The Evolution of TWiT Live

Since its inception, TWiT hasn't conformed to the rules of traditional media. Both our content and our approach to producing it are unique. We're incredibly fortunate to have attracted an audience with this, but even more fortunate to have created a community.

For the vast majority of you who download or stream our published shows, nothing is going to change. However, we have recently decided to make a few changes that are going to affect our live audience.

Part of this is the TWiT chat room, which offers direct access to our hosts and guests. Our volunteer moderators have always been diligent in keeping the chat on topic and not letting a few troublemakers derail the discussion. But it's gotten to where moderating the chat and people's frustrations with that have become a distraction. There has to be a better way, and we are working on a new chat solution to maintain a high level of interaction with our audience. We'll have more details on this soon.

The other part is our live stream, where you can watch us record our shows. With the number of shows on our network--now more than 20--adhering to a set schedule sometimes constrains our ability to produce live content. This doesn't mean that the live stream is going away, but we are going to mix up the format and offer both live and pre-recorded shows to minimize downtime. To this end, we may modify our broadcast schedule.

This level of behind-the-scenes access also has another serious downside: Not everyone wants to spend their working hours under a microscope.

As some of you may know, we received a bomb threat a few weeks ago--and this isn't the first, second, or even third instance of the sort that we've had to deal with. We've also had people show up at our house, we've received threatening phone calls and emails, had our comings and goings tracked, been doxxed, and had our personal information distributed. This isn't limited to our hosts: our guests, mods, staff, families, and sponsors have also been the targets of these threats and abuse.

The term "troll" gets thrown around a lot. We get it: it's the Internet, and trolls, snarkiness, and differing opinions come with the territory. But it seriously crosses a line when it becomes targeted harassment, cyberstalking, and there are threats of violence--especially when your children are in the crosshairs. "Trolling" you can ignore, "stalking" is a different matter.

We take all of this very seriously. Being a target is scary and emotionally trying in a way that I wouldn't wish on anyone--and even more so when your friends and family are put at risk. We ask that you please respect any safeguards we must put in place as a result. Ultimately, we do believe this will result in a better TWiT experience for all.

Thank you for your continued support, and we'll have more news soon. Stay tuned!