SFGate to YouTube Star-Wannabees: It’s Asymptotical.
Sorry, online-video stars of 2011 and 2012. Seems your future is “asymptotical,” according to this report by SFGate titled “Inside Google’s Boot Camp for Viral Video Stars.” The New York Times covered the recent program for the “chosen” YouTube Partners that were selected as YouTube NextUp winners (see explanation of program).
Yeah I had to look that word up too. In fact the only reader of WVFF who’s likely heard of “asymptotical” is StalkerofNalts, a mathematician who helped me monitor my own inappropriate use of the word “exponential” (something I apparently misused in Beyond Viral).
According to Wolfram Math World, the term asymptotic means approaching a value or curve arbitrarily closely (i.e., as some sort of limit is taken). Aline or curve 
that is asymptotic to given curve 
is called the asymptote of 
.
Indeed the odds of becoming tomorrow’s YouTube star are somewhat remote, but don’t let that discourage you, friend. I’ve watched with delight as many creators have gone from obscurity to six-figure salaries that exceed the earning potential these people would likely make otherwise. You just need patience, persistence, some talent, and an insatiable thirst for fame and social interaction with your viewers. Here’s the presentation I gave at YouTube’s “boot camp,” which is a bit of a malapropism (definition) considering the lavish food the YouTube Next peeps were fed.
that word sounds like it might require a diagnosis and a medication. lol
~amber
I will read this later. They’re talking about poop on The Doctors.
They just said ‘sphincter’ on The Doctors. Awesome.
What they seem to mean is that the income of YouTubers can be approximated by a discrete Pareto distribution (Pareto as in the Pareto Priciple a.k.a. the “80-20 rule”). Look that up instead of “asymptotical”.
This distribution is not in fact asymptotic except in the limit as it approaches the Dirac delta distribution.
Thanks nalts. I think the key is to get asymptotic with with big youtubers to work your way to the top…if you know what I mean.
“…your future is ‘asymptotical’…”?
“…the key is to get asymptotic with with big youtubers…”?
Are you guys *trying* to make me cringe at your malapropisms?
Wow. Alexis and the other dude are like the spelling nazi on steroids.
Sukatra- or should I say a sphinctertotical?
Guess my absence from this blog has nt been missed, since Alexis and StalkerofNalts seem to taken over my duties. 🙁
And don’t yell about me using “nt” instead of “not”. It was just a typo.
It is like you parents walking in on you while you are…
Wait… what is this blog rated?
It’s like approaching infinity or Negative infinity if THAT doesn;t wrap your mind around a pole.
Hmmm…. Kevin keeps the blog mostly PG, but NutCheese and sukatra have been known to venture into PG-13 territory.
Marilyn, I hope you stick around. I feel petty criticizing spelling/grammar and usually ignore the less egregious errors. I’m always up for some masturbatory math pedantry though. God forbid someone say something mathematically incorrect on the internet.