Week 12

Content

  • Entrepreneurship

    We wanted to end this course with a topic that gets you looking forward. At this time, you understand the technology of streaming, the industry, the styles and trends, and are able to create streams of your own. But the deeper you get into streaming, the more you begin to realize that there's a tremendous entrepreneurial aspect that runs in parallel. You are your own boss as a streamer. Marketing, time management, taxes... Running a successful business will test your attentiveness to detail. Are you prepared to be an entrepreneur?

    This week you will...
    • Process the concept of owning your own business.
    • Recognize legal and copyright situations
    • Learn the structure of time management
    • Review peer critiques from final project
    • Understand how Achievements in Twitch work
    man at computer surrounded by social media icons

  • Loot for your mind

    Weekly Material


    Becoming an entrepreneur is no easy task. You must set goals, you will make sacrifices to meet those goals, and you must be able to handle the stress long enough to see those goals through. This is not a field for the weak of heart. You do have some items working in your favor, though!

    Learn time management. Seriously, being a business owner means juggling a LOT. And, if you don't feel it's that much now, you may feel that way when we hit the section on taxes below. Plan for your success. Finding the niche that sets you apart is not a certainty, but will almost certainly take a great deal of effort and time. Thankfully, you can learn by witnessing the existing success stories; take the time to learn what made them excel, and you're one step further towards your goals

    Don't forget about marketing. It may feel more natural to market your product once you already have a solid base, but it really pays to market yourself early. If you've got friends that are into your stream, that's an easy place to start. Ask them questions on what they'd like to see; if they're showing your work to other friends, well, all the better! Marketing isn't just about knowing a bunch of people (though it certainly helps); marketing also involves knowing your target market. Getting your product to the people that will like it most is key. It can take more than basic intuition to truly understand who your audience is.

    Legalities and Taxes

    What's this "cease and desist" thing in the mail? Ahhh, I see - a copyright infringement notice! You may run across these if you play copyrighted music in the background of your streams. Fair Use laws, as open to interpretation as they are, will typically only cover small clips of music.  When it becomes frustrating is when you play entirely original music from yourself and get flagged for that (seriously - it happens). These laws are in place for a reason. Respect them and the content creators, and you'll likely avoid issue. Copyright law isn't always is simplistic as it may seem at first glance, so take the time to explore this if you are delving into online production.

    Copyright infringement won't be your only legal consideration. Let’s say, hypothetically, that you are earning a modest income through streaming. It’s a new year, and tax forms roll in, and… wait, taxes?? Absolutely! If you make any income through streaming, you are required to report it (as all income is) to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A quick disclaimer: This is not a business course, nor do we claim to be tax experts; what we mention here is to give you a very brief overview. You should seek the expertise of a professional if there is ever any doubt to your tax filings.

    If you are earning income through Twitch, you will most likely (though there are exceptions) receive a 1099-MISC. This is a basic form that you will receive as a non-employee earning money through some entity (i.e., you are a “contractor”). If you've previously done your taxes yourself, please note that this means you will not be able to file the “1040-EZ” form; you must go the full Form 1040 route and you must report your 1099-MISC income on Schedule C (self-reported income or loss). Sound scary? It’s actually fairly straightforward! After running through the process, you might find that it’s something you want to manage entirely yourself. You should certainly be prepared, so if you are unsure, again, seek the assistance of a tax professional to both ensure compliance as well as to ensure that you are not overpaying. Remember, if you are running your own business, your equipment, utilities, and even portions of your home expenses can be used as deductions towards your tax payments.

    business man fluffing suit

    Twitch Affiliates and Partners

    We don't want to put to much of the scare-factor into this week to send you off. It'll still be a lot of work, but how about we give you some info from Twitch to help you get started? First off, let's look at the Twitch Affiliate Program.

    Twitch Affiliates allow qualified broadcasters to monetize their channels (i.e., you can make money on Twitch!). Twitch lists 4 Requirements to be invited to the Affiliate Program (as of 07/10/2018):

    • Stream for 8 hours in the last 30 days
    • Stream on 7 days in the last 30 days
    • Reach an average of 3 viewers per stream
    • Grow your audience to 50 followers

    This invitation is simply based on your Twitch stats, so you won't need additional petitions to become a member; you'll receive an invite button on your Achievements page when the above are met.

    Twitch Partnership takes a bit more effort. The base guidelines don't (at first) appear especially difficult (as of 07/10/2018)...:

    Remember, however, that a Twitch Partnership is an exclusive group catered towards the most popular Twitch broadcasters currently in service. You must send in an actual application to be considered for a Twitch Partnership. 

    In Closing

    Is that all I need to know about being an entrepreneur? Of course not. Being an entrepreneur means subjecting yourself to all of the risks of a business venture; the stress, the long hours, the fretting over minute details to see an idea through… As well as the potential reward at the end of the day. It’s not a path for everyone, but it should never be out of the realm of possibility. Here at Bellevue University, we want to see you take the path that best fits you. No matter your ambitions, take this week as a chance to look beyond your education and take stock of what you would like to achieve. We’ll be here to lend a hand – go forward and be your best!

  • Discussion

    Discussion Requirements

    There is no Discussion this week! You are free to chat in the Discord channel as you please!

    Discord

    discord icon and link to channel

  • Reflection and Your Future Plans

    20 Points

    Complete your assignment by addressing the following:

    • Discuss your plans for the future in terms of your participation in streaming media, be it as a viewer, creator, or even an entrepreneur.
    • Reflection
      • Provide your specific feedback regarding this class. We want to know what you enjoyed, what you disliked, what helped you, what was confusing, and/or any other items that can help us to improve this course and the experience of future students.
      • Let us know general experience; have we met our goal of helping you to learn about and participate successfully in streaming? Would you recommend this course to an aspiring Twitch streamer? How about someone just curious about the field?

    Congratulations on completing this course, and Thank You for choosing Bellevue University for your studies! Happy streaming!

    Submission Requirements

    For written assignments:

    • Assignment must be composed in a word processor (Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Pages, Google Docs, etc...)
    • The file type must be supported by Microsoft Word, regardless of word processor used (.doc or .docx is preferred)
    • Accepted fonts include Arial, Calibri, Verdana, and Times New Roman with a font size of 12pt
    • Essays should be double-spaced on 8.5" x 11" paper size and 1" margins
    • You will attach your completed document in the assignment submission area (don't type the assignment out directly in Blackboard!)
    • Please use APA in-text citations and include a reference list for any sources cited outside of those included in the Supply Drop area.

    This assignment is due no later than 11:59 PM at the end of the seventh day of class.

    Start Assignment

    Assignment Rubric

    Before starting your Assignment, please review the Assignment rubric. You will be graded using this rubric.

    Click below to view the Assignment rubric.

    Click Here

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    Check out our Twitch Channel below! If you want to participate in chat, you should click the Twitch button on the video player to head to the Twitch website. You'll want to do that if you want to keep the stream open while you switch tabs to work on your assignments, as well. Also, head on over to our Video on Demand page to see a collection of all of our videos.

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