Youtube "how to" videos are mostly useless

[thm_w]

There wasn't ONE useful video offering any repair advice on these printers whatsoever !

So then the information isn't out there, what is your point exactly? Every possible repair of every product should be well documented on youtube?

[tszaboo]

Nope. Sorry. Not watching...
Don't waste my time...

so dont waste your time on the things you are complaining! or use the magic feature arrowed below to know whats its all about... granted youtube is 99% useless uploaded by content wannabis, but that 1% is large more than anyone can handle anyway... free tv and infotainment as never before... ymmv.

The problem is the time wasted on determining that a specific video is worthless.

That's easy to do by speed reading articles, but there can never be the equivalent for videos.

N.B.: speech is ~60 words/minute. I can speed read (to determine whether it is worth reading in detail) at >1000wpm. Yoootoob videos are a >20:1 slowdown.

20:1 and 0.1% worthwhile is a very bad tradeoff.

You make a website describing stuff, you get 100 views a month, zero monetization, thousands of spam posts and you need to pay for hosting. The tube gets you 1000 times more visitors, and you get paid for it. Do the math.

[soldar]

There wasn't ONE useful video offering any repair advice on these printers whatsoever !

So then the information isn't out there, what is your point exactly? Every possible repair of every product should be well documented on youtube?

His point seems quite obvious to me: that there are a ton of videos that are a waste of time.

[thm_w]

His point seems quite obvious to me: that there are a ton of videos that are a waste of time.

Then don't watch them. If the first ~10 videos when searching for "epson inkjet burning" aren't clearly relevant based on the title, move on to a google search, or acknowledge the info isn't out there.
Usually printer problems are not model specific, so searching just for a model number, I'd expect to get unboxings and reviews not repairs.

First google result: https://bchtechnologies.com/blog/how-to-fix-a-burnt-printhead-on-your-epson-printer/

[soldar]

You make a website describing stuff, you get 100 views a month, zero monetization, thousands of spam posts and you need to pay for hosting. The tube gets you 1000 times more visitors, and you get paid for it. Do the math.

This is something I do not quite understand. YouTube, like forum sites, get content from outside creators and manage to (hopefully) make some profit after paying expenses.

For regular website pages there used to exist places like Geocities but they have pretty much disappeared. Surely it must be much cheaper to host a few pages with text and pictures than to host and serve video.

I used to have my pages in Geocities. Then I moved to hosting I had to pay and when the price skyrocketed I just took them down . I do not understand why I cannot find free or very low cost hosting.

[Mechatrommer]

I was asked to look at an Epson XP–620 inkjet printer for a friend's mate, which stopped allowing third–party cartridges due to a forced firmware update on the part of Epson!

there was a (pirate i think) website selling pdfs for cheap for repair most of consumers electronics stuffs, the few that i have canon dslr, lenses, epsons printer etc, complete diagram, exploded views and steps ect inside, pretty much can solve all my problems. now the website no more, probably taken down by copyright infringement / anti piracy agency. at least i'm happy that i bought as much as i can while its still up even the things not in my possession yet. if you nitpick on youtube alone surely you are doomed.

I miss the old magazine articles where they would present a project in just a few pages. With just a few seconds you could have a look at the intro and the illustrations and know if it was something which might interest you. You could skip forward or back, you could stop to review something specific.

i wasted money on circuit cellar subscription for some years. i still keep hundreds of pdf that i subscribed, maybe only 0.1% content read. want to find a topic of interest? go through the first few pages of content list, if its not there, browse all the hundreds of pdf there. time saving? speed reading? yeah right, maybe not for me. there's only maybe like 0.1% of things that i searched i cannot find in google/internet/youtube/etc... if you want books, there are few if not many paid subscriptions out there... go look for them and enjoy.

[tggzzz]

Nope. Sorry. Not watching...
Don't waste my time...

so dont waste your time on the things you are complaining! or use the magic feature arrowed below to know whats its all about... granted youtube is 99% useless uploaded by content wannabis, but that 1% is large more than anyone can handle anyway... free tv and infotainment as never before... ymmv.

The problem is the time wasted on determining that a specific video is worthless.

That's easy to do by speed reading articles, but there can never be the equivalent for videos.

N.B.: speech is ~60 words/minute. I can speed read (to determine whether it is worth reading in detail) at >1000wpm. Yoootoob videos are a >20:1 slowdown.

20:1 and 0.1% worthwhile is a very bad tradeoff.

You make a website describing stuff, you get 100 views a month, zero monetization, thousands of spam posts and you need to pay for hosting. The tube gets you 1000 times more visitors, and you get paid for it. Do the math.

I do my arithmetic, as I noted.

They do their arithmetic

The difference is why yoootoob is almost entirely a waste of my time. (Of course I don't care about their time!)

[tggzzz]

There wasn't ONE useful video offering any repair advice on these printers whatsoever !

So then the information isn't out there, what is your point exactly? Every possible repair of every product should be well documented on youtube?

The amount of his remaining life wasted by people falsely leading him to believe they have the answer he is looking for.

Much less time would wasted with irrelevant printed material.

[tggzzz]

I used to have my pages in Geocities. Then I moved to hosting I had to pay and when the price skyrocketed I just took them down . I do not understand why I cannot find free or very low cost hosting.

Wordpress.com gives 3GB (?) free, but only of some filetypes.

[CatalinaWOW]

I come down in the middle.  A blanket condemnation of YouTube videos seems inappropriate.  But I do agree that it is often a frustrating medium.  A great many of the presenters enjoy the sounds of their own voice too much, spend too much time setting the stage for what they are doing or whatever.  My boredom threshold is exceeded long before I even really understand where they are going.  And there is plenty of scam material and material from people who should really learn to tie their shoes before trying to teach someone else how to do something.

After saying all of that, I really do learn a lot from the videos.  Sometimes a better way to use my tools.  Sometimes a tool I didn't know I needed.  How to reach the damned connector for an automotive sensor that is buried between the firewall and the engine.  And many similar things.  While tggzzz is right, reading is a lot faster, I can absorb the YouTube material while sweeping the floor or doing other mentally non-challenging tasks that would be difficult while perusing a paper document.  And that presumes that an appropriate paper document exists.  It is hard to write a good document on how to get to that buried automotive sensor, but there seem to be a lot of both professional and back yard mechanics that can put up a video that is useful for this type of thing.

YouTubes algorithm for suggesting videos isn't too bad.  It has learned that I really am not interested in the flat earth material, the gotcha political stories, and all the other drivel that populates the channel.  At least 10-20% of what it suggests that I view I actually find useful or entertaining.  And that is a rich enough vein for me to continue processing the ore.

[thm_w]

The amount of his remaining life wasted by people falsely leading him to believe they have the answer he is looking for.

Much less time would wasted with irrelevant printed material.

No one falsely mislead anyone. Search for "epson XP–620" on youtube, see no repair videos and move on. Every video in the top ten is clearly labeled as to being a review or unboxing video.

Of course youtube clickbait and scam videos exist, but this is not an example of that at all. All of the specific examples given in this thread so far are just people not understanding how and where to search for content.

[wilfred]

Just give me a set of plans and don't waste my time.

The videos aren't made with just you in mind. You have to do the work finding the one someone made with you in mind. Of the rest of the videos you may find out what you don't want to do.

And yeah there are a lot of videos of people just making something which isn't always helpful of entertaining. It isn't new, just look at most cooking shows on TV, only a small portion of the audience will ever make the recipes. For the rest it is just entertainment and possibly collecting ideas.

I watch Cutting Edge Engineering every Friday even though I will never own a lathe or fix broken parts of heavy earthmoving equipment. But even with being a niche Australian channel he still has 750,000 subscribers and some videos attract millions of views. Even Adam Savage from Mythbusters is a fan.

[rsjsouza]

This is a rant repeated to oblivion and the generalization carries zero merit. It is similar to say that Google is useless because it returns 110.000 hits on a subject and most of them are off-topic. You can get better at handling the search tool and its switches/syntax. Also, the more you use it, the more you develop a feel for the type and quality of content based on the title and the channel/website.

I have used the platform to create "how-to" videos for GUIs that carry much higher information value amd lead to a much faster resolution when compared to a wall of text. Explaining menu options, right-clicks and other events (which ironically are sometimes shown in an animated GIF no less) are less efficient in text. Concomittantly, I also created long form user's guides and quick tips in text form, only to notice how short span attention is prevalent these days. A large number of people complain there is no user's guide, then when pointed out to it, don't read and ask questions where answers are easily searchable in the documentation.

At last, as tzaboo mentioned, the financials are extremely favourable to publish content on Youtube, Odysee, etc.

[IanB]

I want a good intro an what you are going to build. What is the finished product. Then a good explanation on how to go about it. I do not want to see a video where the guy just starts out cutting lumber in a mysterious fashion.

Just give me a set of plans and don't waste my time.

I think there are some exceptions.

For example, with wood working, Matthias Wandel ("Woodgears") gives a good overview of his thought process, shows construction in detail, and includes mistakes to watch out for.

If you want plans, he has very detailed plans for many of his projects available from his website.

Another excellent resource for machining is Clickspring. Very detailed explanations of every step with 11/10 production quality. I have no idea how he does it.

I think YouTube is so big it takes time to sort the gold from the dross.

[langwadt]

I want a good intro an what you are going to build. What is the finished product. Then a good explanation on how to go about it. I do not want to see a video where the guy just starts out cutting lumber in a mysterious fashion.

Just give me a set of plans and don't waste my time.

I think there are some exceptions.

For example, with wood working, Matthias Wandel ("Woodgears") gives a good overview of his thought process, shows construction in detail, and includes mistakes to watch out for.

If you want plans, he has very detailed plans for many of his projects available from his website.

he's said before that most seem buy plans as way to support him and very few actually get to building the thing

[SiliconWizard]

Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
- Then, don't do that.

[jonovid]

some more useless I have seen on youtube

jump starting anything with a 9 volt battery
soldering through hole components together without any pcb or symmetric diagram. as in extreme dead bug soldering.
working with 240 volts AC, as if it was safe 12 volts DC. as in dangerous wiring
inserting anything but a drill bit into a drill chuck.
mixing food with anything.
using hot glue to hold anything. fasten a motor without bolts.

[xrunner]

Perhaps I've been lucky lately, but I've found quite a few very good videos on a variety of subjects.

Installing a Micro Air Easy start
How car painters blend paints on a body repair
Pakistani mechanics and how they repir big equipment
Crimping wire connectors (various kinds)

And my new favorite - LaurieWired - which deals with how malware and such things are reversed engineered. 

[themadhippy]

inserting anything but a drill bit into a drill chuck.

And whats wrong with that?

[elektryk]

some more useless I have seen on youtube

jump starting anything with a 9 volt battery
soldering through hole components together without any pcb or symmetric diagram. as in extreme dead bug soldering.
working with 240 volts AC, as if it was safe 12 volts DC. as in dangerous wiring
inserting anything but a drill bit into a drill chuck.
mixing food with anything.
using hot glue to hold anything. fasten a motor without bolts.

1000 DEGREE KNIFE VS
(but some of such videos are interesting indeed)

Pakistani mechanics and how they repir big equipment

I like to watch them too, its quite entertaining.

[Nominal Animal]

After saying all of that, I really do learn a lot from the videos.  Sometimes a better way to use my tools.  Sometimes a tool I didn't know I needed.  How to reach the damned connector for an automotive sensor that is buried between the firewall and the engine.  And many similar things.

"Tips and tricks" type of videos, as well as tutorials on how to effectively and safely use a tool, are indeed useful.  (Clickspring, Joe Pie, Blondihacks, Keith Appleton, et cetera.)

There are also quite a few two-minute or shorter videos on how to open various laptops and tablets without damaging anything, and those are excellent, better than a text-with-pictures.  In fact, the ones I like don't even need any audio, as the visual steps suffice.

Dave's jellybean component videos (or rather, their audio!) are similarly useful.  Something you might learn from a more experienced coworker or adviser at a sequence of coffee breaks or one-on-one brainstorming sessions.  Very useful.

So yes, there definitely are things best described using a video/audio; no question about that.

As I understood the topic of this thread, and how I answered, was on the statistical side: the proliferation of using videos to present advice in cases where a video is a poor format for it.

The worst negative examples I can think of are math tutorials.  Presenting the needed steps with short sentences explaining what is done at each step and why allows each learner to proceed at their own pace, and concentrate on the detail they have most trouble with.

When I was at the university, I often annoyed other students by asking the lecturer why a specific solution approach was chosen.  Annoyingly often the answer was a variation of "because it works", which meant that the lecture itself was useless to people like myself who assume that the mathematical proof of the method stands, and are only interested in applying the method to solve "real-world" problems.  For example, I still have not found any description for choosing a solution method for partial differential equations other than "try each until one works".  I know such a method works, because ask any mathematician, and they'll show you the working method in real time; I just haven't found one who can explain what they based their choice on (except "I've seen this form before").  Even Arfken-Weber-Harris ("Mathematical Methods for Physicists") scatters the solution methods all over, as if they were completely different things –– and of course, to a mathematician the methods are different, with the only connection being that they can be applied to the same general type of problem.

The mathematicians I've complained about this just give me the side eye, O.o, o.O,
They don't seem to understand at all what I'm complaining about.

Similarly, like I mentioned in my earlier post, I do believe some people get all they want from videos.  I do not, and I do not trust that all who get what they want from videos alone, actually get an understanding sufficient to apply in the real world successfully.
I do get more than a bit frustrated when those people assert that because they believe they themselves do get sufficient understanding from videos, everyone must also, and that anyone complaining otherwise is just stuck in the old times and complaining out of contrariness.

[tggzzz]

"Tips and tricks" type of videos, as well as tutorials on how to effectively and safely use a tool, are indeed useful.  (Clickspring, Joe Pie, Blondihacks, Keith Appleton, et cetera.)

There are also quite a few two-minute or shorter videos on how to open various laptops and tablets without damaging anything, and those are excellent, better than a text-with-pictures.  In fact, the ones I like don't even need any audio, as the visual steps suffice.
...
So yes, there definitely are things best described using a video/audio; no question about that.

Agreed and agreed, because "short" and "moving" and "text superfluous".

The worst negative examples I can think of are math tutorials.  Presenting the needed steps with short sentences explaining what is done at each step and why allows each learner to proceed at their own pace, and concentrate on the detail they have most trouble with.

When I was at the university, I often annoyed other students by asking the lecturer why a specific solution approach was chosen.  Annoyingly often the answer was a variation of "because it works", which meant that the lecture itself was useless to people like myself who assume that the mathematical proof of the method stands, and are only interested in applying the method to solve "real-world" problems.  For example, I still have not found any description for choosing a solution method for partial differential equations other than "try each until one works".  I know such a method works, because ask any mathematician, and they'll show you the working method in real time; I just haven't found one who can explain what they based their choice on (except "I've seen this form before").  Even Arfken-Weber-Harris ("Mathematical Methods for Physicists") scatters the solution methods all over, as if they were completely different things –– and of course, to a mathematician the methods are different, with the only connection being that they can be applied to the same general type of problem.

Agreed. But don't forget the large books in the library containing mathematical functions/operations. Using them is a case of visual scanning and pattern matching until something suitable is found. Mathematicians were (are?) addicted to them.

Also don't forget something as basic as integer division is a process of successive iteration. Subtract repeatedly until you've gone too far, and then reverse, and repeat with the remainder. That is very obvious when you see how mechanical calculators operate. You have to crank the lever several times in one direction until a bell rings, then reverse one crank, shift left and repeat.

PDEs and to a lesser extent integration is also similar trial and error.

I do get more than a bit frustrated when those people assert that because they believe they themselves do get sufficient understanding from videos, everyone must also, and that anyone complaining otherwise is just stuck in the old times and complaining out of contrariness.

That is, IMNSHO, a classic indicator of Dunning-Kruger syndrome. While it may be sufficient for monkey-see-monkey-do tasks, it will be insufficient for many novel innovative tasks.

[Nominal Animal]

I do get more than a bit frustrated when those people assert that because they believe they themselves do get sufficient understanding from videos, everyone must also, and that anyone complaining otherwise is just stuck in the old times and complaining out of contrariness.

That is, IMNSHO, a classic indicator of Dunning-Kruger syndrome. While it may be sufficient for monkey-see-monkey-do tasks, it will be insufficient for many novel innovative tasks.

To be clear, I was not actually referring to anyone participating in this thread, any past thread here, or any personal messages sent to me!

I was remembering the few cases where I was tutoring or trying to help a teen, and reached for a book or suggested a chapter in a book, and they responded with something along the lines of "can't you find a video for me instead?" followed by a frustrating discussion about what is understanding, what is knowledge and application of understanding, and what is copying and learning by rote.

I only realized just now that that part could be read as if I was railing against anyone asking if I knew a good video on some subject; that's not the case at all.  For example, RoGeorge recently asked me for advice on a good Python GUI tutorial book/article/blog/video in the Programming / Python thread, but I couldn't give any because I haven't seen any.  (I ended up posting an example instead.)  There is absolutely nothing wrong in considering multiple different sources, and even falling back to Youtube when nothing better can be found!

When tutoring teens in math and physics, the hardest part is getting them over the "I don't know how to do this!" / "I can't do this!" mindset.
(There is no "can" or "cannot", there is only "try and see what happens".  Force and Magic can smell my butt.  Take it one step at a time, no matter how unsurmountable the problem might look now.)
I believe this mindset is related to the quick and easy answers that proliferate on the internet, with actual understanding requiring effort that is not normally rewarded or required, leading to the superficiality and short-term objectives; with videos preferred over written text simply because they require minimal (cognitive) effort to pass the minimum requirements.

The meme version of my complaint is "I don't wanna read that, it's too long.  Can't you make it a TikTok video instead?"

[coppice]

If the how to video is how to fix something, they are usually quite valuable. They may not give you a complete way to do a good fix, but boy can they save you time figuring out where all the obscure fixings are, without poking around on the real product so much you break something.

[tggzzz]

To be clear, I was not actually referring to anyone participating in this thread, any past thread here, or any personal messages sent to me!

I, at least, never thought you were

When tutoring teens in math and physics, the hardest part is getting them over the "I don't know how to do this!" / "I can't do this!" mindset.

Yes, in that and other areas By that age they have learned to deploy passive-aggressive strategic incompetence whenever they don't want to do something!