Posts by Michael

We all get haters and trolls writing mean things on our videos every so often. It can feel like they have a personal issue with the fact that you exist and are making content. I really have never understood the mentality it takes to sit on the internet and write nasty things about someone to try and upset them or gain leverage over how they behave. It seems quite controlling and narcissistic to want to behave in these days. I try to think that these people obviously have something going on in their lives that they are really unhappy about or maybe poor upbringing/trauma to behave like this but so many who have experienced trauma etc dont sit bullying others. It must take someone really hurting and hateful and angry inside to behave in these ways and likely have a lack of empathy.

They obviously get enjoyment and kicks from it. I wonder if they ever regret behaving in these ways or just find enjoyment continuously trying to upset others. I really do think the best way to deal with them is to just block and ignore the moment you notice their pattern. Theres no point replying to them at all. Without you listening and others listening they will surely get bored and move on to their next target. I think its good to remind yourself that not every comment needs a response. When people try to provoke you it is often best to just give them nothing to work with. You cant stop someone being nasty towards you but you can control their access to you and your own response.

What are your thoughts on dealing with people like this on YouTube and TikTok etc?

Quote from Symph

I mean I left youtube because of bullies (and stomach issues dovetailing with them) but because of that, I took the time to learn how to take care of myself, and to grow thicker skin. I've already gotten a couple of haters on tiktok and back in the day I'd have been thinking about it all day, now I just go "ugh, what a jerk" and move on lol

I got one early on with my new channel too, it can be really discouraging but I try to use it as motivation as in this person obviously has no self control. Im a lot more thicker skinned but still do let things affect me at times, I just dont erupt.

Yeah TikTok seems to share your videos out a whole lot more in the beginning more than YT it seems. With the new view count update it may help more though as youll see the results more.

I havent had a shorts channel but my small business has a channel and just posting repeatable content that is easy for me to make has been a lifesaver. Having a good hook and keeping people interested visually and with audio helps. I know audience retention is the most important thing, keeping them watching for as long as possible.

I dont know much about shorts only channels but as Symph said you can leverage the audience you get through them to monetise with brand deals etc I always hear that shorts are good for actual audience discovery and people finding you as they can get a lot more exposure and you can feed them into longer form content and I would assume elsewhere too like a website etc

Im scared to even post a short on my new channel at this point in case I mess up the views on my other videos, I am unsure about the relation between normal videos and shorts and whether the scheduling between the two affects the other. Does posting shorts have any affect on the performance of your regular videos like with watch time/audience retention etc does it help support your regular long form videos? Maybe I am overthinking this I am not sure.

Quote from Symph

We'll get there, one step at a time lol

Theyre looking good as they are now man

Quote from Pengus

It was 30 degrees here in Glasgow on Friday and I really wish I had got an AC unit when they were on sale. I would probably just avoid recording on really hot days and wait until it cools down a bit. I am absolutely rubbish with the heat.

Thankfully I got recording done the day after. I did get 1 video recorded but my mic wasnt on so I lost the entire thing as its useless without the audio and in that heat you really dont feel like recording again as one session was enough! It is so much nicer today, a little warm but not unbearable with the breeze. Perfect for recording if only I didnt have workmen in the loft banging all morning.

YouTube just announced the update to view counts, got an email there.

Quote

Updating how we count public views to reflect your true exposure

Last year, we updated how we count public views for Shorts to align with industry standards and better capture how people watch on YouTube. Now, we’re aligning all other formats on YouTube to this same methodology. This new, consistent standard will help to reflect the scale of your exposure across all formats on YouTube.

Moving forwards, a view will be counted when a video starts to play or replay across long-form videos, Shorts and live streams. Whichever way your fans are watching, a public view will be counted the second that your audience tunes in.

What does this mean for you?

You’ll start to see this change applied wherever public views are shown on YouTube, including on the Analytics page in YouTube Studio. We expect that creators will see an increase in future views from this update. This change will not impact your earnings or how creators become eligible for the YouTube Partner Programme.

Same metric, every format
With metrics for long-form videos, live streams and Shorts aligned, you’ll get a consistent view of your success, whatever the format.

Showcase your true impact
Use these consistent metrics to confidently highlight the full scale of your impact to partners and sponsors.

Display More

You can read some more about the update here - https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/433409976

So basically YouTube will be counting video views from the second a video is played so our view counts should rise faster. Monetisation and YouTube Partner Programme requirements wont change though which is good.

What do you think about the update? Do you think this will make analytics clearer for us or will it just make view counts look inflated?

Its good you know the niche quite well through watching it so you will know what you like and others may like too. My concern would be with monetising, if youre just making for the fun of it without expecting to monetise then you should be fine. If this was my own project id probably lean into people sleeping to it, the watch time etc is likely going to be a lot higher with people putting it on their phone and nodding off while it plays.

I will be honest it isnt something I would listen to myself but the third linked channel, the video seems to be on par with theirs so if their viewers are interested they are likely to enjoy these too.

Before launching would be good to think about your target audience, content pillars and what your launch plan is. I honestly recommend having a bank of videos made before launch and release a bunch in a short period so the algorithm gets an understanding of what your videos are about and then release slower over time falling into a schedule.

Be sure to introduce yourself too here - https://wemakevids.com/forum/index.php?thread-add/2/

Im curious about what the goals are for companies who make them. What do they see the world like with them? Everyone walking around filming 27/7 wearing them or other wearables that are similar so theres zero expectation of privacy. Really makes you wonder.

Yeah life is full of challenges, people being mean etc they arent nice but those experience do build character. I got bullied as a kid and that obviously has shaped me into who I am now and I have to be thankful for it.

Quote from Symph

Hmmm.... see I've always hated the way my face looked when I'm TRYING to take a good picture, and when I actually game it makes me a little square and I can't get that out if I wanna use an actual screen shot. But I could just have a camera rolling while I play a game that's not being fed to OBS to just get the natural reactions, choose my favorites, and then maybe paste them over the little square in the right hand corner. Though I'll be honest, we're getting into levels of effort I wasn't planning on doing lolol But yeah maybe.

Id grab your phone and position it somewhere near where youd sit gaming and do loads of reaction faces, use Adobe AI background remover to remove the background and then use a different one each time lol I know a lot of channels that do this and it makes it easy when making thumbs

Moved this here for you, I have listened to about 5 mins of it. The video I couldnt watch at the same time properly as I wouldnt take in a word that was being said as find it distracting and bright (got eye strain at the moment though).

The narration is really good for AI, it reminds me of some audiobooks I have had off Audible, the voice sounds great. I would say the pacing was slightly fast, I am unsure if longer pauses would help with that for me. The pacing could be fine for others but it feels a bit fast for me to take in the story. The captions may be fine for others but for me I like when they stay on screen so I can read them for longer. I think as they are it will help keep peoples minds more engaged though. "I brought in something accounts Victoria" around the 1 min mark sounded a bit off if listen back to it. Think it is the way Victoria is said.

Are you keeping Minecraft gameplay in the background for the stories? Are you wanting to keep people engaged while listening or is this for them to sleep to?

I am curious who the target audience is, I havent really delved into the stories/books side of YT before.

Welcome to the community btw

Quote from Symph

It's so hard to do these days because of other kids and what their parents let them do. I know it's still possible but I've seen parents struggle with that, where they try to keep their kids internet free but then they go to school and their friends show them stuff and then the kid comes home and the begging starts and ugh... what an age to be alive....

Not just that, they start feeling left out and like their parents are horrible people shutting them out of experiences all their friends have. I really wish I didnt give my son access to a computer early in life. I wanted him to have the tech I never had as a kid with a good PC, gaming consoles and he loved being outside until he experienced bullying and then decided his best friends were all online as they didnt bully him etc If my son was out and someone with POV glasses posted him he would probably never go into town or wherever again. To some it may seem fragile but some people really are sensitive to these things especially with autism when going out can be a big thing.

Anxiety and customers go hand in hand especially with personal services like beauty, hair, nails etc people with MH love to know what to expect. I have googled places beforehand to see videos even of a cinema. Theres a cinema in Newcastle called Every Man Cinema and I had never been before. I just know I wanted to know what to expect, whether there was specific dress code, how much it would cost me, the general layout of the place, whether it was busy or not etc these are probably all driven by a curiosity/anxiety and they were able to answer those things with a simple video showing how it feels to walk in and the stairs leading down (would I have been able to get down them if I was disabled- questions like that haha) the video showed the menus and just gave a general feel of what it is like to be there. If you can do that for your salon using your way I am sure it will help your potential customers.

People who like quieter services will be able to see what its like to get their nails done with you and hopefully have their questions answered to make them more comfortable. I think thats the goal with these kinds of videos, the help an anxious customer feel comfortable and know what to expect, I think thats a big driver of anxiety, the unknown and not knowing. Where will I sit? What kind of chair does she have for me to sit on? Is the room dark or brightly lit? Where can I park? Is there ample parking? Are the roads busy in the local area? Is it a busy place with lots of customers? Will I be able to switch off more? Is it a safe location to visit for me? Can I get there easily by public transport ie. metro bus train etc

Those are looking so much better theyre fun and vibrant and I would actually want to click on those versus the older ones. I dont like the orange text on the first as it blends in a bit, done in the white with a dark outer glow/shadow may help it pop possibly. Only thing I would really change is you being cut out, maybe text 100 photos of yourself in a gaming headset with faces pulled that are funny or relatable and use Adobe AI background remover to remove the background of each one so you end up with a library of transparent PNGs. What do you think of this idea? I really do this it would make it easy for you and youd have faces you can use any time. Alternatively you could just do a fresh one each time. I would prob place your face centrally too or in the bottom left corner if possible.

Overall these are significantly more clickable. The titles are far more clickable too I dont know what the cheese sandwich means so cant comment lol is a cheese sandwich like a turd or something in the USA lol

I think im going to have to skip recording today, its 26c in my place at 8am and set to rise. My recording yesterday went tits up, I had the AC on for an hour and then recorded for 30 and realised the mic recorder wasnt even running, gutted lol I may have another go later on but honestly this heats unbearable. Do you bother to record on super hot days or do you skip them? I feel like I am letting myself down and subs if i do.

Quote from Queen P

I tried to do this for past 2 weeks and clients are happy. I am not sure if they need to sign something to say its okay to share online or if its accepted to just post it without formality.

If theyre happy and its working stick at it. If theyre happy with it I wouldnt worry too much about signing contracts etc for social media content. You could add something on your website when booking to say that social media photos may be taken during appointments. I am unsure on the laws and whats normal around this though. Make a promise to yourself to post however many you can per week too and it should grow

Quote from Symph

I don't know about the warning thing, maybe they should be warned first, but from a gut reaction standpoint, this behavior is just so unbelievably shameless and predatory I don't have much sympathy for them getting banned with no warning. If they posted actual porn to youtube I don't think we'd be arguing they should be given a warning and this isn't that far removed from doing that.

100%, it is quite sad seeing people use a niche that helps people with sleep and MH to grow an adult content fanbase. I hope that it has an effect on the niche where others take note and hopefully allow other creators who dont make "spicy videos" to shine some more as they will be getting a LOT of eyeballs.

Quote from Queen P

I think its a good thing as children using youtube and can click onto the adult pages from the channel page but maybe should give a warning first or remove the links on the channels doing it. I dont want my children finding these things so easily even by mistake if I let them use youtube on my phone. If its in the policy then it is fair but can be handled better

Yeah I think so too, I do believe parents should be keeping their kids off the platform for as long as possible but a 14 year old with a phone is harder to monitor for stuff like this. Even just seeing the links and clicking through they will be more aware of how to access these womens sexual content and many are inspired by these creators to make OF themselves.

Quote from Symph

I only saw a MoistCritikal video on it and he theorized that they are having trouble with all the AI channels coming out automating their uploads, and cashing out before they can find them and weed them out. He thinks that this is to give them more time to find them and ban/strike them or whatever before they have to pay money for content that generates no value. Makes sense, it is only a theory though.

Well I hope it helps with that, surely with AI they could use AI to detect and combat the issue hmmmm has me wondering about that AI vs AI haha. I think the shorts must be having issues with it being like a rolling threshold thing. They seem to be most likely to be done with AI too with the video length limits when using AI to make video clips.