Destination: Rutland

Content Creation involves producing and delivering media content (in the form of photos, videos and/or music) to an audience. The content can be either pre-recorded, edited and uploaded to a platform OR can be streamed live from a given platform and interact with an audience in real-time. Live streaming offers a "no-retake" and raw appeal while Pre-recording offers a TV-like and professional appeal. There are 3 most common and popular platforms/applications that offer streaming and/or recording services: 

• Youtube: Originally launching on 2005, the now Google-owned platform has evolved and expanded in terms of content offered and thus it has become the second most visited website in the entire world. Youtube has always been characterized by its large amount of video categories, which include: video clips, online news, vlogs, podcasts, documentaries, among others.                         Some major services offered are:

  • Youtube Kids: Contains content that is suitable for younger audience (from preschool to age 12). 

  • Supervised Account: Accounts for children that are a bit older on the age range for Youtube Kids and want to move on from the content offered by Youtube Kids and transition into a more non-restricted limitless adult Youtube account. There are three levels of content options:

    • Explore: children aged 9+, including: vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos 

    • Explore More: suitable for children ages 13+, including: live streaming 

    • Most of Youtube: children can access most content except age-restricted videos

  • Restricted Account: a tool that buffers selected information in a video’s: title, description and keywords to block or limit adult or inappropriate content. The videos containing any selected information will not appear in searches, playlists or video panels on the main Youtube page/

  • ​​Youtube Premium: It is Youtube's paid subscription service. It offers ad-free content, offline playback (the ability to download a video and watch it without the use of the Internet or Wi-Fi), background play (viewing a video even if the Youtube app is closed) and additional, exclusive content offered by a particular channel or content creator. Youtube Premium has a monthly cost of 11.99 (CAD).

  • ​​Youtube Studio: "The Home for Content Creators", a tool which allows the creator to manage and customize their own channel, view analytics data (i.e. how many people watched your video or number of subscribers), interact with his/her community (respond to comments & mentions) and edit the videos that were either uploaded or live-streamed. Furthermore there are some additional features available: 

    • Playlists: collection of videos that are chosen by viewer or recommended by the Youtube algorithm 

    • Subtitles: adding subtitles to your videos or community-used subtitles

    • Monetization: only if eligible through the "Youtube Partner Programme".

    • ​Audio Library: adding music and/or sound effects for videos. ​

The first step in the pathway to become a content creator using Youtube is to create an account and a profile with/or linked to a Google account. Children under the age of 13 CANNOT create their own account/channel, children age between 13-17 CAN only be an account holder with parental permission. If the child is under 13, the parent can open an account and can manage the posted content under the channel's name. For more detailed information, Please read the Terms of Service of Youtube for further information.

​Twitch: Originally launched on 2011, the now Amazon-acquired platform has become famous due to its live-streaming nature (i.e. streaming professional sports matches or tournaments), the ability to run online charities,  and its close association to the e-sport (short for electronic sport) scene. 

Some major services offered are:

• Live-Streaming: service available ONLY for children aged 13 and older. Unfortunately, Twitch does not offer age-related filters or tags for specific categories (that include mature explicit content) and thus any children under the age of 13 should not be allowed to create an account under any circumstances as the risks outweigh its benefits. As a "streamer", you will have the opportunity to create your own channel (with either a recreational or lucrative purpose)  and expand your own brand to create an online community. Different types of content can be created such as: gaming, cooking, making art (i.e. drawing or painting), sports & fitness and even some blogging or talk shows. Twitch offers the ability to have a real-time direct communication between a streamer and viewers through the interactive chat feature that is available on every stream. Creating a Twitch account and watching content via Twitch is free of cost (although ads are included and played on each stream) but there are other different ways of monetization via the Partner Program

  • Channel Subscriptions and Emotes: streamers can earn revenue via subscriptions based on "Tiers" or via the free Amazon Prime subscription method. The higher the subscription tier (i.e. Tier 1 --> Tier 2 --> Tier 3), the additional benefits you will earn. Some benefits include: ad-free content and the availability of using "emotes" (which are custom illustrations to depict and show a certain emotion/mood or action) on the general chat.

  • Bits: Twitch's virtual currency that can be used to show support to the streamer and get recognized by the streamer. Bits can be used to buy "Cheers" and use them on the general chat. Bits can only be purchase through Amazon payments and Paypal. 

  • Donations: Micro or Macro donations through third-party organizations such as 'PayPal' just be adding a donation button or by visibly having the link to your 'PayPal' account. 'How to Geek' offers a detailed description to help set up direct donations on Twitch. ​

  • Online Charities: big events to support and raise funds for a common cause have been a recent trend for most famous streamers or corporations. For more information of how to start a charity stream as a content creator, please visit Twitch Creator Camp. 

  • E-Sports: a fast-growing type of competition that focuses on video games. Twitch offer a platform through which popular video-games (i.e. Rainbow Six Siege, Fornite, Valorant, etc.) can host live online tournaments, match highlights and replays and favourite professional players games. For more information on how to become an e-sport official channel or an official professional player channel, please visit the E-Sport Directory. 

For more information, about Twitch and its services offered, please refer to the Terms of Service. 

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TikTok: Originally launched on 2016, the Chinese-owned video hosting service offers a new way to create/consume video content through the implementation of short-duration (ranging from 5 seconds to 10 minutes) videos. TikTok rose in popularity due to the various type of content it offers: music videos, reactions, story-telling and tricks/stunts. Two unique TikTok exclusive features for video content are:

• Stitch: allows the integration of a video clip or scene from another user's video into your own video. 

• Duets: allows for two videos from different users to play in a split screen at the same time

These are some Safety & Privacy Controls offered:

• Screen Time Management: sets up a maximum amount of time per day (in a single use) of​​ application use. The time range can be from 40 minutes to 120 minutes (i.e. 2 hours) and once the time limit is reached the user will get a notification and won't be able to continue to use the app until a passcode is entered. Furthermore it gives the user some weekly and daily usage information such as: night-time and day-time usage and total amount of times the application was opened. 

• Restricted Mode: the feature limits content based on age or appropriateness level. Even though some videos can be deemed inappropriate based on individual bias, any user have the opportunity to report a video that can be considered suspicious. 

Screen Time Management and Restricted Mode can be accessed under the Digital Wellbeing tab​

• Private Account: instead of allowing the general public to enter your profile and comment on your content, the user can make the account private to limit any unwanted interactions. 

• Family Pairing: allows parents to link and connect their personal account to their children's account. By doing this, parents will have the opportunity to control and manage their child's accessibility to the platform. Any setting approved by the parents cannot be change without their approval

• Age-Related Restrictions: 

  • Under 13:  Users will not be able to post or create any content themselves (or an account). By agreeing to the Terms of Services, then the user is confirming that he/she is above the limit age. The account will be immediately terminated if the user is below the limit age.

For additional information, please refer to the User Safety section and Guardian's Guide from TikTok.  

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