Michael Buckley: Making a Living as YouTube Star
Michael Buckley was on CNN discussing the YouTube Partnership program, and how it has allowed him to follow his passion full-time. I’m hoping Buckley’s recent press can remind people of two things. First, this space has grown up. I predicted people would be earning 6-figure incomes in 2007 and I was too ambitious. But now folks like KipKay on Metacafe (who earned 6-figures last year, but has slowed down significantly) and Michael Buckley (WhattheBuckShow) are proving that it’s possible. Second, Buckley reminds us to be realistic. Buckley worked like crazy, has crowd-gathering talent, and promotes himself well. Buckley is on Inside Edition tonight, and the media seems rather interested in the notion that people can quit their jobs and live independently via YouTube.
Want to make a living on YouTube? Some tips
- Remember it won’t happen overnight.
- Find a niche. Buckley is appealing to celebrity-watchers that like a regular online digest.
- Read my free eBook: How to Become Popular on YouTube Without Any Talent
- Promote yourself, and ensure you use copyright-free content.
- RSS or read this blog often- it’s dedicated to helping creators make income (and show advertisers how to enhance their brands via known YouTube creators.
- Join the YouTube Partners program once you have a decent amount of videos and views
- Create a lot of content that people want- much of Buckley’s revenue is due to his constantly topical videos, and residual income he earns from his collection. For instance, the vast majority of my income comes from continuous views to the top videos I’ve created that continue to get views.
You’ll need to be a top YouTube creator to live from its advertising sharing, but many of us are supplementing our income. I maintain that the highest earning comes from “sponsored videos.” These aren’t easy to find, but they’re nice income.
Buckley had a modest income before going full-time, and that helps. I’ve got four kids and a mortgage, so it will be a while before YouTube can match my day-job income. But it’s a fun way to make an additional income source, and my video revenue is certainly more than I made in my first job post MBA.
The niche market is probably a fairly accurate thing. Out of the top 10 most subscribed creators, 7 of them pretty much just do one type of video over and over, just with different subject matter. 7 out of 10, that’s what, 95%? ( 😀 )
I’m pretty confident with the statement that I’ll probably never make it onto the most subscribed lists again (believe it or not, I was on the list a couple years ago!). Variety channels like mine were hitting their heyday a couple years ago, coincidentally at the same time I didn’t have access to the net for several months. Plus, I don’t always make top shelf stuff, which drags down the genuinely good videos I’ve produced.
There is money to be made, but you have to be a marketing pitbull.
@1
you also need to be lucky.
or start out with a bunch of money so you can pay youtube to feature you a lot.
Doesn’t hurt to be a whore either.
@2
In regards to money, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what it really takes to get noticed, especially now that there are the sponsored videos. Why would YouTube give me free press when they think I’ll pay for a spot?
Luck does play a part in it, but I sort of feel that you CAN make your own luck in this case. Doing collabs with folks that have piles of subs, responding with relevant video responses to popular YouTubers (if they accept it – Nalts has yet to approve my response to his parakeet video!), and generally going out and posting a lot will enable people to hear of you. The more direct exposure you have, the better your odds will be that you’ll get collateral subscriptions, or even featuring.
Unless you do get aid from the above, it is a long hard battle. I’ve been attacking YouTube pretty earnestly for a couple months now, and it’s brought me about 125 subscribers. It’s not much, and Kevin could take a crap on video and get 10 times that many in one day, but it’s a start, and the numbers slowly start to snowball.
Ultimately, persist and fortune will turn your way. That, or you’ll lose your mind and give up. 😀
Actually, you should probably quit whoring that fucking e-book you wrote. Nobody cares about it, Kevin. Nobody.
Not even the baby Jesus.
oh my dog. I just watched my first 30 seconds of Michael Buckley, which was all I could stand– take a breath, buddy!. Talk about an acquired taste. Ya. Niche market fer sher.
I like Buck. He’s positive and silly, you don’t get that too often.
Sxephil reminds me of Rush Limbaugh, though not in viewpoint. Just the way he brands himself as “the voice of common sense” in such a blatant way. I mean, you read the words all the time looking through his material and it runs me the wrong way.
On the flipside, he also made it. Buck and him are inspirations in their own right.
@5 Sukatra- baby Jesus read my eBook.
Was he like Will Ferrell described him as he read it? Or is Will Ferrell not the expert on religion the media has made him out to be?
To me, I’m much more inspired by people like Charles Trippy, Cory, and Nalts. Granted, I like Trippy’s and Nalts’ work a lot more than Cory’s, but the reason I like them is because they didn’t really find a niche. Sure, they have videos that they are known for and that perform much better. However, it seems they do a wide variety of videos, and I really appreciate that.
Plus, Trippy and Nalts seem really genuine. Even when promoting the hell out of themselves, it seems like a genuine process.
I was just talking to Peter the other day, and he and I both agree that we don’t want to get (forgetting the proper word) stuck in making the same type of videos over and over. Some people really like the routine, but I don’t. I don’t want to make pet or howto videos all the time. Frankly, I would like to be more known for my sense of humor. But that’ll be a difficult process…
Also, if I started making more money doing YouTube videos than I make at my job, I don’t think I would quit. Metacafe’s revenue stream dried up pretty abruptly, and the same could happen to YouTube.
@11 You make a good point about the potential revenue stream collapse. It seriously could happen.
Personally, if I were YouTube, and I suddenly needed an additional million bucks in a jiffy, The first thing I would do would be to cut the top 20 YouTuber’s pay by 50%. Quick and effective. And because there’s no agreement saying you will be consistently paid for your work, or even a formula that shows you what you’re being paid for it, there’s not much the partners could do about it. And considering Google’s financial situation right now, they might need way more than a million sooner than we think.
All the same, I’d love the extra income. I guess it’s time to kick the channel whoring into high gear…
@11
Your pet videos are cute, but that’s not why I subscribed to you. It was your sense of humor. I’m sure I’m not the only one who subscribed for that reason.
I predict that making money off of You Tube will become harder, rather than easier.
Whatthebuck developed something people (myself NOT included) wanted to see, as did sXephil. I just don’t get Mr. Safety’s popularity, although I am still subscribed to him.
I actually have over 70 channels I subscribe to, but I a couple that are “Must See”. Nalts is one of them, as in Man in the Box Show, both because there are quite often hysterical. I rarely watch some of the channels I used to think I couldn’t live without, mostly due to time constraints (I do have an actual life outside of YT and this blog).
Anyway, back to my original point, and I do have one. 🙂
People are going to be pickier about what they watch for the same reason I am; they just don’t have time to watch everything. I think that, unless you come out with something REALLY new and different, you will be unable to garner the number of subscribers necessary to be successful.
But I could be wrong; it’s been know to happen. 🙂
@Zack & Jim – The revenue stream WILL collapse, but I don’t think it will happen for at least a very long time. I think it will go away when new media is traditional media and traditional media is museum fodder.
I think YouTube will be around as long as people want to think that independents have a chance. And being that, it will always generate income during it’s life cycle.
@Marilyn: I agree 100% with you. There will be a day in the near future where you actually have to be GOOD to be big. And by good, I mean “appealing and professional enough, but not super polished.” There is going to be a fine line established that someone has to walk as it becomes easier and cheaper for people to produce decent-looking content.
@Peter
I agree, it might not give in for the near future, especially with the predictions that social media will expand with the socially challenging times ahead. I found a great article I posted on my blog (click) about 2009 social media predictions.
That being said, there will be changes ahead. More quality talent will rise, and the lesser so will fall. At the same time, companies will realize that how many followers you have isn’t as important as who is following you.
I still wouldn’t depend on it for an income, but ther is a future in social media.
@Peter:
Thank you! Not only for agreeing with me, which is obviously very easy to do, but also for spelling my name correctly. You can’t imagine the number of ways it’s been butchered on this blog.
Michael works so hard at this stuff. I’m so happy for him that he is doing so well.
@ sukatra You make baby Jesus cry when you are so mean to Kevin.
@5 I can back @9 up on this I saw him read it.
@8 you either love um or you hate um. It’s swimming through the crowds in search of the ones who love you enough or interested to watch regularly. PR is important and what kind of PR will also determine the size and type of audience you attract.
What’s changed so much in this medium is choice, and people have so many more choices today in what they watch or read you almost have to build some sort of a community. What kind of community is open to debate and style, but it does effect the size of your audience.
If you’re topic concerns Catholic Nuns you’re not going to get a big audience, however, if you use cute, cuss or cleavage you’ll get a lot of gawkers and the curious. If you’re good or good enough you’ll be added to their menu, until the viewer base or community either tires of you or you piss them off.
But, there are 6,602,224,175+ people in the world and one day at least 2/3s will have internet access. Potentially, that’s a lot of eyeballs looking at you so, put a shirt on.
I can’t get YouTube to put ads next to my videos for over 6 weeks now. No income AT ALL from my last 50 or so videos. Maybe the last 150. All my income is apparently coming from my older, long tail videos. How many views do I have to get on a video BEFORE the income thing STARTS?
God you people are windbags today.
It’s a cheese waterslide!
Thank you for the nice comments Kevin and everyone (most everyone) LOL.
I would probably not have quit my job if I did not have other deals in place as well.
Everything is going great- I am just enjoying it and having the time of my life. 🙂
Thanks again for the nice comments!
Happy Holidays!
Michael
@22 Oooh cheese..
@23 Good for you Michael!
America loves a winner. Nothing succeeds like success. Might makes right.
@14 how did I miss that? Must have hit submit too late, I think you’re absolutely correct!
@15 The piss off point is rising. If it wasn’t for the Viacom law suit I think what’s next would already be here.
@20 As suspected, I was waiting for that shoe to drop. This is what happens when a company doesn’t disclose the fine print or the details of their contracts, they just make stuff up as they go. Think the Viacom law suit was big, wait for the class action against Google from all those contributors. You know it’s coming.
@21 BM
@23 HHsM
@25 Green is not a good color on you.
@26 (Green)
Unlike the narcissists who HAVE to have a closeup of their face in every one of their videos, it doesn’t matter to me what I look like. I’m on a mission.
Geez, YouTube really IS a bonfire of the vanities, isn’t it!
I just want to clarify what I said. I didn’t mean “I’m much more inspired by people like Charles Trippy, Cory, and Nalts” to be taken as a negative comment towards Buck. I think Buck is hilarious, and I’m glad he’s doing very well. But he does something that I cannot do. I can’t adhere to a schedule and I can’t lock on a niche like he has. So that’s all I meant by that comment. I am more encouraged by Trippy’s and Nalts’ success because their styles are closer to mine. If they can do it, maybe I have a shot. So I draw inspiration from them. I watch Buck and think “wow, I can’t do that.” In fact, I’ve tried…
I did a show called Zack Scott Reports. I was inspired by RocketBoom. Anyway, my show was hilarious and twenty times funnier than Buck’s show. I did twenty-five episodes and they were all gems. 100% perfection. Buck’s show is hit and miss. But there was a problem. My show got to me. It drained me. My schedule was hectic, editing was a pain, and I could feel myself slowly becoming gay. Whole days would disappear. Or would they? What day is it? What are the celebrities doing today? Who is this guy in my bed? Am I still married? What is the latest news? Is there a terrorist attack to joke about? No? Why is the Internet so slow? What sites should I upload to? Why is no one watching? Who IS this guy in my bed?
I now know what Buck has been through, and I couldn’t take it then. So I quit, and now I make random videos whenever I feel like. I play video games in my downtime. The pressure is off, and I will never do that to myself again.
On a side note, I don’t know how Peter can handle doing the live show, but I really appreciate that he’s doing it.
@26
I dare you to try.
@Zack
Most awesome post you’ve ever written – very very funny!!
^ I agree. Funny, funny stuff, Zack! Are those 25 gems still up?
Of course! ZackScottReports dot com
I really thought it was going to take off and I’d be doing it forever.
@27 I’m pretty sure people who need a close up often are trying to figure out who that person is in there.
heh, bonfire of the vanities.. that made me think back… the first time I saw You Tube what popped into my head was that guy/kid on Mad TV who always says, “Look what I can do!”
OK I’m probably going to regret this, but… soldier, what is your mission?
@Zach,
Sorry. I’ll quit sleeping in your bed.
Getting into the reporting genre takes a lot out of you. After two weeks of 6k&Under, and most of them getting virtually no hits (not that much of my stuff gets very many hits), I’ll likely pull the plug on it sometime soonish unless the next one is a real winner. Lots of research, lots of work, and like you said, trying to figure out who that guy in your bed is; and wondering why you used blues, browns, and greens in the same room.
The one advantage Buck has is his assistant. If I had someone to help do research, footwork, etc, I could make a video every 15 minutes. I tried to drag my wife into it, but she doesn’t want to indulge my bad habits, and the strange guy in my bed only wants sex.
So if I had more discipline and maybe a helping hand, I’d sure love to do a topical daily (or near-daily) program, but as it is, I’m lucky to do a few random videos a week.
Wow, why is my mind in the gutter today? I blame my broken pen (click)
When I grow up, I’m going to be Zack Scott.
I actually remember Zack Scott Reports – I remember leaving endless comments on Rocketboom’s site that their show paled in comparison to yours. Those comments are still there, if you want to go and read them. Well, it really was just one comment, repeated over and over, “Rocketboom SUCKS! Watch Zack Scott Reports!” I think they deleted most of them. I remember each one of your episodes just never seem to end. I don’t know what editing techniques you used, but they should be a foot noted in every how-to-video technical manual in every language on earth. I actually downloaded and burned all the episode to CDs and sold them at the flea market on the weekends, and no, I’m not going to tell you how much I made because I already spent the money. You know Zack, in all honesty, I always suspected you were a little bit gay. I think it was the way you folded your hands that made me suspect at first, but I was almost certain by the last episode. Anyone who watches it can’t help but choke up and “know” as you signed off that you were on your way to full blown gay. Who knew at the time it would be the last Zack Scott Reports ever? I didn’t. But, I tried to keep a positive demeanor knowing you promised to return for another season. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting and I soon found I was constantly plagued with concerns of an immanent terrorist attack and you never showed up! I had no idea what I would do without your reporting. It was a tough year after that, hoping against hope you would return. I was on Zoloft for months when I finally realized you weren’t coming back or that you were dead. But, I’m glad you went in the direction you’ve gone, aren’t you? 🙂
I enjoyed ZCR – I also think that if you used a cool abbreviation like I just did, you’d be way better off.
As for me doing a live show, I’m convinced the reason I have done more than 2 episodes is because BlogTV asked me to do it. It makes a lot of difference mentally and for no good reason.
But I have that same erraticness and doing certain things At certain times makes me crazy. BUT I will say this: I think the live show is very quickly getting me in front of eyeballs that are following me on Twitter and watching my videos.
I think ruining Harry Potter for Jimmy Fallon with a well timed “Snape kills Dumbledore” (which I don’t know if it is true or a just a meme) – to which he got mad and @’d me a bitch… That helped too.
I think he’s going to be a good host, but I recommend messing with him on Twitter for fun and profit.
Once again, I find myself asking, “Who ARE all these people?”
@Zack: I, too think ZCR was funny. I love the style of your videosthey way they are now as well. There is NO WAY I would be able to put up with the work and time required to be Whatthebuck; not to mention I’m straight.
It’s all I can do to keep up with my real life. Anyone want to come over and help me wrap presents?
WHAT THE HELL DOES THE C STAND FOR IN ZCR?
It stands for “Can’t me bothered to fix typos!” which is what people should know about me.
It stands for the “Cott” in “Zack’s Cott Reports.”
I done bought myself a reeeeal nice cot because of that there Zack’s Cott Reports. Reeeeal nice.
Naltsy is right! Online video is good advertising!
Sorry Zack. Peter made a typo and I went with it; should have known better. ZCR just flows off the tongue better than ZSR. Actually, now that I think about it, my oldest son’s initals are ZRC; coincidence?
Marilyn “went with” a typo. Can someone please alert the authorities! This is worthy of a YouTube video! 😀
Your first post-MBA job, eh? I’m still trying to pass my grad student salary!
Wait. Hahaha. This is ironic. Youtube won’t put ads next to any of my Youtube Partner videos but my Revver videos (the very same ones) have YouTube advertising on them? Hahaha!
So nobody knows the answer to the question: how many views does a YouTube Partner video have to get BEFORE the opportunity to earn ad income STARTS? 2,500? 5,000? 10,000? 50,000?
BTW, I was wrong in an earlier post when I said that my YouTube income was steadily increasing. Actually, it’s decreasing. What’s increasing is my Adcents Content Host income.
A marketing tip from me to you: take off your shirt and swear more in your Youtube videos. It’ll get you hits! From the Tubemogul blog:
“Despite recent restrictions, sexual content continues to predominate on YouTube. Videos containing the words “sex” and the “F” word in the title, description or tags currently total 917.1 million views, according to our “Buzz Tracking.”
Wait, wait, wait. How stupid is YouTube? About an hour ago I uploaded a video entitled “Stop Me Before I Cuss Again.” Video description: “Beth worries about picking up too much of the cussing habit from her commonlaw husband.”
It has been flagged by YouTube. The video has every cuss word bleeped out with my ducky squeeze toy sound. Bleeped out. Totally. So why was it flagged? Apparently for using the word “Cuss” in the title. “Fuck” is okay. “Cuss” is out.
Stupid YouTube. And considering the info in the above post, apparently YT is a hypocrite, too.
Wait, wait, wait. My flagged video “Stop Me Before I Cuss Again” is an ANTI-CUSSING message. So YouTube WANTS us to cuss in our videos? Oh, okay. I get it now. The YouTube reviewers/editors are PRO-CUSSING!!!
Sh*t.
I can’t believe my video was flagged for bleeping out the cuss words!
Okay. You tell me. Where did I go wrong?
http://www.blip.tv/file/1592567
Picked up the cam and hit the REC button.
I no longer like you Kevin. You never respond to my twitters.
YouTube didn’t flag you. Users flag you, and if enough of them do it your video goes bye bye.
^ Wrong again, Peter.
Try to pay attention. Users can’t flag a video that was never allowed to go public (or even private). Don’t you know that?
I made a song making fun of Rage Against The Machine and their fans flagged the fuck out of it and it’s “Rejected: Content Inappropriate.” It doesn’t curse and it doesn’t even walk the controversy line. A bunch of stupid kids just didn’t like me making fun of their heroes.
Users flag, and if enough of them do it, the video is gone. The vast majority of operations on YouTube are entirely automated and if you think otherwise you are the one who is wrong.
Then it wasn’t flagged. Flagging is a user operation.
How exactly did it not go up? What is the status on the video?
@60
“Held for review”
So what is the word I should use when the YouTube bots stop a video before it is made public (or private)? “Helded” Okay. My video was helded.
“Bot-slapped” My video got bot-slapped. Or Reviewed To Death. Or Reviewed Into Oblivion. One file, uploaded to Tubemogul, sent out to multiple sites simultaneously without being bot-slapped by any site but YouTube.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2182967/stop_me_before_i_cuss_again/
This occured hours BEFORE the routine maintenance thing, in case that was your next poo poo of my bitchfest.
http://www.stupidvideos.com//video/just_plain_stupid/Stop_Me_Before_I_Cuss_Again/
Ok, well did it ever upload? Or are you getting the bullshit error from tubemogul?
If it’s tubemogul where your stuck, strip all keywords and hit upload again. Put them back on in YouTube’s interface. I had this happen once because xxx was a keyword. I could not get the video from tubemogul to the tube.
If it is uploaded and in your YouTube “my videos screen” then I have no previous experience like yours.
If that doesn’t work, try uploading at YouTube itself.
@64
I’ll do that after the solidarity blackout.
🙂
@52 I don’t speak Texan, so I didn’t understand a word of it, but I think you are just taunting GoogleYouTube when you knew they threw the gauntlet down. Apparently they mean real business.
I’ve gotten a tons of e-mail today from people who are saying their videos have gone missing, channels are being shut down for setting up protests videos – sharing videos about the protest aren’t going through. This is a pretty big deal if you ask me.
There are tons of partners with videos filled with bad language anyone know if those are gone too?
I know Renetto’s was removed and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but what a smart thing he did in response. Not only did he speak his mind his site will profit from it as well, unless Google takes that video down too.
Unbeknown to Kevin he was correct all along, actually it’s quite prophetic when you think about it.
You Tube is now Goo Tube
Google didn’t have any problem with my Tubemogul-loaded video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4175753562980224710
But yes, jischinger, YouTube is messing with the bottom wrung “Partners” and unpartnered. Or rather, getting their bots to do it.
Does anyone know at what viewership level “Partners” START earning their pennies? 1500 views? 20,000 views?
And what’s the correct word for being bot-flagged? Anybody? People with over 1,000 subscribers will not know what I’m talking about…..YET.
MDJ,
I’m still not getting more than 300 views on any given video, and I’m getting revenue (as far as I can tell, since Goo Tube doesn’t itemize anything)
Are you clicking the “enable revenue sharing” button when you upload? I always let the video go live first, and then set up the revenue sharing after the fact. It’s never given me a problem.
I think key phrases trigger something that sends your videos up for review. When I enabled revenue sharing on my video titled “Jim Class 2 – Let’s understand copyrights”, I had to go through the Spanish inquisition to get it approved. Partner support was asking for email addresses and web sites for the folks I got my music from, and wanted written verification that I got my information from the public domain. It was a load of poo.
Ironically, my latest video is full of innuendo and the file was even titled penismightier.mpg, but it’s getting ads placed in it from time to time. Go figure.
But more importantly,
MARYLAND MADE A TYPO!!!
I might never recover!
😀
@68
Yes, somecallme. I AM pushing the enable revenue sharing button (I do like you do, going live first). Let’s pretend I haven’t been uploading to YouTube since 2005. 🙂 1150 uploads (I have deleted about 230 of my older, crappy stuff)
The hint is that adjacent to all of my videos is a blank box that reads “advertisement” with nothing in it. Ever. Since 6 or 8 weeks ago. Not even the crappy filler ads. I’m getting around 20,000+ views a week that YouTube won’t advertise against.
I attribute any CC stuff I use IN my video and in my video description and in the info box when we push that enable revenue sharing button. I only use CC ‘BY’ and Prelinger public domain stuff. Have never used any copyrighted stuff. NEVER. EVER. NOT ONCE! (I am Revver trained).
YouTube is just being an A*hole.
I just checked my videos with 4500 and 4692 views on them. No ads. The ones with over 10,000 have ads on them.
MDJ-
I think it’s just you then. My cheezy WalMart iPhone video (click) only has 370-some views, and I’ve refreshed is several times and had both ad spaces filled every time.
I have no clue why YouTube does what they do. If I did, I wouldn’t be the unnoticed dreg of YouTube society that I am.
@72
Just me? What a relief! For a while there I was worried they were screwing all of us!
@69: I can not believe it myself, scmj. I can only blame on my current over-worked schedule. Please don’t alert the authorities. I am sure I will recover as soon as Christmas is over.
PS – I an actually in a training right now. I thought it would be usefule, but they haven’t taught me much more than I already knew. (The course is on Blackboard). So I am surfing while everyone else is asking dumb questions.
Wait; I always tell my students that there are no dumb questions. OK. People are asking questions of the instructor that I could answer.
I will say it again, full disclosure is what’s needed and Goo Tube, within the next three years or less, will see a class action law suit on behalf of you guys bigger than Viacom. Keep records. Tubemogal is a good start, I’d find other tracking methods as well <– opportunity for any programmer who wants to make a million dollars over night.
You are essentially employees albeit working for nothing, but commission, but there are certain things every “partner” should reasonably expect. FYI – Even an indentured .49 an hour Chinese Worker knows how many pieces they produce and get paid for.
Google-YouTube is a business in the US and now that they are paying people they must abide by certain business practices; something apparently only a law suit will define for the employees and make Google comply with.
I know most people can’t believe they are making money for what is essentially a hobby, but when you see the real number$ Google-YouTube pulls in off your ideas you’re going to start thinking twice about your cut. Find a proper title for yourself i.e. entertainer, musician, actor… Set a standard rate of pay for your service; ask any respective union what it should be and put that on your web site, then incorporate. Cost you $60 to $150, depending what state you live in. You can file the papers yourself, see ‘how to for dummies’ if you don’t have an attorney.
Yes, Google-YouTube is a business and yes, they are also private property which can set reasonable rules and policies (<- that’s for Zack), but with that comes protections for US employees and that’s essentially what you are. The word “partner” is bullshit, you are not a partner, at best you an independent contractor.
Everyone in the US is aware that if you make more than $8950 non dependent or $5450 dependent in a year you must report any and all income on top of that to the IRS, right? Including income from Google-Youtube. Which is why it’s also a good idea to incorporate.
If you do get paid, mark my words someone will contact you with a class action and I wouldn’t be surprised, that after a thorough investigation they find an awful lot of manipulations going on by Google, but make sure you are square with the feds or you could end up in court for non payment of taxes, providing the US Government doesn’t collapse before then.
If I were making anywhere close to that, I’d be happy to let the feds have their fair share.
For the record, Chinese sweatshop labor is making WAY more an hour than I am on YouTube if your figures are right.
I would suspect that people who get used to living off YouTube partner revenue will band together to do a class action sometime in the reasonable future if YouTube persists in keeping us in the dark as to how much we’re getting paid. And it changes drastically month to month, day to day even. Today I earned as much in 290 impressions as I did yesterday with 1,000 impressions.
YouTube has some insane algorithm that weighs how many clicks, along with how many views, and divides that by the actual amount each advertiser pays, since every advertiser pays a different price for their ad to be seen. Truthfully, I don’t think that with their current model, they can say that 1000 impressions = x dollars.
I would like to see some stability in the system. From the end of the month, the video embedded ad revenue can take over a month to know how you did. I just got my October figures a few days ago. If I had some basic formula, I could guess at how much I’ve made so far, and decide if I can afford the March Meetup in San Fran or if I need to hold off for 2025.
We’ll see. I think there will be some big changes for the better in 2009. I strongly doubt we’ll ever get “employee” grade protection (since they don’t take our names or file an I-9, etc…), but I’m hopeful they’ll at least start telling us more of what they’re doing.
@54 Sukatra! I don’t know how to respond to Twitters, much less even find out someone commented on my tweets!
^ someone give this man a bib.
@77 they can’t tell you even a little bit of what they’re doing, that will open them up for scrutiny and Google defiantly can’t afford that!
You can bet their lawyers are working hard with the programmers on what not to release.
Sorting this whole thing out is going to be really messy and what Kevin said a few years ago (has it been that long?), Google is going to be scratching their heads wondering why they ever picked You Tube up. But for now they’re patting each other on their collective bank account$.
@75
The spelling nazi is fallible!!! The spelling nazi is fallible!! I think it’s time we took her down. I mean, she’s weak right now.
@78
You don’t know how to respond to twitter or read people’s tweets? Nutcheese was right. You really are her retarded brother.
To the rest of you:
Blah blah blah blah youtube blah blah money blah blah google blah blah blah blah flagged blah blah blah blah blah blah.
Blah.
HOLY SHIT!
The Recording Industry Association of America will abandon its policy of suing people for sharing songs protected by copyright [click]
@81
It would be usefule, sukatra, for you to TELL US what you’d rather read here other than our silly concerns.
I have an inventory of nonvideo subjects you can chose from. I have a series called “Life With Creepy” about living with a retarded actor in Gardena. I have a series called “My Arcology” about the characters in and around an Arco gas station. I have my crack motel stories series. I also have some stuff on living in a homeless veterans shelter. Stories, not video.
Anything look interesting?
@83
it was a joke.
@84
So was mine. Aren’t we hilarious!?
I declare this thread officially dead.
move on people nothing to see here…
@86
I agree.
Whoops.
Wait, wait, wait. Nobody has hazarded guesses in answer to my questions. You people don’t answer questions here?
1. What is the number of views a YouTube “Partner” has to get on his/her videos BEFORE advertising is placed either adjacent to his/her videos or InVideo them so that his/her earning can START?
2. What is the official word (other than flagged) for having a video stopped by a YouTube human or robotical software algorithm before it can be made public or private on YouTube?
great information,,,thanks