The Independent Creator

This week I explore Owncast, an open source self-hosting solution for live streaming. Owncast gives creators like me complete control by allowing us to set up and run our streaming server.

I walk through the simple setup process - from signing up for a VPS provider like Hetzner to completing the one-click Owncast install in under 10 minutes. Then we dive into customizing every aspect of the platform from the admin panel.

Options include setting your instance name and description, uploading a custom logo, tweaking video quality presets, and more. I also cover social features and...

In this episode, we dive into the power of online communities for independent creators. We start by exploring the influence of forums as platforms for gathering and sharing information, highlighting how they shaped audiences and provided easily searchable resources.

Next, we delve into Discord, a popular modern community platform, and its effects on information sharing and collaboration among creators and their audiences. While Discord offers great features, we also discuss its limitations, such as the inability to be searched from the outside web.

We then introduce Guilded as an alternative platform to Discord, discussing its...

In this riveting episode, we journey through the dynamic world of video podcasting. How do you transition from a novice to a seasoned videocaster? What are the best platforms to host your visual stories, and how do you keep an ever-growing collection of episodes streamlined and easily accessible to your audience? We'll dive deep into the nuts and bolts of hosting, discussing the pros and cons of various platforms, and sharing invaluable tools and strategies to keep your content organized. Suppose you've ever felt overwhelmed by the logistical side of video podcasting. In that case, this episode is your...

What is the deal with Threads, everyone flocked to it and now over half are gone. Mastodon continues to be a powerhouse for the open-source crowd and that's perfectly alright. Bluesky continues to trot along being the exclusive cool kid's table, just with invites.

Pilot episode but we do pack a lot of information into our first one though. Going over the latest experience I had while testing out the new live-streaming service, Shareplay. Currently in closed beta but it does offer some potential that will definitely have to back in on it when it opens up further and more of its unavailable features are released.

Live Space is in open beta and is another of the upcoming live-streaming platforms that actually offer more than just live streaming. Incorporating a Twitter-like feed into the mix, you can offer your viewers and...