FranLab is getting evicted

[Brumby]

.... but suffice it to say that I don't agree with her reasoning. Indeed I think that some of those reasons are glaring red lights that she should makes changes.

I suspected something along these lines, but any action is up to Fran.

As such, I'm only going to wish her all the best for the future.

[EEVblog]

The very first video that started this thread is worth watching again. I forgot how times she has moved, it's crazy.

[james_s]

Frankly it's just depressing. What an incredible waste of time and resources to be constantly moving. I'm afraid I may just not be capable of understanding the mindset of people who choose to rent indefinitely rather than using renting as a stepping stone early in life. Unless you are content to be nomadic and own few possessions it makes no sense at all.

[artag]

This is commercial space, not living space. We don't know what her living arrangements are, but presumably it isn't somewhere she finds convenient to use as a lab and studio.

Although I agree with you that renting is a bad place to be for living space, I think a much higher proportion of commercial property is rented.

[james_s]

I thought it was mixed use living/workshop/studio space?

[EEVblog]

This is commercial space, not living space. We don't know what her living arrangements are, but presumably it isn't somewhere she finds convenient to use as a lab and studio.

She has always lived in the lab, and has always tried to find a combined industrial/live style space. But due to gentrification and the demolition of such places in Philly I believe her current lab is a regular old style apartment building that she has turned the downstairs living space into the lab you see in the videos.
You can see the current FranLab 3 here when she moved in. The apartment contains the lab, office, music recording studio, and a storage room. So seems to be at least a 3 bedroom apartment, probably 4 bedrooms.


The "factory" in her latest video is indeed another (shared) space that she rents, but she rarely shoots videos there. She said in one of the videos that during the covid shutdown she was still payign rent for the factory even though she wasn't able to use it for 18 months.

In total she is renting 4 spaces (apartment/FranLab, factory, two storage units)

[EEVblog]

FranLab 2.0 opening tour April 2019


When she left FranLab 2.0 Jan 2022

[EEVblog]

More talk about views and Patreon income. Said she expects the views to vanish by the end of the year 
Starts around 55:00

[ataradov]

No content, there is nothing to watch. And one technical video in a month is not enough to get me personally interested. And I'm not watching a live talk show for an hour. And views are low on technical videos because they are uncharacteristic for the channel. All the people that watches the channel for those videos left and it would take a while to build that back up.

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

[beanflying]

Yep lost me last time around let alone this time. Even before that as a subscriber under half of the content got a watch as some was of limited interest to me.

Go off Topic and non regularly and the algorithm punishes you. Time to get back on track PDQ if she wants to reverse the view thing, bitching into the ether to those still watching is of less than zero use to the problem and again will just get more YouTube relegation to the bottom of the recommend list.

[rsjsouza]

More talk about views and Patreon income. Said she expects the views to vanish by the end of the year 

It is quite unfortunate the slow moving train wreck. When I was a kid there was a saying: "if one person calls you a <hard headed, dumb, etc.> don't pay attention. If everyone starts calling you that, then the problem is you."

The issue is that, with the internet, you can find several pockets of opinions and filter out the most unfavourable. Once you realize that the vast majority of people don't like to be antagonistic and will keep the truth to themselves, it might be too late.   

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

That is something I found on my channel as well: even with the division in chapters, the ultra-long repair videos tend to fare worse than if I break them up in shorter segments. It gives time for the audience to breathe.

Go off Topic and non regularly and the algorithm punishes you.

I also find this absolutely true. At times I have been unable to keep consistency and the audience/subscription rates drop significantly.

[wilfred]

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

I've noticed that about myself too. I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer. Why I am watching a channel about dragging a rusty worn out dozer from the weeds, is hard to explain based on my past, and my experience. But it has all the key elements of great drama as the trials and tribulations are faced and overcome. 16months and I still look forward to the next installment. I actually rejoiced when he started it last week.

I  think I respond to the personality of the presenters as much as like the content.

Fran changed her content and I don't really like livestreams regardless of who is presenting it. I wish her all the best.

[Fraser]

As has been said, this has been like watching a slow motion train wreck and it isn’t pretty 

I just watched the video posted above and found nothing to make me want to watch another from this content provider. This is the challenge that content providers face, just like major broadcasting companies and contract program producers….. you have to stay relevant and be popular with the audiences. Being a serious content producer for internet channels, like Dave or Fran, cannot be an easy life as it can all come down like a house of cards if your audience abandon you for some reason.

I am not ‘invested’ in the whole Fran Lab or her transgender life in Philadelphia. As an outsider looking in, I see an intelligent person who is very set in their views who has reached my age (55) and realised that life is anything but fair, internet audiences are fickle and life can really suck when you effectively lose your main income stream. I went through some of this when I got ill in 2015 and did not return to the work place until 2021 ! It was a horrible experience and I feel sorry for Fran BUT she needs to look at the bigger picture… she is alive, hopefully in good health and can use her clearly capable brain for good in our society. It may be time to walk away from relying on past income processes and the fickle world of internet broadcasting and focus on an activity that remains rewarding to her and earns a decent income.

Being very controversial here, but I think it needs to be said…… producing internet video content can realise a very high income for the amount of work involved, compared to an hourly paid average job that is. This is why it appeals to those who are good at it ! A friends son earned £100K in a year producing videos about the game fortnight ! I am told that is not a lot these days for such video channels. That is more than I ever earned in a year working hard in a demanding job, including overtime. Times have changed and big money can be earned from a YouTube channel…. But is it ‘too easy’ to earn those large sums so when your audience gets bored with you, you go from Hero to Zero, almost overnight ! I do not envy anyone suffering such a loss of income. Some lasses on “Only Fans” earned crazy amounts of money for videoing themselves naked….they considered it a ‘job’ and were distraught when the platform said it was going to ban salacious content. This is an income source that is sooo foreign to me that I am horrified when I hear that You tube content producers are deliberately wrecking cars, equipment,…. Themselves ! Just to gain views and some seriously high income from their ‘audience’. The world has gone kinda mad. In that maelstrom of video content, poor Fran looks pretty tame these days and sadly she may no longer be as ‘relevant’ as in the past. Hence the older age demographic that she stated.

Time to stop crying over spilt milk and start planning for the future..the YouTube dream may be over for Fran but an intelligent person can come up with an alternative plan for income rather than just chasing the ‘easy money’ being offered to some on YouTube.

Hang on a minute…. Oh dear… I am a male of the species so probably “mansplaining” in Frans eyes 

The recent accommodation issue was another drama that reinforced my view that Fran is very set in her ways and intolerant of alternative views or solutions. I am aware that she fears her sexuality may expose her to abuse outside Phili, but sometimes you have to spread your wings and see what lives outside the “bubble”. I fear Fran could become a very sad and bitter person if the current level of decline in her life continues

I wish her all the best as a fellow 55 year old who had to pick them-self up, dust them-self down, and get back on the “horse of life” in order to move forwards. You cannot live in the past or rely on past glories, no matter how great they were. Fact: life is not easy or fair and you often have to work very hard to earn a living.

Fraser

[joeqsmith]

Watched 10 minutes starting at 55.  Early on I watched some of their content on vintage electronics. Once they started to complain about politics, I lost interest.  Running a very tiny non-monetized channel without patreon, I don't relate to it.  Their comment about subscribers to views ratio is similar.   As a viewer myself, I don't watch every video for the channels I subscribe to and it has to really be interesting for me not to skim them.   I suspect people watching my content do the same.   Who want's to sit through 20 minutes of meter zapping...      I can't imagine making a video a day.  When they showed the viewer metrics and talked about trending towards 2k, my channel stays flat but its so far down it's basically zero as they put it (1:01).  While they may not see such a small channel as having  any value, it seems to have had some impact on the viewers and that I am very pleased with.   

[unknownparticle]

I echo most of what has been said here recently.
All Fran seems to do now is moan about everything!! The only content that appears are either old films or protracted rants about the latest injustices, neither of which take any particular effort to present.  The ongoing and long standing issue with accommodation is highly frustrating to constantly hear about, especially when Fran seems to think it's wrong that property owners seek to capitilise on their investment!!  Living in the USA, the inventor of the capitalist system, what does she expect?!
Obviously it is eventually going to become financially impossible to stay in Phily, and yet she refuses to accept this despite many advising her to move to a cheaper area or state.  This has happened in every developed country, here in the UK for example, in London it has become impossible for low income earners to buy ANY property, so living outside the city and commuting in is the only option for those that want to live there, unless they rent at absurd cost and live with insecurity! So, the USA isn't going to be any different and it will become worse.
I'm sorry to be blunt but it seems that Fran seems to think she is right and everyone else is wrong, and there are no other options, with that outlook she is going to hemorrhage viewers, subscribers and patreon supporters.
Moving area or state could mean that she could buy a place at a much lower cost, have more space, be secure, keep all her stuff and do what she wants.  I can't comment on the transgender issue, I know nothing about that as a lifestyle and it's issues, but I would think there must be somewhere in a country the size of the USA that is tolerant of that and is affordable to live in, if not, don't tell anyone!!
Hopefully she will see the light and sort something out, because at one time I really enjoyed the content she presented, now there is virtually nothing I watch more than the few moments it takes to establish what the content subject is.
Another issue which quite frankly I find irritating, is her claim that she is an engineer, despite having no formal qualifications, and criticising those that won't accept her into engineering societies!!  Please, what does she expect?!  There is no way she could work as an engineer without the training and qualifications, to claim otherwise is naive!  It also insults those that have studied long and hard to become qualified in their chosen discipline.  She is skilled no doubt, but that is not the same as being trained and formally qualified.
If we compare what say Dave has done and where he is now, with his DMM products and content variety, it's a different world, and of course he is an engineering professional.
Good luck to Fran, she is going to need it unless she changes her approach.

[james_s]

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

I've noticed that about myself too. I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer. Why I am watching a channel about dragging a rusty worn out dozer from the weeds, is hard to explain based on my past, and my experience. But it has all the key elements of great drama as the trials and tribulations are faced and overcome. 16months and I still look forward to the next installment. I actually rejoiced when he started it last week.

I  think I respond to the personality of the presenters as much as like the content.

Fran changed her content and I don't really like livestreams regardless of who is presenting it. I wish her all the best.

I've recently been watching a bunch of videos by a guy who repairs old wristwatches. I've never worn a watch in my life and have no desire to have one but the videos are fascinating, so many ridiculously tiny parts, there is something really appealing about the precision and it's fun to see one take off and start running after sitting neglected for so long.

I've never had any interest at all in lifestreams, I like the polished videos that have had the fluff edited out. Even then I often find myself skipping parts.

[tautech]

I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer.

If you really like that stuff I fully recommend you hunt out Squatch253.

[Kasper]

I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer.

If you really like that stuff I fully recommend you hunt out Squatch253.

Or Big Timber.

[tautech]

I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer.

If you really like that stuff I fully recommend you hunt out Squatch253.

Or Big Timber.

Thanks, was involved in forestry for a bit. Sad thing depending on your POV is few guys are on the ground swinging saws these days as it's all gone mechanised. 

[Kasper]

I've even been glued to Pacific Northwest Hillbilly and his efforts to restore (too do work) his Cat D4 dozer.

If you really like that stuff I fully recommend you hunt out Squatch253.

Or Big Timber.

Thanks, was involved in forestry for a bit. Sad thing depending on your POV is few guys are on the ground swinging saws these days as it's all gone mechanised. 

Big Timber is about a small hands-on business with a boss that likes buying old equipment.

[EEVblog]

Fran changed her content and I don't really like livestreams regardless of who is presenting it. I wish her all the best.

Quite a few Youtubers like the law channels Via Frei and Rekieta Law for example are making a killing on live stream, and have switched over to that as their main focus instead of the usual edited Youtube content. If it works financially then great, go for it.
But I don't think the same can be said for Fran, me, or anyone else in our space. I know Big Clive's live show is quite popular, but I don't think it brings in much extra income?

I've been able to turn down every single sponsorship offer for the last 13 years because I don't financially need to do it because I have other streams of income. But if I was in Fran's financial position then I'd be totally answering every one of those sponsorship email requests. She obsolutely must be getting them the same way every other Youtuber gets them.

[EEVblog]

Obviously it is eventually going to become financially impossible to stay in Phily, and yet she refuses to accept this despite many advising her to move to a cheaper area or state.  This has happened in every developed country, here in the UK for example, in London it has become impossible for low income earners to buy ANY property, so living outside the city and commuting in is the only option for those that want to live there, unless they rent at absurd cost and live with insecurity! So, the USA isn't going to be any different and it will become worse.
I'm sorry to be blunt but it seems that Fran seems to think she is right and everyone else is wrong, and there are no other options, with that outlook she is going to hemorrhage viewers, subscribers and patreon supporters.
Moving area or state could mean that she could buy a place at a much lower cost, have more space, be secure, keep all her stuff and do what she wants.  I can't comment on the transgender issue, I know nothing about that as a lifestyle and it's issues, but I would think there must be somewhere in a country the size of the USA that is tolerant of that and is affordable to live in, if not, don't tell anyone!!

She has lived in many other places in the US, including small towns, and she said she never wants to go back. Well, I grew up and lived in the suburb with the worst reputation in Sydney, if not Australia, so bad they even made reality TV show about it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struggle_Street
Whilst I wouldn't want to go back there, it's actually not THAT bad, and I would if I had to financially.

[james_s]

Whilst I wouldn't want to go back there, it's actually not THAT bad, and I would if I had to financially.

I'd live anywhere if I had to financially, it's called survival, and it beats the alternative. It doesn't have to be permanent. In my opinion though, owning property just about anywhere beats renting property just about anywhere else.

[EEVblog]

Whilst I wouldn't want to go back there, it's actually not THAT bad, and I would if I had to financially.

I'd live anywhere if I had to financially, it's called survival, and it beats the alternative. It doesn't have to be permanent. In my opinion though, owning property just about anywhere beats renting property just about anywhere else.

Also, owning a house in a small(er) town or suburb MUST be way safer than a city like Philly. But sadly Fran doesn't agree.
Heck, you could even live like a hermit and order everything to be delivered.
Pick a concealed carry state to pack heat when you go shopping if you are really that worried.

Although she seems to have burned some good will with all the continued fund raising and refusing to leave Philly, I think if she actually did a GoFundMe to specifically buy a cheap house in a small town, I reckon she'd probably get it, or a good chunk of it. But if it's not 100% cash, then there is still the problem of getting the loan.

[nctnico]

And recently I personally watch more channels working on longer projects spanning multiple videos, some go for years. There is continuity and something to look forward to every week.

Same here! My favourite Youtuber posts a vlog every day about what he is working on (which can vary from hour to hour but there is a long term plan restoring all kinds of vehicles including tanks). But he has someone doing filming and editing almost full-time.