They're common in the gaming community as well. Groups like ScrewAttack, GameTrailers, Normal Boots (now defunct), Gamervision, Retroware TV... Media moguls (and wannabe moguls) setting up Youtube brands for gaming-related content. Problem is, you sign your soul away in the process. You go to all the events, but you're not there for yourself, you're there to tout your media group. They've ruined quite a few good people on Youtube. 
Sad to hear.
That's another area I didn't touch on - the Youtube management companies that want to sign you up (and take 20-40% of your Adsense revenue)
I've been formally approached by at least a dozen of them now (I must have hit some threshold to put me on their radar). When questioned extensively, not one of them has been able to prove they add any value at all.
This is also an interesting read:
http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/12/why-i-left-maker-studios/Dave.
...
This is also an interesting read:
http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/12/why-i-left-maker-studios/
...
Mmmh, I have difficulties with that one. Not with the subject itself, but with the way these kinds of fights sometimes are thrown out in the open. I have the same reaction with posts thatngo like 'don't buy anything from Company x'.
Having bad experiences and blogging about it is welcome and often informative. But fighting a battle in the open isn't always a pretty sight. At that point I feel that a community is used for ones private reasons.
[Mmmh, I have difficulties with that one. Not with the subject itself, but with the way these kinds of fights sometimes are thrown out in the open. I have the same reaction with posts thatngo like 'don't buy anything from Company x'.
Having bad experiences and blogging about it is welcome and often informative. But fighting a battle in the open isn't always a pretty sight. At that point I feel that a community is used for ones private reasons.
That goes off-topic now, but the sad reality is, these days it is more and more required. Many companies simply give a rat' arse when you contact them privately in need of support. Unfortunately you have to make a stink in public, on junk sites like facebook or twitter to get their attention. They only act when they believe there is a real risk that something can become a PR desaster. It is a disgusting behavior which becomes more and more common.
...It is a disgusting behavior which becomes more and more common.
Who's behaviour, the company, client or both?
...It is a disgusting behavior which becomes more and more common.
Who's behaviour, the company, client or both?
Company. Their non-responsiveness is the root cause. With that they push their clients / customers in a corner where they find they have no alternative than to go public.
It seems that way to me, especially in the case shown in that link. The guy complaining brought up several issues and/or concerns and the company response did not address any of them, aside from trying to take the altruistic stance that it shouldn't be fought in public.
I think the video blogs make the site unique.. but I imagine it gets harder to do after a while... the first 100 are the interesting ones for me. Those were the video's you seem to let your frustrations out about the "fear and loathing" that exists in the engineering world. I guess you would need to go get a day job again for a while to be suitably pissed off at the state of the industry to do some more of those.
As far as selling out by others goes.. it seems to me that Dave is one of the lucky few that earns a crust doing this. I suspect alot of people would love to quit their dayjobs and do it but don't for financial reasons. Maybe the Ben Hecht show also started out trying to do something that was also entertaining and I watched a few but his hacks seem a little like too much work so I stopped watching. I still check the forum here from time to time, but I don't watch any videos or podcasts any longer... I am just too busy with my own stuff.
There is a real opportunity cost to quiting your day job in plain $. And with so many people who would love to do it I suspect it will get harder to do.
See following for some inspiration for the fear and loathing you need