Personally, I just do the best that I can. I know that when I have done commentary, I have been criticized for talking too much - and I have been criticized for not talking enough. Some people have been very complimentary - others have told me to STFU and they claim to have turned down the volume. You're not going to make everybody happy, and you'll drive yourself crazy if you attempt to. So, I just do the best that I can.
Most of my commentary has been with straight pool. Providing straight pool commentary is not easy for anyone - including me, but I think that after doing straight pool commentary for quite some time, I've become somewhat competent at doing it. My mind works analytically no matter what game I am doing commentary for. I am an instructor - coach - teacher... and most of what comes out of my mouth is directed to the player that is hungry to learn from what they are watching. I understand that not everybody wants to hear me running my mouth - breaking down each and every shot, but there are some people that depend upon me to do just that. Those are the people I am talking to - and volume controls were invented for those that find that annoying.
I don't claim to know why streaming commentary is so poor - I don't think it is - but I do have some advice for anybody that is working in the booth - and hopefully by following these guidelines the commentary will sound more professional.
1) Do not respond to people in the chat during your commentary. 99% of the time, the match you are doing commentary for will be uploaded to Youtube. When somebody watches it months - or even years later - nobody will know who or what the hell you are talking about - nor will they care. IMO, there is no way to provide insight and commentary for a match that has 50% of your attention. Your viewers will not be into the match if you aren't. Let the people in the chat do the chatting. Your job is to pay attention to match and the players. JMO.
2) If you are in the booth, remember why you are there. You should talk about the match - the players that are playing in the match - and the event hosts and sponsors. Nobody gives a damn about what you had for lunch - nobody gives a damn where you are going to party after the tournament - nobody gives a damn how good or bad the nachos are - and nobody gives a damn about the moron that just walked by the booth and interrupted you with a hi-five and a shout out to somebody that nobody gives a damn about. I look at it like this, the more professional you are with the way you conduct yourself in the booth - the more professional our game will look to prospective sponsors. That is what this is all about - or at least it should be.
3) Take the time to acknowledge the sponsors and the host location. Without them, there wouldn't be an event to stream. The event is THEIR investment. If you are a casual viewer, take the time to support the companies that sponsored the event you are watching. Your support is what keeps sponsors in the game. That is so important.
That's my short list of what can make streaming commentary better. I am sure that I have not covered everything - these are just thoughts off of the top of my head. In closing - remember that most of us that do this out of our love for the game - not because this is making us rich (its not). Please remember that we love the game just as much as you do - and most of us are willing to do this on our own dime whenever possible.
Most of my commentary has been with straight pool. Providing straight pool commentary is not easy for anyone - including me, but I think that after doing straight pool commentary for quite some time, I've become somewhat competent at doing it. My mind works analytically no matter what game I am doing commentary for. I am an instructor - coach - teacher... and most of what comes out of my mouth is directed to the player that is hungry to learn from what they are watching. I understand that not everybody wants to hear me running my mouth - breaking down each and every shot, but there are some people that depend upon me to do just that. Those are the people I am talking to - and volume controls were invented for those that find that annoying.
I don't claim to know why streaming commentary is so poor - I don't think it is - but I do have some advice for anybody that is working in the booth - and hopefully by following these guidelines the commentary will sound more professional.
1) Do not respond to people in the chat during your commentary. 99% of the time, the match you are doing commentary for will be uploaded to Youtube. When somebody watches it months - or even years later - nobody will know who or what the hell you are talking about - nor will they care. IMO, there is no way to provide insight and commentary for a match that has 50% of your attention. Your viewers will not be into the match if you aren't. Let the people in the chat do the chatting. Your job is to pay attention to match and the players. JMO.
2) If you are in the booth, remember why you are there. You should talk about the match - the players that are playing in the match - and the event hosts and sponsors. Nobody gives a damn about what you had for lunch - nobody gives a damn where you are going to party after the tournament - nobody gives a damn how good or bad the nachos are - and nobody gives a damn about the moron that just walked by the booth and interrupted you with a hi-five and a shout out to somebody that nobody gives a damn about. I look at it like this, the more professional you are with the way you conduct yourself in the booth - the more professional our game will look to prospective sponsors. That is what this is all about - or at least it should be.
3) Take the time to acknowledge the sponsors and the host location. Without them, there wouldn't be an event to stream. The event is THEIR investment. If you are a casual viewer, take the time to support the companies that sponsored the event you are watching. Your support is what keeps sponsors in the game. That is so important.
That's my short list of what can make streaming commentary better. I am sure that I have not covered everything - these are just thoughts off of the top of my head. In closing - remember that most of us that do this out of our love for the game - not because this is making us rich (its not). Please remember that we love the game just as much as you do - and most of us are willing to do this on our own dime whenever possible.
