Back in 2016, we published a helpful primer on protecting yourself as a streamer. The Internet and the progression of technology’s growth moves quickly, so we at StreamerSquare felt it was time to really dig into online security topics.

You are the only advocate for personal safety on the internet. This can’t be stressed enough.

Previous articles in this series have discussed DDoS attacks, parasocial relationships, privacy boundaries, and online identity protection.

This time, we’re going to talk about letting people into your inner circle and how they can help keep both you and your brand safe.

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone…

As a content creator, you’re constantly on the hook for keeping up your content and brand. It’s a lot to take on. Between the stream itself, your community, your social media and all the work that needs to go into each for a synergic presence, you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed.

You’re going to need help. You’re going to need people you can trust and count on to not only help your brand, but also share your concern for keeping yourself safe online.

Moderators

“One thing you should do to protect yourself online is take your time when choosing mods. These people will likely have access to more personal information and have power over your channel. You need to be 100% sure you trust them.” ~ Kiratze | twitch.tv/Kiratze

Moderator. The ubiquitous status that you empower people with to manage your chat and community. It’s integral to any successful brand and a corner stone to building your reputation. They will have a closer relationship with you than the rest of your community, so you need to make sure you choose them wisely.

If you are fortunate enough to have some established friends who are willing to dive in as moderators, that’s a safe place to start. But you’ll probably find out that just having one or two friends as moderators doesn’t always work out.

They have lives too, and can’t always adhere to your broadcast schedule. Expecting a couple of your friends to always be there can be an unfair demand. Eventually, you’ll have to cast your eyes to your community for new moderators to fill in the gaps.

Slow and Steady

Every community is different and every community owner goes about choosing moderators in their own way. Regardless of those differences, the safe way to onboard any new moderator you’ve chosen from your community is to not give them the keys to your personal details right away.

You probably have chosen them because of their history in your stream and sometimes that’s all you can go off of, but you still don’t know them well enough to give them access to your personal information like your email address in case of an emergency. You’ll need to build some trust between you and your new moderators which will come over time.

First, you can bring them onto your moderator team to see how they are able to manage your community. You never know just how they’re going to react once they’ve been given the power of moderation. If they do not live up to your expectations after being promoted to moderator, demoting them will likely cause some strain between the two of you, and you will want to protect yourself and your information.

Moderator Channels Need To Be Secure Too

Leaving your personal information in your moderator channels isn’t a great idea. Over the course of your career, moderators will come and go. If your relationship with one of your mods deteriorates, a quick snapshot of that private information in your moderator chat is all it takes to undo all of your hard work to maintain your security.

Make sure your moderation team knows that your personal security is important even in chatrooms with your staff. If you, your close friends, and your moderators want an open place to discuss your personal details, create a separate channel away from the official staff chat for your channel. This will keep new moderators away from sensitive things until they can be trusted.

Security Conscious Community Moderation

A group of trusted mods can be a tremendous help in keeping your private information secure. Chances are, they’re going to see problems before you will if you’re focused on creating content.

Everyone on your moderation team should understand that you value your privacy, you can not assume that they already know that. Communicate your expectations to them clearly when they are brought on board to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Point out that problems like repeatedly asking personal questions, behaving in an unhealthy manner towards you, or displaying signs of a parasocial attachment are high priority to take care of.

Make sure you have a talk with each new moderator about your expectations of personal privacy and security. Getting everyone marching to the same beat is key to having a successful moderation team!

This concludes our security series. We hope you enjoyed this topic and encourage you to come by our discord if you have any comments or further questions. We’ll be happy to answer them!