation of a good headset. Then you upgrade your ability to interact with Chat. (For me, it was Streamlabs.) Then it’s your first break from streaming, which for me, drove home how much I enjoyed it. There are also unexpected challenges you face along the way, all of them leaving a mark on your channel.

Then there’s October 3, 2019 — a date which will live in awesomeness.

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Embracing the Dummie in Me

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“Why would we need you? There are no dummies here.”

The year is 2006 and I had just wrapped for the day presenting at a conference, recording interviews for a client, and giving a seminar on the potential of podcasting. One of the things I had talked about at length was the podcasting community — really cool people who loved talking shop, meeting other podcasters, and making connections.

Then I met the charming fellow quoted at the beginning of this blogpost.

What had caught my eye was a sandwich board pointing to a podcasting class being taught at a different event in the conference center. I was always excited to connect with others and see what their approach to podcasting was, so I swung by the classroom to make a quick introduction.

My introduction did not go well. At all.

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Are You Paying Attention to Your Social Media?

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It’s a good idea, if you have a Twitter account, to pay attention to it.

Check Twitter. Like NOW!

While the much-maligned platform seems to be dominated by cyberbullies — some of whom occupy large white houses in historic districts of the United States — there are some people in the Twitterverse that will make your day at the most unexpected of times.

And let’s be honest — those times are the ones most welcome.

Case in point: my Saturday morning started off with a lovely tweet from someone I deeply admire in the Destiny and Twitch Community…

I mean, wow! I’m blushing over here. Seriously.
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If Social Media Is So Easy, Why Is It So Hard?

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I’m a little worried if I’m a canary and the people I work for are running a coal mine.

Let me explain…

Recently, I accepted an opportunity where the client’s entirety of a social media strategy was Twitter and a blog, both posting updates when time allowed. (In other words, infrequently.) I was asked to not only work with the tools given, but build on them and make something better, provided the resources were free. While I was there…

  • Twitter went from occasional updates to three tweets a day, on average. The content included news stories, promotions over upcoming events, and special tweets featuring the client front and center.
  • A new LinkedIn page launched, reaching a completely new audience from Twitter, also posting two-to-four updates throughout the day.
  • On the dates of special events, both platforms would host images, quotes, and, if possible, video.
  • Video, a medium completely new to this client, had reached enough demand for a Vimeo channel to launch.
  • The client’s blog went from “a post when time allowed” to a managed editorial calendar, offering original weekly content.

After a lot of positive feedback and encouragement during my stay, I was told by my superiors they wanted a fresh start and new perspective on their digital strategy. Yep, I had been replaced. I respected their decision, left behind a detailed Communications plan (which included a look ahead to what I was planning), and hoped their new social media manager would take their digital presence to higher levels.

Within a month…

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Looking to Mix Things Up: Thoughts on Ninja Leaving Twitch

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On August 1, 2019, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins made the Internet implode with an announcement:

Ninja’s move reminds me a bit of Howard Stern’s jump from terrestrial radio to satellite, only done with a lot more subtlety and grace. (You can only say “When I go to satellite…” so many times until I stop listening.) What was even more astounding was how Ninja brought thousands of new viewers to Mixer even before his first stream there. This announcement  carried such an impact that while at GenCon, I had someone ask me “Are you going to make the jump?” on noticing my “World’s Okayest Streamer” shirt. This was less than 24 hours after Ninja’s tweet.

So…what am I planning for the future?

As I say on my stream, “Let’s talk, Chat…”

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Getting My Writing Game On: GenCon 2019

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Remember when I said I was going to get better at blogging?

Yeah. Good times.

It’s been an incredible few months, and a summer of change, of ideas, and of opportunities. I’m working now on two simultaneous projects. The priority project is the next novel in the Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven novel, Secret of the Monkey God. Once again, Verity is uncovering the mystery of her parents’ untimely deaths and the enigmatic mastermind behind them. The second is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a few years. Villainy LLC is a comedy set in a world of superheroes that maybe should not have quit their previous careers. It’s partially inspired by The Boys and Watchmen with a bit of inspiration from my new day job, so I will see where the story will take me. I’m also casually working on another Destiny-inspired short story/novella from my favorite video game, Destiny. Shadowkeep is just around the corner and I feel like exercising some creative juices in that world from Bungie.

And throughout all this, I’m hitting the road once again.

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