YouTube questions....

I've been reading about adellethegreat's problems with her You Tube account lately. This prompted this post, as I don't really understand how YT works. I discovered YT and UU and ukulele very recently. I'm addicted to UU. I'm obsessed with my ukulele. But I still don't "get" YT.

My use of YT consists of watching ukulele videos on my iPod Touch on my breaks at work. I have several questions I've been saving up:

- What's up with subscription to "channels"? Why would one subscribe, and why would one have a channel? What's in it for the person whose channel it is? Everyone seems very interested in gaining subscribers....

- Why do the videos sometimes not play through to the end?

- What prompts the order in which videos are loaded by my browser? It doesn't appear to be chronological, and it doesn't appear to be related to the number of viewings....

Thanks for any help you can offer.

to your first question...
a channel is just someones page...where i upload my videos for others to watch...sharing art at its most basic level...people subscribe (sub) when they like your channel and from that point on, when you upload new content it is alerted to them on there main page, for this you have to have an account (channel)...many channels have nothing on them, as these people are simply using the account to comment, rate, and subscribe to others. and why people want subscribers...just plain egotism...I enjoy knowing people are watching what i produce! bragging rights (i have very few subscribers)

i don't know why sometimes videos don't finish, i have not had that issue too often, just a glitch.

A channel is essentially the users profile with all their public info and videos. It's their main way to show what they want. They want subscriptions the same way a magazine would want customers, to get their videos out. When you subscribe, you get notified whenever the person you subscribed posts a new video. Hope this helps!

-Jeff

Subscribing is an excellent way to find out what your favorite artists are up to without having to go to each favorite's "channel" (?) every day. You will get notified when a new video is upload (within a day or so -- it isn't always perfect).

I have no videos so I don't get subscribers, but if I did I think it'd be nice to know that people like my music -- especially enough to not want to miss one.
I subscribe as my little way of supporting musicians I admire. There are so many I haven't even subscribed to here on UU. I'd be watching all day.

I'm surprized it's just an ego thing. I thought maybe there was some financial implication....some remuneration for gaining more subscribers. I'm told Julia Nunes has thousands (literally) of subs.

So all of this "you sub me and I'll sub you" stuff is just for bragging rights?

mailman said:

I'm surprized it's just an ego thing. I thought maybe there was some financial implication....some remuneration for gaining more subscribers. I'm told Julia Nunes has thousands (literally) of subs.

So all of this "you sub me and I'll sub you" stuff is just for bragging rights?

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Essentially, but it means more exposure, and how moronic videos like "Fred" now sell t-shirts at stores.

-Jeff

No... you've got the entire wrong idea. It's all about community, and also about spreading your music and getting feedback. Sure, ego is probably a factor for some, just liek with all things. But for most of us.. you've got the waaaay wrong idea buddy.

mailman said:

I'm surprized it's just an ego thing. I thought maybe there was some financial implication....some remuneration for gaining more subscribers. I'm told Julia Nunes has thousands (literally) of subs.

So all of this "you sub me and I'll sub you" stuff is just for bragging rights?

Click to expand...

Don't want to give anyone the wrong impression here. I have no problem at all with bragging rights, or what drives YT. I'm just surprized that I was so far off base. Why that surprizes me any more is anyone's guess!

if you've never played infront of a live crowd, it's apparently good preparation. some people find the camera as nerve-racking as a real crowd!

mailman said:

I'm surprized it's just an ego thing. I thought maybe there was some financial implication....some remuneration for gaining more subscribers. I'm told Julia Nunes has thousands (literally) of subs.

So all of this "you sub me and I'll sub you" stuff is just for bragging rights?

Click to expand...

Actually I'm told it can be quite lucrative - with enough subscribers one can apply to be a "partner" and share ad revenue with Youtube. I think our very own Seeso is a partner - he may be able to shed some light on the money stuff.


But Link had the real point - for most of us it's not bragging rights as much as it is sharing and community. To me it's like a big open mic night - and my subscriber number tells me how many people are in the seats.

I agree with link and grumpy. I make videos because I love making the music. I have no illusions about being some great undiscovered talent, no albums to sell. I make music cause its fun. i record it so that I can see and hear it again. I share it on Youtube to share what I love.

I never hear a partner comment on exactly what the terms and rewards of partnership are in any specific way. I suspect there is some nondisclosure language in the partner agreement.

The subscribers amount does amount to bragging rights, but not just for bragging's sake. I can't speak for everyone, but for me, and for others that are trying to make art for a living, the amount of subscribers you have is leverage, or clout. Someone like Julia Nunes who has over 300,000 subscribers can flaunt that number to major labels when the time is right.

It's exposure. The more people that see your work, the more opportunity you have to make money from your work.

Even someone like Zee Avi (kokokaina on YT) who only has about 8,500 subscribers, has seen success. She has just completed her first album for Brushfire records, Jack Johnson's label.

GrumpyCoyote said:

Actually I'm told it can be quite lucrative - with enough subscribers one can apply to be a "partner" and share ad revenue with Youtube. I think our very own Seeso is a partner - he may be able to shed some light on the money stuff.

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I'm actually not a partner. I've been asked to become a partner in the past a couple of times, but I just don't like the look of ads on my videos. I hate having to click the ads off on other videos, so it's difficult to make people have to click them off on mine.

The only video of mine that has an ad on it is "I Want You Back," and that's because Warner filed a copyright claim on it. They chose to put an ad on it and take the revenue, other than have it taken down.

I am really broke these days, however, so I may rethink my decision in the near future. Any one have an opinion on whether I should become a partner or not?

BTW, it can be quite lucrative. YouTubers like Smosh and Happyslip make most of their money from YouTube. I've gotten some numbers from friends that I won't name that corroborate this claim.

I think that 10,000 subs would probably translate to something around $200 - $300 per month.

Seeso, do it man. I for one would watch your vids if I had to close 50 ads on each.

do it. they're not THAT annoying. i'd never even realised that the artist gained money from those ads. i just thought it was youtube gettin upto it's usual bullshine

So you guys think I should do it, huh? Man, I don't know. It just seems to put me on the other team... I don't like the idea of it for some reason.

Screw it. Anyone who would look at you differently for making money for your amazing talents is a moron. Straight up.

seeso said:

So you guys think I should do it, huh? Man, I don't know. It just seems to put me on the other team... I don't like the idea of it for some reason.

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Youtube is making money off of your videos. You should be too. Period.

I think you should do it, too, Seeso. You're incredibly talented and if you can make some bucks through YouTube, go for it!

UKISOCIETY said:

Youtube is making money off of your videos. You should be too. Period.

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yep totally agree

Yep, Seeso, unless you personally have a problem with running the ads, go for it. As you pointed out, you are trying to make art for a living. Partner up and let us help by doing what we do anyway: Watch your music!

That said, if you have doubts about it, honestly explore what it is that bothers you till you can get your finger on it and then decide if its important or not.

I doubt your future hangs on whether or not you are a youtube partner, but if it can help cover rent in the mean time, it's worth thinking about.