Youtube "how to" videos are mostly useless

[soldar]

Even leaving aside the obvious fakes and scams I find most videos quite useless. I search for "how to make X" and I get a bunch of videos where some guy is seen working with his tools for 30 or 40 minutes and, at the end, he has made something.

If it is wood he is seen using the table saw, the drill, some hardware... and in the end he made some piece of furniture or something.

If it is metal then he is seen using a lathe, a drill press, maybe a milling machine and in the end he made something.

If it is basic electronics he is seen soldering a few things together and in the end he has made something useless.

I just don't get it.

I know how to use tools. If I didn't know how to use tools I would be searching for videos on how to use those tools.

If i want to build a structure, a piece of furniture, a metal thing,a tool, an electronic circuit then what I am looking for is plans, ideas, designs, drawings, diagrams, schematics. A tutorial on everything I need to know, what I should look out for.  That is what I need. Not just watch some random dude in his workshop doing things. That contributes nothing to what I am looking for.

I have to wonder if those videos are directed at people who know nothing on the subject and just like watching other people work.

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.

And get off my lawn! Sheesh!

[soldar]

And this was supposed to go in the general chatter channel but I put it in the repair section by mistake.

Absent-minded and grouchy. I think I need my morning coffee.

[elektryk]

If it is basic electronics he is seen soldering a few things together and in the end he has made something useless.

Yeah, a lot of stuff that can't even work in a real world, especially those free energy related.

[Nominal Animal]

Even leaving aside the obvious fakes and scams I find most videos quite useless.

I, too, don't think howto/tutorial videos are sufficient for conveying such information.

I once got into an argument with Dave about how useful tutorial videos are.  Dave ended up calling me a troll. :'(  I don't think I was expressing my position clearly at all.

I know there are people who prefer videos, and obtain sufficient information from them, but I always worry that they only get a superficial understanding, only enough to look like they understand; that they do not understand enough to correctly apply the understanding in real world situations.

The best videos are the ones that describe the reasons behind the choices in the plans or implementation.  Stuff like "this gusset is here to support the join in case of forces in this direction, and that cross member spreads the load between these points", or "to transfer these signals over 1m distance, we're using twisted-pair cable with a shield foil/mesh and differential signaling" or "the primary winding is triple-insulated, which helps avoid shorting mains to the low-voltage side; this is good for safety".

I particularly like the teardown videos by AvE (BOLTR), BigClive, and DiodesGoneWild.  It is never just "this is good, buy this" or "this is bad, don't buy this", but an examination of what in the thing is done well, and what is iffy or downright dangerous.  You need practical experience to do that, and the videos are like looking over the shoulder of a talkative old hand who is telling what they see and think.  It is not that their opinions matter much, it is more that they describe the reasons, experience, and logic behind those opinions; and those are the valuable part that is difficult to obtain except through lots of practical experience.

Funnily enough, I often encounter the exact opposite in higher math, where the disposition centers on proving some statement or other is formally correct, but applying it for solving real-world problems is usually left "as an exercise": exactly the opposite to what is most useful to me and people like me!  Seeing Bessel functions still makes me cranky.

Thus, I do admit that there are people who get everything they need out of tutorial videos and similar material, but I don't; and I worry that of those who claim they do, most get an understanding that is too superficial/simplified to actually apply in practice.

[JohanH]

I have to wonder if those videos are directed at people who know nothing on the subject and just like watching other people work.

Pretty much the whole idea with Youtube. Entertainment and views.

As soon as you concentrate on design, engineering, or any profession really, you narrow down the potential viewer base and don't earn any money (there are of course a few exceptions). I see this in many areas. Many have tried taking their profession to Youtube and tried to make a respectful amount of educational videos. They get a few hundred views, so they don't earn any money. Then they start doing these stupid Reaction Videos, in where they sit and stare on a video clip of someone else doing something and possibly giving their expert opinion about it. Suddenly they have tens of thousands of views. It's ridiculous.

Look for a reference to a blog, web page or github with design plans. Or their videos are 30 to 60 minutes and consists of several parts. These ones are serious, but few and far between.

[jpanhalt]

I have to wonder if those videos are directed at people who know nothing on the subject and just like watching other people work.

Some videos are helpful.  Most seem to be posted to get views = money or for marketing.  Those how to's show some pretty miserable methods used by hacks.  Once in awhile something is useful.  Dave's (EEVBlog owner) are useful. I wish there were a way to do a search and exclude YT videos.

[Mechatrommer]

Even leaving aside the obvious fakes and scams I find most videos quite useless. I search for "how to make X" and I get a bunch of videos where some guy is seen working with his tools for 30 or 40 minutes and, at the end, he has made something.

much more useful than someone shooting lifestyle in bars drinking beers or some random political opinions talks or someone stretching and spreading butts in the morning (fun no doubt). those videos you mentioned imho can give more ideas how things get done to beginners and even experienced. for experienced they know it could take days to complete, but in videos you can see the whole process in few minutes. for beginners they may get excited but once they try to do it, thats where the real life and learning begins. cheers.

[tggzzz]

Even leaving aside the obvious fakes and scams I find most videos quite useless. I search for "how to make X" and I get a bunch of videos where some guy is seen working with his tools for 30 or 40 minutes and, at the end, he has made something.

True for more than "how to" yoootooob vids.

Most vids are "talking heads" full of ums and ahs - far too long for the content.

Most vids are "look at meeee, Amn't I klever" - when they aren't.

Most vids content could be better expressed in a few words.

I can speed read far faster than I watch videos.

When I was growing up, information was scarce - so the key skill was to carefully examine everything you could get to extract all you could learn.
Nowadays the key skill is the opposite: there is are so many things clamouring for our attention that the key skill is how to quickly decide what to ignore.

99.99% of yoootoob vids are a waste of my remaining life. There has to be a demonstrable reason explained in advance for me to watch them.

[armandine2]

I have watched a few of the Ben Eater 8-bit computer videos.

These were made to be followed step-by-step and appear to me to work ok. 

Success, perhaps due to Ben's educational focus and his previous experience, and I think, a backroom team in production.

[eutectique]

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

The good thing is that you can rather quickly identify the YT channels which post void crap, blacklist them, move on, and don't waste your time any more. Rarely, how-to YT videos have links to sites with "16000 woodworking plans" or such more stuff. These sites are not free.

If you demand useful and practical information -- pay for it.

[Mechatrommer]

duh! why ask for plan? make it yourself! it shouldnt be so hard is it?

[fmashockie]

I disagree with the OP.  In today's world where manufacturers who make any type of electronic aren't releasing resources to help repair their products, YouTube can be a more powerful tool than ever to help the customer repair the product themselves. 

Some YT creators are better than others at conveying information.  Some have become professionals at it like Dave Jones and others might just be putting up one video that they think could help someone else.  Have you ever watched w2aew's channel?  He provides tons of how-to videos on different EE topics (novice to advance) and he is an excellent teacher.  Probably one of the best IMO.  And there are many others out there like him - you just need to find them.

I started my own channel last year.  It is more of a videoblog to document my experience learning electronics.  It has helped me continue to learn because people with more experience will comment and provide me more information on the circuit I might be working on than I knew before.  At the same time, I get people commenting from all over the world asking for help repairing their own products.  It's pretty cool!  I'm also a Lab Instrumentation Engineer working on lab equipment where the manufacturers of said equipment are nortorius for keeping all info on how to fix thier products propriety.  So I'll put a video up on fixing one of these pieces of equipment to help someone else in my position who has no resources. 

I do agree with some of what others have said in that everyone has different motives for putting up their videos.  And people have different reasons for watching them.  But regardless, they are far from useless.

[soldar]

I disagree with the OP.
...
I started my own channel last year. 

Well, you would disagree, wouldn't you?

Let me expand my OP. There are channels that are entertainment, comedy, etc and they are fine for those who are entertained by them. There are even channels, like This Old Tony, where comedy is an important part of the show.

There are channels that deal primarily with tools and how to use them, metalworking tools, woodworking tools, electronic etc. Fine as long as they are done competently. Stumpy Nubs comes to mind.

But I am referring very specifically for videos I get when I search for "How to do X" or "how to build X". Clearly I want to build X and what I want is a video where the guy first of all shows the finished product and explains the basics, the advantages and the limitations, the pros and the cons, the materials and tools needed, etc.

I do not want to get started on a video where I am going to watch a guy working in his shop for 35 minutes, not even knowing what he is building, and have to wait to the end to see if it suits my needs. Nope. Sorry. Not watching.

Also not interested in clickbaitty nebulous titles like "why don't welders do this?".

Also, as has been said, guys who are wasting time with ums and hums while the figure things out, like I am their friend there just keeping them company. Nope. Sorry. Don't waste my time.

Matthias Wandel is pretty good in that he starts out explaining the issue he is going to solve and how he is going to solve it. He does not waste time. Cutting, drilling and other routine operations are speeded up. Good because I've seen a table saw cutting wood a million times already and I have no interest in seeing it again. He explains the how to do it and that is enough. His audio could be better but I guess it can be overlooked.

This rant was triggered because I thought of making a sheet metal brake, to bend sheet metal and make enclosure boxes for electronics. Most of the videos suggested by YouTube were absolute crap. If I do go ahead to build a sheet metal brake I will probably start by making my own design. YouTube is not helpful.

[JPortici]

Youtube "how to" videos are mostly useless

disagree. howtobasic taught me most of what i know

[Mechatrommer]

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.

[tggzzz]

But I am referring very specifically for videos I get when I search for "How to do X" or "how to build X". Clearly I want to build X and what I want is a video where the guy first of all shows the finished product and explains the basics, the advantages and the limitations, the pros and the cons, the materials and tools needed, etc.

Almost guaranteed to be better explained on paper, especially if they bother to include tables indicating the relative merits of different aspects of different tools.

I do not want to get started on a video where I am going to watch a guy working in his shop for 35 minutes, not even knowing what he is building, and have to wait to the end to see if it suits my needs. Nope. Sorry. Not watching.

Also not interested in clickbaitty nebulous titles like "why don't welders do this?".

Also, as has been said, guys who are wasting time with ums and hums while the figure things out, like I am their friend there just keeping them company. Nope. Sorry. Don't waste my time.

Good decisions

There are some good videos...

CGP Grey (sometimes) speeds entertainingly through complex topics.

The paceworldwide basic soldering lessons make good use of video - i.e. they show how solder moves well and poorly. They were made for professional audiences (duration==money) when making and distributing videos was difficult and expensive. Hence they planned and scripted the damn things, something that escapes mot yootoob creators.

TheSignalPath also deals with interesting complex subjects, but they could mostly be done on paper.

[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.

[langwadt]

This rant was triggered because I thought of making a sheet metal brake, to bend sheet metal and make enclosure boxes for electronics. Most of the videos suggested by YouTube were absolute crap. If I do go ahead to build a sheet metal brake I will probably start by making my own design. YouTube is not helpful.

if you are capable of build a sheet metal brake, you don't need to be spoon feed every single process or exact measurement, what you need is seeing how various designs functions and how well they seem to work, as inspiration for you own. youtube is excellent for that 

[langwadt]

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.

that depends, if you want information or you want to see how something is assembled or functions

[thm_w]

If you are looking for "plans" then a site that hosts videos is not the ideal location to look.
Google "plans xyz" or look around on instructables. Literal first google result: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Sheet-Metal-Bender-Brake/
Having a video that shows plans on the screen would be boring. Some will link their plans if they've bothered to create them, but often its just some one off build based on what parts they had on hand.

Terrible rant.

[Veteran68]

I have learned an enormous amount from YouTube, across a wide variety of subjects including electronics. It's why I've paid for a Premium membership for many years now. Sure, the signal to noise ratio can be a problem, but when I find a good channel I subscribe to it and check it regularly and don't waste a lot of time on useless videos unless I'm only looking for entertainment.

Put it this way: my YouTube to TV ratio is probably somewhere around 1000:1. And I have multiple 4K TVs all over the house with Apple TVs and a subscription to almost every streaming service you can name (certainly the big ones). The family benefits more from that than I do.

[Kim Christensen]

Yea, it's hard to sort the junk from the gems. Some tasks do lend themselves to video format quite well, like how to do some specific mechanical task such as bleeding the brake system on a car.
But as for building an electronics project, video really sucks when all we need is a schematic, mech drawings, parts list, etc. Video usually adds very little value.
I find myself watching many YouTube instructional videos at 1.5x or even 2x speed just because the creator talks too slow or takes forever to get to the point. 

[soldar]

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.

Exactly. 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.

No doubt though that video has an advantage when needing to illustrate movements or certain techniques.

I am referring only to videos about how to build this or that. I am not referring to humor or comedy or interviews or arts, etc.  I am referring to things like "how to build your own diesel-electric submarine" and all you see is a guy welding for a long time.

[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.

that depends, if you want information or you want to see how something is assembled or functions

I'm not quite sure what you are referring to there.

The point about wasted time is true w.r.t. assembly, w.r.t. functions, w.r.t. entertains, w.r.t. .... whatever you are looking for.

The USP of videos is movement+images. There are very few technical videos where moving pictures are vital; I mentioned the Pace soldering videos as being one of the few examples where movement and pictures are important.

[Chris56000]

I'll quote my case in point!

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!

. . . Anyway I found I needed to reflash an old Firmware, which Epson had taken great care to remove all downloads of, but I eventually got a copy emailed to me, which installed correctly.

. . .Whilst the printer was going thro' cleaning and nozzle–check cycles there was a smell of burning from inside and some distinctly unhealthy fizzing noises!

. . .On a Y.T. search for assistance for this issue I found :–

a) ONE video explaining Epson Fatal Errors with no resolution ;

b) Over FORTY commercial "Waste Ink Reset" scam videos ;

c) Over TWENTY "unboxing" videos!

. . .Why do people waste so much effort and time clogging up You Tube with stupid "Unboxing" videos that serve no useful purpose whatsoever?!

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

Chris Williams

PS!

I haven't produced any videos myself, mainly because my voice sounds absolutely atrocious played back through recording/amplifying equipment, and also because an illustrated "Reader's Digest Repair Manual" style step–by–step guide with well written picture captions serves to illustrate the principles just as well, and is far easier to photograph and prepare!