YouTube announced on January 30 (see YouTube blog) that UK ‘tubers can now join the Partners program and share in advertising revenue. Why do journalists often frown at this? Here’s a Texas journalist who is saddened by the idea. When I was interviewed by Fox after the program started in the US, the interviewers had the same opinion.
If YouTube began commercializing homepage features (getting paid) that would be the equivalent to Time Magazine getting paid to run a story about a business. But sharing advertising revenue with content creators is the very thing television is built around. Know any good TV producers making content for networks gratis? Infomercials maybe?
Paranthetically, I’m in London to personally congratulate local YouTubers. Well, actually I’m here for business and it’s coincidenal. And my wife and children are back in PA under the careful guard of former Green Beret Pipistrello.
Join us if you like!
Monday (Feb 4) 6:00 pm:
(Smaller gathering- it’s a bar so I think you need to be 18)
The Shaston Arms in Soho
(Closest Underground stop is Oxford Circus)
Wednesday (Feb 6) 6:00 pm:
(Larger gathering- bring family and friends)
The Royal Festival Hall
Directions
I am very, very happy that YT will share revenue with its partners – the site needs to make money, and if it’s making money off of you, you should get a good cut off of it.
However, it is true that this feature attracts the kind of stuff that people know will get a lot of views – like the tv stations’ channels on the Tube, and all sorts of other people who can just join up as partners, in the interest of posting their own material so that other people “don’t” (they still do). People join or change with the intent of becoming elite instead of part of the fun. You’ve noted yourself how some partners become standoffish and care only about other people in the same league as them. It wasn’t so defined, I think, when the Tubes was separated by “people who tend to show up on most subscribed or disscussed” and those who didn’t. It was malleable, subject to change without notice. Now there’s a concrete marker – whether or not you’re a partner – and it attracts more people or organizations who are just trying to be partners.
So, yes, it’s a good thing, it’s a wonderful thing to share the revenue, but there are some things to be a bit sad about.
Sorry this comment is so long and a little disorganized..
I thought everyone can be a partner now. Right? But I agree that there’s a heirchical (spelling) class structure based on subscribers- which I resent. You do raise an interesting point about people desperate for views because it has economic concequences, and could change some of the content temporarily. Ultimately the good content wins, though. Boobs in thumbnails is a temporary strategy at best.
Thanks for your reply, Nalts!
Well… everyone with views from “thousands of YouTubers” is apparently eligible, whatever that means.
Hopefully you’re right that these changes in content will kindof blow over. The main reason that I feel like it won’t is because most of the people who make such content popular and most viewed, etc., are the people who are not present for the community aspect or even to upload anything, they use YouTube as a tool to find something they’re looking for, to show a friend something they heard about that happened on TV, etc, or are retarded and looking for free soft porn. I guess what I don’t understand the most is how non-partners think that putting boob thumbnails is going to benefit them.
Anyway, I don’t mean to sound like I’m lamenting the state of YouTube or looking for the “good old days” or something. Just arguing the other side as I can see it a little for the sake of having discussion. I think most of the changes are inevitable, and although the reporter whose article you linked is sad about all of the “budding producers”, I think it’s brought more interest to the site and encouraged other to be more creative and see what they, too, can do if they have some willing friends and free time.
OY! what’s this?
New Face, No Significant Increase in Hair…
…Now that I’m part of the YouTube team, you won’t be seeing much of my big bald head any more (which is, perhaps, a blessing). But I do want to thank everyone who made it fun for me to get in front of a video camera in the first place. Now I hope I do my part to encourage more users to post their own rants, skits and amusing opinions. As for my yellow wall, it’s currently hoping to film its own sitcom pilot as soon as the writers’ strike is over.
click
Too late! I’ll try and make the 6th 🙂
I’ve still got a good 4 years until I even see a dime for making my videos…if ever.
It is open to everybody, meaning anybody in the US/UK can apply. Whether you can get in is another matter. I applied weeks ago, on the one in the million chance they’d say yes, but I haven’t heard back, which I assume means “uh, NO.”
P.S. I hope you get to see tripplehelix on this trip. If you do, ask him where the HELL has he been. I haven’t seen any comments from him in months, even here.
F U C K YOUTUBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ………………sorry,thats all that comes to mind when i hear the word youtube 😉
The Festival Hall is kind of big, with more than one entrance. Can you narrow things down a little? Inside, outside, entrance x
Oh dear. The Festival Hall is big? How about you listen for an obnoxious American… and then see if he has a hat named Nalts. We’ll probably enter into it off the Thames… better idea?
Spit, rinse and repeat, Steve.
🙂
But London is full of American tourists and it will be far too dark to see your hat! 😉
Is it safe leaving the wife and kids with Pipi? LOL
I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve come to realise I don’t care about advertising revenue… I just want to have a funky banner at the top of my pages. Throw a dog a bone already YouTube!
very sad i just saw this 🙁
i walk past the shaston everyday at 6 after work, and would have loved to join everyone ..
kevin.
You have a great weekend with your family. Stuff work for a couple of days and take it easy, again thanks for a great evening in London. It was awesome meeting you again.
paul
The evolution of art and cinema depends on interstitial works, pieces operating in between and outside of archaic genres, categories and formulas.
We want to move towards a world without limitations brought on by the need to sell a product to a consumer in a conveniently tidy package.
We must rescue the brain’s pathways from years of conditioning, pathways stuck operating on a loop that tells us how we are going to respond to a moment, a work, a feeling, and the world around us.
Let us obliterate borders once and for all in order make way for a sparkling and dizzying new world where anything is possible and human creativity can finally reach its staggering potential!
No more acid for marquisdejolie!
Au contraire, sukatra. There’s plenty.
hey
Looks like a good idea, and I would have happily jumped on, if it wasn’t for youtube wiping my videos in one unexpected, unprovoked and devastating sweep. They even removed videos of Karate Demonstrations and Kickboxing Demonstrations from the local clubs I coach at…..
So since then, Revver gets all my love. You don’t need to be approved, and the last I heard, they weren’t spending more on bandwidth than they were earning…..
I don’t care if they’ve tried to make us Britts feel priveledged to be “allowed” to apply. Revver never said no to anybody 🙂 well, maybe to that one guy…
Yeah. Revver is democratic. They offer a transparently fair level playing field entry. And I love their affiliate program. But have you seen this (linked) sales pitch?
The Queen or Youtube is out to get me. I’m getting channels I never subscribed to and channel I had and now unsubcribed. Messages are a mess, backwards and I’m getting other people’s mail. Am I the only one who is experiencing problems?
I’m having YT troubles, too, j, but not THAT many…..YET. My troubles are merely out of sync messaging and molasses-slow operation. They must be getting ready to add some new partially-functional feature.