How To Support
Donations and Tips
Donations are hands down the best way to show monetary support to a streamer. The cut or split with third party services is minimized, meaning that your support goes the farthest with a direct donation - especially when a donation goal is active, when you can know exactly what that money is going towards.
I use Streamlabs as the service that I use to accept donations or tips so that we can all track progress toward donation goals and so that donations can be displayed prominently on stream for us to celebrate together.
Twitch Subscriptions
Patreon
If you're looking to show support for the channel, Patreon is a great way to do it. I've done the best that I can to open up as many of the same perks to Patrons that Twitch Subscribers get (access to all the music I've ever made, access to the support channel in Discord, mention in video credits, and ShabtiBot perks) and occasionally I try to upload additional assets, project files, and tutorials there whenever I can.
If you're interested, Patreon is another great way of making sure that your dollar goes the farthest that it can if that's a concern. A monthly pledge on Patreon does a lot to build sustainability for the channel similar to Twitch Subscriptions, with significantly less of a fee than twitch subscriptions.
Buying from Affiliate links
If you're looking to buy something on Amazon, shopping via affiliate links is a really great way to support. Not only does it help to support the channel with affiliate commissions (often for things you were going to buy anyway), but it also helps open up other opportunities for the channel as well (like affiliates, partnerships, etc with other companies). It may not be something that gets brough up often, but in addition to providing some monetary support for something you would have done anyway, it also helps grow the channel with regard to what professional opportunities are open to us.
I'd rather not bog down a short description of it here, but if you'd like more information about how to get involved or how this could impact the channel, don't hesitate to reach out!
Merch
I have merch available! I don't plug it much (I'm not a salesman afterall) but if you're looking for a cool way to support that also gets you some physical goods that you can show off, take a look at my merch store on streamlabs! As the channel grows and more interest is expressed in the merch that is avialable I have plans to add more designs and different types of merch to the store. If you have something specific that you think would be a fun idea, make sure to let me know!
Also, if you buy some merch make sure to send me a picture so that I can celebrate with you!
Bandcamp
I've got most of my music available for download on BandCamp with a 'name your price' model. For copyright reasons the bulk of my music can't be uploaded to music platforms like Spotify or Pandora, so I rely on BandCamp to make my music available for listening and download. While the minimum price for all of those downloads is $0, this is a great way to show support for the music that I make.
Of course, all of the music on BandCamp is released uner a Creative Commons (i.e, 'copyright free') license meaning that as long as you give credit for the track you are free to use any of this music in your own projects
Free ways to support
If you're interested in free ways of supporting the channel there are plenty of ways to help contribute to the creation of great content WITHOUT having to throw any money at it. These free methods of support are all actions that build up over time to make this channel into something that is greater than the sum of it's parts, and many of these methods are just as important as the paid ways to support.
Watch Time
If you're down to make a sacrifice to the algorithm, there are few methods as effective as just putting in some watch time. Watching the videos on YouTube, lurking the stream, etc. Your watch time is one of the biggest ways to help the channel grow.
Follow on Socials
If you're active on social media, following on socials is a really great way to show support! It often helps others discover the content more quickly and opens new doors for what we can do as a channel! If you're willing to throw me some follows, check out the Socials page for links.
Share the Content
Sharing is caring, and helping to get the word out is a REALLY great way to support. Sharing on social media or even just sharing with a friend or two that you think might be interested actually does a lot more to help the channel than most people realize (even if nobody clicks that link directly).
Participation
Most of my content (streams, videos, etc) are community-based, meaning that the content relies on the discussions and relationships that we build in the community. With that in mind, participating as a member of the community is one of the most important things you can do to support. Whether it's helping to answer a question, engaging in a meaningful discussion, or just chatting and playing games alongside us - everything we do in this community is generally more fun the more people are involved.
It's worth noting that I have also set up several ways to reward community participation - minigames that award stream currency and achievements, community events and competitions, leaderboards, etc. Participation should be fun for all of us, so if there is anything I can do or add to augment what we've already got going on, don't hesitate to let me know!
Ads for Bits
Ads for bits can be a pretty fun way to support the channel, and an interesting way to possibly top some of those 'top supporters' spots for yourself form time to time. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, here's the skinny:
Twitch has it's own currency for cheers called 'bits'. These bits are worth roughly one penny each, but you can use these bits to cheer for your favorite streamer. Bits can be purchased in bulk for real money, but Twitch also has an 'Ads for Bits' system that allows you to get bits for free - provided that you're willing to watch a short ad. Twitch only allows you to do this a limited number of times per day and has some very strict rules about abusing that system, but that can REALLY add up into a force that can do a lot to help show support.