First, don't forget that there will be NO LIVE CAST on Monday, September 21. Instead, I will cast Sunday, September 20, at the usual 8pm-12m (Central) time. I'm sorry on behalf of the regular viewers who can't make a Sunday night cast, but for me it was either cast on Sunday night or just skip the week altogether.
The second and third items are a byproduct of OtC growth pains. The past couple of weeks have seen a greater than usual number of viewers and chatters. I appreciate the increased level of interest. It must mean more and more people are discovering the cast and liking it. But with more chatters come ancillary issues.
Since the cast is hitting the #1 position more often, we are attracting more trolls. In particular, guest chat makes it easier for trolls to disrupt the cast. I want you all to know, based on discussion, I am reevaluating the policy of enabling guest chat on a routine basis. I will be announcing a new Viewer Survey on Sunday night so viewers have an opportunity to chime in on the subject. (That's the second item.)
Third, the increase in chatters also has meant an increase in the number of requests. The system I have been using worked well for 20 viewers. It works less well for 40 or 50 viewers. Last week in particular, I had a hard time keeping up while also continuing to be closely involved with viewer chat. Evaluating the cast afterwards, I felt like I was only about 70% present. Plus, I think some viewers are not getting a fair shake when it comes to offering requests, due to the volume and distribution of requests. Neither situation is good. You all deserve better.
I always knew that if the cast got more popular, I would have to adjust. One adjustment I am making is in the area of music requests. I've had a rule posted in the Channel Description area for some time, asking people to only make one request at a time. In other words, wait for your first request to play (or to be told it isn't available) before making a new request. I haven't been enforcing this rule, but I will in the future.
So, going forward, I will accept one request at a time per viewer. If you make a request, please don't make another one until either (1) your requested song starts playing OR (2) I advise you that I won't (or can't) play the request for whatever reason, usually because I don't have the music or because the song already played earlier. This will put a little extra burden on all of us. Me to communicate better when a song isn't going to be played, and the viewers to be a little more mindful of their own requests.
I know there will be a learning curve with this, but we'll figure it out. And if this change doesn't work out real well, we'll try something else. Thanks for your understanding.