Greetings, Pococha community!
Today we have some more news regarding upcoming changes to Support Point generation with the July 1st update.
Before we get into these changes, we want to revisit one of Pococha’s core philosophies: open, honest, and clear communication between broadcasters and viewers.
“Spam” Culture & Pococha’s Communication Philosophy
Since Pococha launched, one of the things our users have enjoyed most is the quality and value of interactions within the Pococha community. After all, one of Pococha’s main goals is to facilitate healthy, vibrant, and active communities with viewers that love to participate in broadcasts!
However, we’ve noticed a growing trend: in many broadcasts, communication is being diluted by users who take advantage of the current Pococha system. This includes:
- posting repetitive or “spam” comments
- typing nonsensical words or emojis simply to earn support points
- encouraging participation in the broadcast only by “liking”/”catching claps” without trying meaningful communication in the comments
We know that some viewers and broadcasters enjoy using Pococha in this way. However, this has resulted in many unfortunate side effects, such as:
- Broadcasters having to ask viewers to “stop spamming chat” so they can catch up on meaningful conversations
- Broadcasters believing that their broadcasts must include spam in order to earn Support Points
- Viewers feeling neglected when their comments are lost in a sea of “spam” comments
- New viewers feeling too intimidated or overwhelmed by “spam” to try leaving comments.
- New viewers feeling deterred and leaving the platform before they learn about the warm communication that is unique to Pococha
At the end of the day, Pococha must always prioritize creating a community in which all users feel welcome to participate. If Pococha’s culture were to continue rewarding this kind of behavior, then it would detract from the user experience of people who use Pococha for its intended purpose: meaningful, valuable communication.
Thus, the following changes will be coming to the app:
Upcoming Support Point Changes
As of July 1, 2022, Support Points will only be generated by Item usage. This means that Support Points will no longer be generated by comments, Likes, or Claps.
We feel these changes will have the following long-term benefits for both Pococha and our users:
- “Spam” and meaningless comments will no longer be rewarded, resulting in less “spam” overall
- Viewer participation will refocus on meaningful conversation without ulterior motive
- Broadcasters will be able to more easily uphold worthwhile communication with users who genuinely interact
Q&A from Pococha’s Producers
Why is this happening? Comments/Likes/Claps generating Support Points is a unique and great feature!
We’re aware that some users may be frustrated by this change. In fact, this isn’t a change we’re excited to make; if comments, Likes, and Claps were used exclusively for communication on the app, then these changes wouldn’t be occurring.
Even though we don’t want to take away the value of viewers’ non-Item actions, we never want to make broadcasters think, “Hacking the system is more valuable than encouraging meaningful communication.” In the current Pococha environment, many broadcasters feel this way and see viewer interaction as just a means to an end. This is the opposite of Pococha’s goal.
We thought very long and hard about how we could address this issue, and in the end, this was the only change we could find that would ensure that Pococha’s communication philosophy is not compromised.
We know that many of you are earnestly interested in supporting broadcasters however you can with functions like clapping and liking. However, to help reinforce the benefits of these changes, please also continue using the comments to help contribute to Pococha’s warm and welcoming community! Your favorite broadcasters will still be so excited and grateful to see you joining in the fun by commenting.
Why are Likes and Claps having their Support Points taken away too?
If Likes and Claps were to remain a source of Support Points, then we anticipate that these actions would be taken advantage of in the future as well.
Some of you may be thinking, “But Pococha! If Likes and Claps are ‘hacked’, it won’t bother other viewers like comments do — why is it still an issue?”
To answer this, let’s take a look at a situation that we’re currently dealing with in Pococha Japan:
- There is an urban legend in Japan that broadcasters will not show up on the HOME feed unless the word “Box” is in their thumbnail image.
- In reality, this is not true. Perhaps the word attracts more viewers because it is appealing or eye-catching, but there is no Pococha system that analyzes and prioritizes thumbnail images with that word.
- However, many people believed the rumor because various top broadcasters have the word “Box” in their thumbnail.
- And so, Pococha Japan has exploded with a variety of people adding “Box” to their thumbnail image, which only increases the credibility of this urban legend.
How does this example relate to the US? Unfortunately, people who have learned to “game” the Pococha system have succeeded in rising in Rank, and this is not good; we don’t want to reward people who misuse the platform.
If Likes and Claps were to continue providing Support Point value, then Pococha would likely reward the broadcasters who found another way to “hack” this behavior. Even if it doesn’t directly interrupt a broadcast in the moment, this could still result in people feeling the need to “hack” the system in order to succeed.
Thus, the overall idea is this: we don’t want Pococha to be designed in a way that makes ideal, communication-focused broadcasters feel less valuable than broadcasters who misuse Pococha features. That is why we are removing Support Points from Claps and Likes as well.
Do comments, Likes, and Claps still contribute to Fan Noise and Core Fan status?
Likes and claps have never contributed to Fan Noise; however, Items, comments, and view time will still allow viewers to contribute Fan Noise and become Core Fans — both of which are extremely beneficial for broadcasters.
Fan Noise
When a broadcaster reaches certain thresholds of Fan Noise, they receive a Support Point bonus. The more Fan Noise they receive, the bigger bonus they get. Therefore, viewers should still be encouraged to comment, Like, and Clap to help broadcasters get those sweet bonuses!
To see the full chart of Fan Noise and Support Point bonuses, visit our blog here.
Core Fans
Viewers get some great bonuses when they become Core Fans, such as altered comment label colors, access to Core Fan-only Families, and more. But did you know that broadcasters also receive benefits as they collect more Core Fans?
The more Core Fans a broadcaster has, the higher their Support Point multiplier gets. Therefore, by becoming a Core Fan, you can help broadcasters get even more Support Points for the rest of the month!
Visit the Pococha blog to learn more about these Core Fan bonuses.
What if “spam” and other meaningless communication goes away after this change? Is there a chance that Support Points for comments/Likes/Claps can return?
Yes, there is! Again, this change is intended to target those who are not using Pococha’s interactive features for the right reasons. Unfortunately, in the meantime, users who have been using comments/Likes/Claps for the right reasons will be unable to continue doing so.
However: when broadcasters can once again get into the top Ranks consistently without utilizing any “hacking” behavior, we will reevaluate non-Item actions and return to a state in which these interactions can have quantitative value again.
Until then, thank you for your patience while we steer Pococha’s communication culture back in the right direction.
What if “spam” and other meaningless communication doesn’t go away after this change?
We truly hope this isn’t the case! However, if this change does not successfully reduce “spam”, we may look into taking further actions that analyze and potentially penalize users who engage in this behavior. We feel it’s vital for Pococha’s community and future that we deem this communication style as unacceptable.
Please help us to spread and uphold these values so that we can return to valuing non-Item actions once again!
What will Pococha be doing in the interim to make up for this loss of non-Item Support Points?
We recognize that this change may be disappointing and will take some getting used to. However, all users will be affected equally by this app-wide change, so no broadcasters will be disproportionately benefitted or hindered from reaching or maintaining their Rank due to this update.
In addition, we’re very excited about some other upcoming changes that should continue making meaningful communication more worthwhile for all users! These changes include:
- New & more frequently-released Item sets (including more low-cost Items)
- Brand-new “training Items” that teach users how to make Items more interactive and exciting
- Viewer-centric events that reward viewers for participating in broadcasts
Please look forward to more info about these coming changes very soon!
Thank you,
- The Pococha Team
Pococha Blog 