The Great Youtube Demonetization Apocalypse

I agree. I think the YouTube economy is shaking out something like the banner ad economy did in 2000. There are so many people who only watch YouTube instead of TV that the advertisers need to be there. Just like the GeoCities ads gave way to much more robust browsing metrics and targeted content, so will YouTube, or whoever is showing video then. Alibaba, probably.

No you don’t understand! It was just a joke! Nazi jokes are funny as hell to teens, man! Look how edgy we can be with our ka-razy jokes!

Use links to external sites for merch stores, Patreon, or whatever?

A YouTube representative confirmed to Polygon that links to Patreon and other external websites — merchandise shops, websites or crowdfunding platforms — aren’t being removed entirely, but changes are being made. To help combat inappropriate and abusive content, YouTube is asking all of its creators to join the YouTube Partners Program in an attempt to better protect the content on its site.

“Creators are being asked to join the YouTube Partner program, so that we can evaluate the validity of the channel, as well as determine whether the channel is following our community guidelines and advertiser policies,” the representative said. “This update is meant to curb abuse and does not affect current YouTube partners or existing end cards.”

The issue with YouTube’s policy is that it requires users reach 10,000 public channel views before creators can apply to be part of the program. That means those who are just starting out and have less than the required 10,000 views won’t be able to link out through externally-linking end cards in video. Creators will still be able to include links in the video’s description underneath the video.

YouTube is really trying their best to kill their platform.

How is allowing donations harmful to anyone? Especially after YouTube ignored problems with this system.

Well that’s just delightful. Thanks YouTube.

There are all kinds of content besides playing videogames and talking over them that’s easy though, especially for kids. There is this YouTube channel called “Ryan’s Toy Review” where he plays with all kinds of toys. Some of these videos have 100 million views. Most of them have millions. All the kid does is play toys (and now more videogames, but still toys). There is also tons of content for kids via very simple animation videos and even adults with cutesy voices playing with toys like they are puppets, but these guys get millions of hits too because the algorithms link them all together somehow.

What YouTube really wants is for someone to watch a bunch of short videos in a row with ads loading in between them. I’m old and hate YouTube, but kids of all ages from 3-16 are watching YouTube playlists now like it’s the TV of old. Except instead of being around the boob tube in the family room commenting on the story together it’s them all separated, engrossed on their phones. It’s changing the landscape of content creation a LOT.

But adults will always need really sophisticated stuff. It basically has to get better, more complex, and visually stunning as you get older, and that’s how we get Game of Thrones and Arrested Development. Layers and layers and lots of talking.

So now we have two sources of digital media for the eyeballs: The expensive, takes a long time studio stuff and the cheap, quick, independently produced stuff. Monetizing the first is through direct sales and packaging it for streaming services but how do you monetize the second? You need a crapton of eyeballs for ads.

I hope there is a market for cheap to produce but well done shorts that add up to a larger story. Perhaps similar to how writers like Charles Dickens used to release their longer stories in magazines and split them up into dozens of parts.

The big question is, how do you get noticed? The SEO and tricks to get on playlists seems to be way more important than the content now.

Just as a side note, Youtube can burn in hell, I wish only the worst for them. Legalized, government sanctioned piracy is all they have ever amounted to.

YouTube is straight up just storage space and some codec manipulation. The problem is cracking their market share. Vimeo is trying, as are some other players, but its a juggernaut at this point.

It’s doing those things at a scale no one else can. In fact, almost everything it’s doing is at a scale no one else can compete on. There’s a lot to criticize about things like their content ID/DMCA/copyright enforcement and appeals, for example, but the fact that they’re managing at all on their scale isn’t something you can just dismiss.

YouTube could use a competitor for sure. Vimeo seems to believe their “secret sauce” is making their player as inflexible and clunky as possible. I rather wish they would focus on cloning youtube first and building from there instead and just give up on the janky ass shit Vimeo currently is. Sometimes it really is quicker to rewrite it.

Sorry, everyone here with a YouTube channel (PewDiPie if you are reading this…), but I am not turning off adblock.

Fine by me, I turned off ads because I began a Patreon.

I should probably look into Patreon myself sometime

Thought this was pretty interesting. Guy makes Fallout & ES guide videos. Has a million subs. Got hit by a flurry of demonitizations on old videos.

Here’s how bad it is. Remember this guy? The kid that wears suits and reviews fast food? He was one of the first really big goofball YT stars mainly because of his weird earnestness and naivete while eating processed garbage. Known for never cursing, being super-polite, and just generally creating “safe” content. Probably one of the least offensive, most innocent dudes on the platform with a following.

His videos have been demonetized. He doesn’t know why.

How do you find this video Nick? You find the most interesting stuff.

Thanks for this, first time I’ve heard of this guy. When he pulls the pizza out at around 13 minutes I just died.

I remember first seeing a video of his years ago when QT3 had ads for Chet’s poetv; a sort of zoo exhibit for YouTube oddities. Review dude is really cool and it sucked to see him hurt like this. I don’t think he’s ever cursed or gotten angry in any of his videos.

It’s pretty obvious what happened. Google’s high-tech algorithms noticed his full, bushy beard and decided that he must be from the Taliban and reviewing suicide vests.

But seriously, this guy is awesome. He’s like Fred Rogers for the 21st century. I’d follow him except that I don’t have the moral courage to actually try new things when I go to a fast food restaurant.

Oh, man. This guy has been a thing for a long time (in the internet world) and he’s fairly famous. CNN even did a piece on him once. He’s basically exactly what he appears to be. Just some sweet goofball that takes junk food reviews way seriously. What’s great about him is that he’s so nice, even when he dislikes something, he can’t really bring himself to be mean about it.

He’s the polar opposite of every “angry” or “in your face” YouTuber.