{"id":5875,"date":"2023-05-04T11:19:33","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T05:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/?p=5875"},"modified":"2023-05-04T11:19:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T05:49:38","slug":"what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Lurking Mean on Twitch? Here's Everything to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Lurking is basically when users watch your stream but don't interact with it. There are a few reasons for them to do this, but usually, it's because they're shy, multi-tasking, or have multiple streams open with yours muted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you're a newbie streamer, you'd want your chat to be as interactive as possible. So, lurking is definitely something that you wouldn't want. I especially struggled with it when I first started out. However, I eventually got smart with it by having polls and asking my audience to answer questions on my chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with what exactly lurking means, I also took a look at additional information, like how you can get Twitch lurkers to talk on your chat, and what Twitch's official stance on lurking is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound good?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6615b9e1d10ee\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6615b9e1d10ee\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#What_Does_Lurking_Mean_on_Twitch\" title=\"What Does Lurking Mean on Twitch?\">What Does Lurking Mean on Twitch?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#How_Do_You_Use_a_ChatBot_For_Lurking\" title=\"How Do You Use a ChatBot For Lurking?\">How Do You Use a ChatBot For Lurking?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#1_Nightbot\" title=\"1. Nightbot\">1. Nightbot<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#2_StreamElements\" title=\"2. StreamElements\">2. StreamElements<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#How_Can_You_Tell_if_a_User_is_Lurking_on_Twitch\" title=\"How Can You Tell if a User is Lurking on Twitch?\">How Can You Tell if a User is Lurking on Twitch?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#How_To_Turn_Lurkers_Into_Interactive_Chatters\" title=\"How To Turn Lurkers Into Interactive Chatters?\">How To Turn Lurkers Into Interactive Chatters?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#Should_Twitch_Streamers_Call_Out_Twitch_Lurkers\" title=\"Should Twitch Streamers Call Out Twitch Lurkers?\">Should Twitch Streamers Call Out Twitch Lurkers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#What_are_Viewbots_on_Twitch\" title=\"What are Viewbots on Twitch?\">What are Viewbots on Twitch?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/what-does-lurking-mean-on-twitch\/#Final_Thoughts\" title=\"Final Thoughts\">Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Does_Lurking_Mean_on_Twitch\"><\/span>What Does Lurking Mean on Twitch?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lurking is when viewers watch the stream but don't chat or interact. It isn't just a Twitch term, as it's used on a bunch of different sites whenever someone doesn't interact whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Twitch doesn't have any rules against users lurking, but they do take action against anyone that uses bots to lurk (view bots). This isn't surprising, as the bots add fake views to the stream, which ultimately dupes advertisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, why do people not talk on streams? One of the reasons that I regularly am guilty of is using the Twitch streamer as background noise while I work on other tasks. On that same note, the lurker might really like the streamer and have tuned into them to only add to their viewcount (and have the browser tab muted).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, some viewers might just be shy. Unless you push them, they'll keep ignoring the chat.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Teen-Gamer-on-Live-Stream-Session-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Teen Gamer on Live Stream Session\" class=\"wp-image-5882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Teen-Gamer-on-Live-Stream-Session.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Teen-Gamer-on-Live-Stream-Session-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Teen-Gamer-on-Live-Stream-Session-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_You_Use_a_ChatBot_For_Lurking\"><\/span>How Do You Use a ChatBot For Lurking?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are bots that your audience can use to tell everyone that they're there and lurking. I think these third-party tools are great for anyone who's shy and don't want to talk. From my experience, Nightbots and Streamlabs are 2 of the best choices out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To use these bots, a lurker has to send a designated lurk command. This will prompt a custom response to the chat telling everyone that they're silently watching. You'll have to set these custom Twitch lurk messages yourself. A few examples that you can use include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c...is watching from the distance\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c...is lurking in the shadows\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201c...is spying on the chat\"<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Nightbot\"><\/span>1. Nightbot<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's how you use <a href=\"https:\/\/nightbot.tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Nightbot<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Go to the Nightbot website and then download the tool<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connect the bot to your account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the Join Channel button on the Nightbot dashboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Follow the instructions on your screen to make Nightbot into a moderator on your chat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open Twitch and then check whether bot is on your chat, as well as has the moderator role<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Type !commands<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wait for the command prompts screen<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter in !lurk command [custom message] (you can use some of the ones that I suggested above)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now whenever a Twitch lurker types in the designated lurk command, the custom message that you set will pop up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_StreamElements\"><\/span>2. StreamElements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's how you use <a href=\"https:\/\/streamelements.com\/features\/chatbot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">StreamElements<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Go to the StreamElements website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Download and then launch the tool<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connect the bot to your account, and then make it a moderator on your chat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once all of this is done, you can add the lurk command by typing !lurk [Custom Message]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Whenever a user wants you to know that they're not actively watching the stream, they have to type the StreamElements command for the message that you made to send.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Can_You_Tell_if_a_User_is_Lurking_on_Twitch\"><\/span>How Can You Tell if a User is Lurking on Twitch?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Streamers can't really tell whether a user is lurking for sure, unless they check their chat history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's how you can do that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Go to the Twitch chat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter '\/user' followed by the account's username to see all of the texts that that person made on your chat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go back to about the time the live broadcast started, and then start scrolling down, you'll see if they've been lurking the whole time or not.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don't have a specific user in mind, you can go through your stream's viewers to see anyone who might be lurking, and then check their chat history to see if they've been silently watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's how you can check your view count list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Click on your profile icon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Head to your Creator Dashboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the Stream Manager button that's on the left-hand side<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the My Chat section<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the 3 dots in the corner, and then click on the Users in Chat button<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You should see the names of everyone who's tuning in right now<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Young-Man-Playing-Online-PC-Games-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Young Man Playing Online PC Games\" class=\"wp-image-5883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Young-Man-Playing-Online-PC-Games.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Young-Man-Playing-Online-PC-Games-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Young-Man-Playing-Online-PC-Games-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Turn_Lurkers_Into_Interactive_Chatters\"><\/span>How To Turn Lurkers Into Interactive Chatters?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I'd recommend asking your viewers to reply yes or no to questions. If they're paying attention, this should tempt them to send their answer on the chat, especially if the question you asked was important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On that same note, you can create polls for them to vote on. Although this won't get them to talk, they'll be forced to be more present, which would help if they're just using your stream as background noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that not all streamers can add chat polls. You'll first need to be a Twitch affiliate or partner. You probably already know what an affiliate is, but it's basically when you have enough channel viewers that you're able to monetize your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here's how you can create a Twitch chat poll:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Log into your Twitch account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Head to your account creator dashboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the Create a New Poll button<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on the New Poll button<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enter your poll details, like the question, answers, and if you want specific Twitch viewers or all your viewers to vote on it- remember that your question will have a 60 character limit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_Twitch_Streamers_Call_Out_Twitch_Lurkers\"><\/span>Should Twitch Streamers Call Out Twitch Lurkers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I don't think Twitch streamers should call out lurkers. Plainly speaking, it's rude and is just not Twitch etiquette. I actually know a couple of lurkers who have left streams because they've been called out for not interacting before. So, it's potentially a huge mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_Viewbots_on_Twitch\"><\/span>What are Viewbots on Twitch?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As I said, you won't get in trouble for lurking, but you will get banned for viewbots. Twitch's whole reasoning behind this is that they inflate viewership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can't just end up with viewbots on your channel. Someone has to pay for them to show up on your Twitch community. Most likely, it's one of your active viewers behind this. Although you <a href=\"https:\/\/help.twitch.tv\/s\/article\/how-to-handle-view-follow-bots?language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">won't get in trouble<\/a> for this, you might end up ruining your reputation, as anyone who stumbles on your channel might realize that there are viewbots and think that you bought them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, how do you know if you're dealing with bots? You'll have to go through your lurkers count for anyone who looks suspicious, and then make an educated guess. If you're sure someone is a bot and not a real person, you can ban them. Here's how you do this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Copy the user's username, and then type in slash Ban [Username]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Online-Live-Streaming-Setup-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Online Live Streaming Setup\" class=\"wp-image-5881\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Online-Live-Streaming-Setup.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Online-Live-Streaming-Setup-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Online-Live-Streaming-Setup-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read more resources<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Twitch defined lurking as watching a stream but not interacting with the chat whatsoever. There are a couple of different reasons why viewers lurk. But usually, it's because they're busy with something else while having the stream running in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Twitch doesn't have any issues with users lurking, they do take action against anyone that users viewbots. These bots bloat your viewer count, which essentially dupes advertisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully, you found everything that was discussed useful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lurking is basically when users watch your stream but don't interact with it. There are a few reasons for them to do this, but usually, it's because they're shy, multi-tasking, or have multiple streams open with yours muted. If you're a newbie streamer, you'd want your chat to be as interactive as possible. So, lurking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5875"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5875"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5875\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5911,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5875\/revisions\/5911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpuforever.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}