When you get to the point where your channel starts attracting a constantly rising crowd, the issue of enforcing the channel’s (as well as platform’s) regulations is bound to pop up.
While it might seem almost impossible to keep your entire channel in check, you will soon see that solving this problem is a breeze when you have sufficient information and a useful set of ideas in mind regarding the usage of Twitch mod commands.
1. What are Twitch moderator commands?
These functions are, in most cases, reserved for broadcasters and their moderator teams to help keep the public within a stream in line with the basic rules and regulations.
However, Twitch mod powers also contain several commands that are available to virtually anyone, thus making them invaluable tools for both interacting with other participants in a stream as well as exerting a large amount of control over the stream’s outcome, depending on your role.
Ask any streamer who has a vast audience and focuses on making content centered around fast-paced, competitive games that can really “bring out the fire” in the audience.
Sometimes chat boxes can get as wild as a football stadium, minus the noise! As fun and exciting as it often is, it’s worth remembering that there is a thin line that gets crossed too often, and it can transform a friendly chat into a pit of vulgarity if left unchecked for too long.
Now, conflicts rarely do get to that stage, yet the activities of moderators on Twitch are stereotypically associated with those activities. It might sound surprising, but these commands, aside from helping you keep your streams profanity-free, serve as excellent utility tools as well!
1. Universal commands that anyone can use
Although seemingly quite complex, Twitch operates on a set of straightforward commands that everyone can quickly learn and utilize. There is a large pallet of commands that can modify and enhance your experience regardless of your position, and these are some of the most basic ones;
- View all the moderators on a specific channel (command: /mods) – Whether it is your first time on a channel or if you are the owner of the channel in question, this command is invaluable for getting to know accounts that you can turn to for help (in case you are a viewer) or for reviewing the team you assigned to moderate your channel (as a broadcaster).
Mods are an invaluable asset to any channel and are pretty much imperative for the smooth operation of massive channels with thousands of followers on each stream; it’s a good idea to keep them in mind in case a problem pops up.
- Review the list of a channel’s VIP’s (command: /vips) – A VIP is a role given to viewers that have earned a special place within the streamer’s community with their invaluable contributions to the quality the channel provides.
These people are often the”Haut monde” of a particular channel, personally recognized by the channel’s streamer. They usually enjoy privileged treatment due to their contributions and, as such, are quite handy to know. This command gives you the ability to recognize and, later, get into contact with VIPs of a channel if you so desire.
- 3. Modify the color of your username within a stream’s chat (command: For non-turbo users- /color {COLORNAME}, for turbo users- /color {HEX VALUE} or /color {COLORNAME}) – Name colors give life to a stream’s chat! With so many different variations, it is always a pleasing sight to see a combination of creative names and colors within a stream.
The selection is quite diverse for all users, as you can pick out variations such as SeaGreen, BlueViolet, SpringGreen, BlueViolent, etc…
Turbo users receive additional customization options as they can enter any Hex value (for example, #00000) that represents a color, as well as the previous color selection option that is available to non-turbo users.
- Block an annoying user (command: /block {USERNAME}, or by clicking on the “Block” option near their a user’s badge) – Did you get tired from witnessing rude or otherwise unwanted comments from a particular participant within a stream’s chat? If so, banning is the perfect command for you.
While a large majority of Twitch chat commands serve the purpose of enhancing networking and adding content to a stream, there are times when using block commands is an absolute necessity for making your experience an enjoyable one. If you feel a user has gone a step further and has broken one of the rules of the stream, you should report them to a moderator.
- Remove someone from your ignore list (command: /unblock {USERNAME} or by clicking on the “unignore” option that substitutes the block button) – Feel like giving someone you blocked a second chance, or did you block someone by mistake?
Whatever the case may be, this command will allow you to see their comments once again.
- 6. Disconnect from the chat server (command: /disconnect) – This is one of those mod commands on Twitch that seems to serve a singular purpose (simply disconnecting you from the chat), but it much more than that.
If you ever notice abnormal functioning of your stream or if you suspect that malware/a hacker attack is taking place, immediately disconnecting is your best bet to minimize the potential damage.
- Send a private message to someone (command: /w {USERNAME} {MESSAGE})- Whoever has spent time on games that feature a chat bar (Starcraft, League of Legends, Dota) is familiar with the “whisper” command.
This command allows you unhindered communication with anyone you like (as long as they didn’t block you) that cannot be subjected to moderation nor software intervention. This is one of the most subtle Twitch mod powers, as it is utilized by broadcasters for communicating with their mod teams as well as everyday users for discreet communication among themselves all the time.
2. Twitch commands reserved for regulating channel rules
Having a clean chat is essential as the consequences of loose regulation can be dire, from losing a large chunk of your following to Twitch personally intervening. And you can even use fun nightbot commands for such purpose.
Whether you are having a troll invasion or a scuffle between two strangers in your chat, you and your delegated moderators can restore order in a couple of ways.
1) Access a user’s basic account information (command: /user {USERNAME} or by merely clicking on the desired username in the chat) – When you want to review basic information about an account or take preventive action, it’s never a bad idea to take a look what exactly they did do on your channel. This command gives you the entire chat-related history on your channel of a particular user, making it easy to find out if their actions warrant a warning or more severe penalties
2) Give someone a time out from the chat (command: /timeout {USERNAME} [SECONDS] or by clicking on the little clock symbol located near their badge)- When you are in the driver’s seat, the level of control you have in a channel allows you handle problematic situations in a variety of ways and the most common one is giving someone a timeout
By default, when you click on someone’s clock icon, you will give them a 10-minute chat ban. They will automatically be informed of these actions. You can set additional (or less) time of the ban’s duration with the “seconds” value, allowing you to talk to them about their transgressions or to simply give them some time to cool off from a fiery argument.
The length of time that determines the duration is measured in seconds, which you will have to calculate before using this command if you want the duration to be precise. Here are a few examples of how the command functions;
Suppose at any moment you feel that the chat ban has served its purpose before the allocated period of time. In that case, you can withdraw your decision by putting in a different time value in the same command (for instance, 1 second) or by utilizing the “unban” command.
If you leave out the [SECONDS] attribute command, the default time value will be 10 minutes.
3) Banning an account from the stream (command: /block {USERNAME} or by clicking on the ban icon near the profile’s badge) – If someone on your stream has said or done something that crosses the line and goes against your channel’s code of conduct to such a degree that a ban is necessary, this command will allow you to remove them on the stop.
However, restricting access to your stream is not something that should be taken lightly, especially if you wish to expand on your popularity and shed a positive light on your channel’s reputation. There are a couple of guidelines you should follow before you consider banning someone on your channel;
Make it clear what kind of offenses will get someone banned ON THE SPOT– Chat’s can get as crowded and intense as active comment sections on social media, but that does not mean that people can get away with whatever they want on your personal stream.
Usually, actions that are made with the intent of directly insulting another viewer, a member of your moderator team, or even you fall into bannable offenses. Still, even then, you might want to give the offenders a warning before “showing them the door. “
– Three strikes and you are out – An excellent way to stay consistent and enforce a sense of order is to create a system that you and your moderators will follow.
This way, you and your team are far less likely to be chastised for banning people on a subjective basis. Clear-cut and fair rules that apply to everyone equally will not only make the stream more professional but also allow the community to filter unwanted behavior alongside your team, doubling the positive effect!
4) Unban a banned account (command: /unban {USERNAME} or by clicking the unban icon, which replaces the ban command on the account you just banned – Permanent bans are bad for business, and most streamers and moderators on Twitch who use mod commands extensively are well aware of this fact.
However, you can go around the negative implications that banning enforces upon your viewers by creating a timespan for how long someone will be banned from entering your stream.
For instance, being profoundly vulgar for a prolonged period of time the first time around gets you a 15 day ban. If the previously banned individual again commits the same or different offense, you can prolong this ban period. Take into account what kind of audience you attract and implement the rules accordingly.
The most crucial aspect of banning to remember is that permanent bans are reserved for only the most severe actions against you, Twitches policies, or other viewers. In most cases, temporary bans will suffice.
3. Twitch mod commands reserved for chat regulation
Moderator commands on Twitch are not only used for picking out the bad apples in your streams but also for giving you direct control over what is going on inside them, giving you unparalleled control over your channel.
- 1. Put a timespan between messages in your chat stream (command: /slow {SECONDS}) – Do you know those moments when you reach the heights of your plays and the crowd starts cheering your name as if you were the pinnacle of internet royalty?
It’s an amazingly unique and enjoyable feeling when you know your crowd loves you, but when you try to respond to a direct message or exceptionally high praise, it is gone in an instant! This is where the Slow command comes into play!
When the crowd gets wild at the wrong moment (or when you simply want to slow down the chat pace a bit), you can set the number of seconds that need to pass before another.
P.S. If you are part
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