Author Topic: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube  (Read 9108 times)

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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« on: August 17, 2019, 02:57:36 am »
World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube after losing 90+% of his audience due to The Algorithm

 

Offline wilfred

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2019, 05:00:37 am »
Can someone give me the gist of this. Please. I found it too depressing and rambling to watch. I skipped to hear "I feel that I'm not wanted on YT" or words to that effect.

He also said he lost 96% of his audience and I gather it was due to the algorithm change. What do these 96% watch instead? I assume YT is attempting to get these 96% to watch something else other wise what is the point of the algorithm change.
 
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Offline windsmurf

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2019, 05:08:47 am »
I think he's the original "cat video" guy... I'm not sure if its really Youtube that stopped caring about him, or of there's just too many "Cat Video" producers on Youtube now.  But for sure Youtube seems to have made things more difficult for Youtubers as they move more toward becoming a paid-content provider.

 

Offline chickenHeadKnob

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2019, 06:06:58 am »
I doubt youboob cares much about individual cat video channels. This guy probably is fed up with getting crumbs when he once had the whole pie.

Youtube is  focused on becoming a monopoly destination. In some ways what is happening is similar to Amazon tactics of detecting which items their partner sellers offer  exceed some profit and volume  threshold and then offering those items themselves, cheaper and with better search visibility. Effectively Amazon competes with their own partners once they can get away with it. Youtube can continue to diminish advertising payouts and tell individual channels to pound sand now they have near monopoly.

Look at what they did to VeVo. I will quote from an article in VOX:

Like this note a former YouTube exec sent me today. Consider it an anonymous victory dance:

    The entire hope for Vevo from YouTube’s perspective, when it launched, was that it would be successful enough to keep the labels
 from taking down their music and launching a competitor, but not so successful that it ultimately was a better destination than YouTube.
    Huge huge success for YouTube
    This was an existential threat that was prevented via smart business development.

    YouTube needed Vevo to exist for just long enough to become so popular that the labels had no leverage anymore.


article:https://www.vox.com/2018/5/24/17390756/vevo-youtube-video-apps-existential-threat
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2019, 06:17:49 am »
Can someone give me the gist of this. Please. I found it too depressing and rambling to watch. I skipped to hear "I feel that I'm not wanted on YT" or words to that effect.

He also said he lost 96% of his audience and I gather it was due to the algorithm change. What do these 96% watch instead? I assume YT is attempting to get these 96% to watch something else other wise what is the point of the algorithm change.

He is SMPfilms and had 5 channels.
All the channel dropped off the cliff after a recent algorithm change.
SMPfilms channel died in 2011 due to an algorithm change also, he changed content types many times over the years.



 

Online magic

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2019, 06:34:56 am »
I think he's the original "cat video" guy... I'm not sure if its really Youtube that stopped caring about him, or of there's just too many "Cat Video" producers on Youtube now.
So bottom of the barrel commodity entertainment that anyone and his, ahem, dog can produce. Kinda rough to live off of that. Who even watches those things anymore :-//
And yeah, The System doesn't give a damn. It's all scalable and redundant :)

A good illustration of the absurdity this whole "startup" culture too. If a carpooling app can turn into illegal taxi service and a stupid PHP website for rating your local coeds becomes a global spy network, I guess it's only fitting that YT will turn into cable TV after starting out as the polar opposite of it. Always the same, bright young entrepreneurs invent The Next Big Thing and their brilliance secures them backing of Big Money. The young geniuses are lauded as heroes who outsmarted the system. Then Big Money quietly turns it into an evil empire and no one expects or even notices it before it's too late :D
« Last Edit: August 17, 2019, 06:59:55 am by magic »
 
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Offline Tomorokoshi

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2019, 01:51:57 pm »
Will his resume be something like:
"Specialized in multi-channel, cloud-based presentations of feline-centric documentation, instructional, and educational multimedia content."
 

Online soldar

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2019, 05:46:32 pm »
Here's another guy in the same situation ranting away about the logarithm:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/BT61wgtHl3WM/
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Offline bsfeechannel

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #8 on: August 17, 2019, 08:23:49 pm »
Here's another guy in the same situation ranting away about the logarithm:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/BT61wgtHl3WM/

Many complain about the logarithm until they understand its convenience for representing quantities that would otherwise be cumbersome to do on a linear scale.
 
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Offline SiliconWizard

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #9 on: August 17, 2019, 08:26:23 pm »
Here's another guy in the same situation ranting away about the logarithm:
https://www.bitchute.com/video/BT61wgtHl3WM/

Many complain about the logarithm until they understand its convenience for representing quantities that would otherwise be cumbersome to do on a linear scale.

Well, the logarithm is known to hinder exponential growth. ;D
 
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Offline nctnico

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2019, 08:31:56 pm »
World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube after losing 90+% of his audience due to The Algorithm
What did he expect with a couple of dozen cat videos? There are lots of people posting cat videos so these kind of a dime a dozen. Not saying cat videos aren't funny but there isn't much substance in them.

I suspect EEVblog is much less affected. Or am I wrong? I didn't check.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline maginnovision

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #11 on: August 17, 2019, 09:09:39 pm »
Dave has been mentioning reduced views and engagement lately. I don't know if he specifically thinks it's the youtube algorithm or not though.

EDIT: On second thought, he is the one that posted this so I suspect that is what he thinks.
 

Offline Red Squirrel

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2019, 09:17:54 pm »
One thing I noticed, and don't know if this is always been this way or not, but if you don't watch every single video from a subscription, it will stop showing the videos on your page after a while.  So if you have youtubers you don't watch all the time (or they don't release videos every couple days) then you can easily miss their videos since they won't show up unless you check their channel. 
 

Offline nctnico

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2019, 09:33:06 pm »
Dave has been mentioning reduced views and engagement lately. I don't know if he specifically thinks it's the youtube algorithm or not though.

EDIT: On second thought, he is the one that posted this so I suspect that is what he thinks.
It would be interesting to make a comparison between the relative reduction of views of the 'mean kitty' and 'eevblog' channels. That should give some indication on how Youtube rates a video.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline wilfred

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #14 on: August 17, 2019, 10:54:13 pm »
Dave has been mentioning reduced views and engagement lately. I don't know if he specifically thinks it's the youtube algorithm or not though.

EDIT: On second thought, he is the one that posted this so I suspect that is what he thinks.

It seems to be what a lot of Youtubers think. Just based on my own viewing habits though I think the algorithm changes are YT catching up with viewers like me who have noticed their own viewing habits change. When the algorithm changes and there is a drop in views it might be hastening what is already in train. At least from the POV of any particular YT channel.

I may think I am not typical and as far as my choice of channels I might be niche in my taste, but I suspect putting aside video subject matter, my habits are representative of the masses.

Just in the case of EEVBlog specifically I stopped watching every video years ago. I unsubscribed 4 years ago. I've unsubscribed from dozens of channels. And subscribed to as many new ones.

I can't help but believe YT with the data analytics skills of Google behind them and the massive data available to them are making very rational decisions informed by highly detailed data they have about viewing habits. That is less faith than it is inevitable.
 

Online soldar

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2019, 07:09:56 am »
It would be interesting to make a comparison between the relative reduction of views of the 'mean kitty' and 'eevblog' channels. That should give some indication on how Youtube rates a video.

They are in the business of selling advertising and want to steer away from anything controversial. If a video gets complaints they will demonetize it. If a specific youtuber's videos get complaints they will all be demonetized and not promoted. It is as simple as that.

If PETA or feminists or some other group start a crusade against a channel it is doomed. It does not matter if they are right or wrong. Youtube just stays away from anything controversial because it is not advertiser-friendly.
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Online magic

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #16 on: August 18, 2019, 10:17:36 am »
YouTube themselves promoted some political videos on their platform in the past which generated plentiful controversy but haven't been taken down, instead the comment sections and vote counts were hidden.

But you tried :)
 

Offline rsjsouza

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #17 on: August 18, 2019, 11:03:45 am »
An almost literal version of "Who moved my mouse"? Oops, "cheese". :D

"Famous cat youtuber makes a career change after 14 years."

In any new economy that is what happens. Lots of folks are left to explore a new market and only some very large ones stay in the longer run. In today's fleeting world of startups and kickstarters, 14 years is an eternity.
Vbe - vídeo blog eletrônico http://videos.vbeletronico.com

Oh, the "whys" of the datasheets... The information is there not to be an axiomatic truth, but instead each speck of data must be slowly inhaled while carefully performing a deep search inside oneself to find the true metaphysical sense...
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #18 on: August 18, 2019, 11:20:31 am »
I suspect EEVblog is much less affected. Or am I wrong? I didn't check.

Correct, my channel hasn't really been affected much by any recent algorithm changes. There has been a general flattening and even drops here and there in recent years, but nothing to really worry about. No way to correlate that to "the algorithm".
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #19 on: August 18, 2019, 11:28:55 am »
Just in the case of EEVBlog specifically I stopped watching every video years ago. I unsubscribed 4 years ago. I've unsubscribed from dozens of channels. And subscribed to as many new ones.

This is inevitable for every channel. if a channel cannot find a continual new audience then it is guaranteed to die through natural subscriber attrition.
This is why Youtube not recommending certain channels (often due to political agenda) is killing them.
Independent news channels for example are very deliberately pushed down into the noise by the algorithm which now favors "authoritative" news source, i.e. those news sources that Youtube approve of.
It used to be a fair playing field, the algorithm was based on views in first few hours, engagement, sharing etc, so the independent person in their basement had a fair chance to succeed. In fact the independent players got vastly more engagement than the big news networks which get hardly any, so they were getting beat big time by someone in their basement.
Of course "they" weren't going to let that go on forever, so the "problem" has now been fixed.
 

Offline coppice

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #20 on: August 18, 2019, 11:33:29 am »
I suspect EEVblog is much less affected. Or am I wrong? I didn't check.
Correct, my channel hasn't really been affected much by any recent algorithm changes. There has been a general flattening and even drops here and there in recent years, but nothing to really worry about. No way to correlate that to "the algorithm".
I assume that channels serving niches, like EEVblog, will be less susceptible to the effects of algorithm changes. However, if you try to serve a similar audience to people with deep pockets, like CNN and MSNBC, you might recently have seen some major changes to you view counts, and not in the good direction.
 
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Offline chickenHeadKnob

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #21 on: August 18, 2019, 11:36:48 am »
Viva Frei, a Canadian lawyer, youtube vlogger and extreme fast talker has just come out with this:

 

Offline nctnico

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #22 on: August 18, 2019, 11:43:17 am »
Just in the case of EEVBlog specifically I stopped watching every video years ago. I unsubscribed 4 years ago. I've unsubscribed from dozens of channels. And subscribed to as many new ones.

This is inevitable for every channel. if a channel cannot find a continual new audience then it is guaranteed to die through natural subscriber attrition.
This is why Youtube not recommending certain channels (often due to political agenda) is killing them.
Independent news channels for example are very deliberately pushed down into the noise by the algorithm which now favors "authoritative" news source, i.e. those news sources that Youtube approve of.
It used to be a fair playing field, the algorithm was based on views in first few hours, engagement, sharing etc, so the independent person in their basement had a fair chance to succeed. In fact the independent players got vastly more engagement than the big news networks which get hardly any, so they were getting beat big time by someone in their basement.
Of course "they" weren't going to let that go on forever, so the "problem" has now been fixed.
OTOH these small 'independent' persons are often sock puppets spreading FUD or have very weird views of the world. Take the anti-vaxxers for example; these are causing real problems which get people killed. In principle it is a good thing to get rid of unverifyable sources of 'information'. But there is no 100% perfect solution as long as people can't filter information by themselves.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2019, 11:44:51 am by nctnico »
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 
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Online soldar

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #23 on: August 18, 2019, 11:52:18 am »
Yes, plenty of channels spreading dangerous "free energy" and "how to steal from the electric power company".  Most of the time they don't work and they are dangerous but they get views.
All my posts are made with 100% recycled electrons and bare traces of grey matter.
 

Offline coppice

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Re: World's first professional Youtuber quits Youtube
« Reply #24 on: August 18, 2019, 12:40:33 pm »
OTOH these small 'independent' persons are often sock puppets spreading FUD or have very weird views of the world.
As opposed to the main stream media which is universally like that?
 


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