Making money from YouTube.

I have watched my share of things on YouTube. Everything from Jeff Lawtons extremely well done videos, to Russian car crash stuff. I seem to be easily entertained.

I understand that much of this content is driven by the producer's desire to make advertising money. That's probably why we see so much low-value stuff that should have never been made.

I would also like to make money, messing around with my camera.
.......
Wondering how many of you have made money, presenting your projects on YouTube.

How much do you make per month?

How many videos do you have up and how many hours of work would you say went into their production?

Do you feel that this was a productive use of your time?

I am a pretty good public speaker and don't experience anxiety in front of a crowd. I may even come up with something gimmicky like giving them a few bars of Sinatra or Zeppelin to end a video. I might end with some bodybuilding poses.

The comments section doesn't bother me even one little bit. I would rather see absolutely horrible comments, than none at all. It means people are watching.

One more question. Suppose I get a million hits on something popular, how many dollars in my pocket would that translate into?

Thank you in advance. I'm open to receiving answers as a personal message, if you don't want to divulge everything publicly.

Dale - Your posts here are awesome, so I think you would have a great chance at going "viral" on YouTube!

I would encourage you to just jump in with both feet and do a video and post it to YouTube. Once you do, embed it here on a new thread.  I would watch it and suspect a bunch of others here will watch it as well, so you will get a bump in views to get the video started.

A big component of being successful at YouTube is search engine optimization (SEO). Think about what somebody might search for to find your video. Make those search words are in the video title and description. I would be happy to help if you want any pointers.

I might start by looking at your most popular posts here on Permies, and turning one of them into a video. For example, your Hugelkultur - Good wood , Bad wood thread is quite popular. Or, your Dale's Wildlife Photos might be another idea. Pro tip, at the bottom of a permies thread page is this text "This thread has been viewed 108483 times" which is pretty much what is sounds like. BTW - that is from your wildlife thread. Your hugel thread is "viewed 148037 times."

This is an interesting view behind the dashboard for how much money on YouTuber made:  
(Summary - he made $1 USD for 1,300 views)

An interesting insight into how to make money off your content is to create content that an advertising wants to show their ads on. For example, your series of posts on your cordless power tools might turn into videos that are advertiser-friendly - especially to manufacturers of said power tools. If you can make a name for yourself reviewing that type of stuff, it is possible that a manufacturer may approach you with the offer of free stuff to review their products. In a way, you get free stuff to make videos and then make money on views.

Hope this helps

Thanks Rick. Yes, I have thought of doing outtakes from popular threads. Some threads have a concrete artifact, whether it be one of my inventions or something I built. Other times, I might just find myself talking to the camera. My own experience with YouTube is that it has to be a really compelling subject and speaker, for me to sit and watch a guy yak.

There are many many tool reviewers, and that is the only thing holding me back in that regard. I've already been told by one manufacturer, that I could get some free tools, if videos reach certain benchmarks. Most guys seem to unpack the tool, use it for a few minutes, and then write a review. I would prefer to review things that I have used in my work. I'm not averse to doing negative reviews as well. I've had excellent results with my Stihl and EGO equipment. Others have been very disappointing, and I would enjoy nothing more than pointing that out to anyone that is interested.

I would want to do videos that cover a wide array of subjects, many of them not suitable for here. Perhaps I should create two channels. One for my growing, building and recycling type stuff, and a totally separate one for my political rantings and ramblings.

I understand there's all sorts of reciprocal linking relationships that go on. This is the sort of stuff that I know basically nothing about. But that hasn't stopped me from getting into things in the past. I tend to decide on a direction, and then figure it out as I go. That seems to worked out pretty well in both demolition and child-rearing.
........
I will definitely be going with the no subject is taboo theme. Certain subjects stir up the rabble who love to make comments that no one reads. I hope to work them into a froth, so that they come back over and over again.

I'm pretty sure that once you get established at this, it would become impractical to read the comments, and nearly impossible to respond to it. I think I'd probably have to be quite selective in which comment topics to address. Maybe give a little disclaimer at the end of the videos, letting them know that I won't be reading it all, because I'm busy doing the next thing or recording the next thing.

There seems to be no shortage of information on the web. Most of it is video based. They want me to watch their video and put a few pennies in their pocket, while   they tell me how to put a few in mine. Fair enough

https://www.google.ca/amp/m.wikihow.com/Earn-Money-on-YouTube%3famp=1#ampshare=http://www.wikihow.com/Earn-Money-on-YouTube

I'm pretty familiar with the publishing standards around here, and they're definitely more stringent than those on YouTube. It seems to be the Wild West. Home to crazy stuff, irrelevant stuff, racist stuff and the list goes on. Although I might present controversial opinions on some social issues, I doubt that I would ever feel the need to go beyond what they already allow.

There is a possibility, that someone could click on a video of my pond, for instance, and when it's over they are given the option of watching me explain expedient ways of dealing with drug addicts. The latter topic, is bound to go beyond Paul's comfort zone, even though it would be an entertaining piece, meant to generate views above all else.

I'm going to put some time into searching out exactly what sort of content draws the most viewership. Obviously, many of these will be beyond my scope. I understand there's a girl who scores big time with her makeup tips. I can't compete with that.

There are certain things where I have far more experience and knowledge than your average person, and I think that's where I will start. Videos on salvaging buildings and building components, and basically all manner of recycling. I think I could convince others in related businesses, to allow me to come to their place of business and show what they do.

On the green energy front, I am certainly no expert when it comes to electronics. But I can find those who are, and put a camera in front of them. They would get some exposure, and I would get the ad revenue.

Suppose I do some good quality videos on permaculture issues in my neck of the woods. Does Paul ever add other people's content, to his channel on a split basis? I'd be happy with a smaller chunk of a much larger pie. If my experience with women is any indication, eventually some people will get sick of me. When this happens, I'd like to send them here or to Paul's YouTube stuff.
.......
I'm not going to quit all of my day jobs tomorrow, but I do expect to invest a few hundred hours into this enterprise. I suppose I'll want to track how individual subjects are going, so I know where to put more time. I have certain things that I would like to present, whether I make money or not. Other things, I expect to do, because the audience shows me that they have a taste for it. Maybe I could become the TMZ of permaculture. Some people are looking for a Whipping Boy. I don't mind being that guy. Who knows, maybe this would draw some of the crazy away from the more serious subjects. Best to put them all in one spot and let them fight with one another. If I own that spot, then their add viewing time, will compensate me for performing this service.

Gregg Carter Outdoors

It takes a lot of views to make significant money. You have to be doing it for other reasons. The money goes up and down dependent on what you are producing, view time, number of subscribers, and several other factors. I have my channel because I am passionate about teaching about wild edible and herbal plants. I have since branched out to other topics. At the moment I have 818 subscribers so still very small, especially with over 100 videos. The quality of the videos has gotten better, but I focus on the content. I haven't spent any money on the channel that wasn't generated by the channel. I am sure if I had been willing to spend other monies it could have grown quicker.

I make an average of $15 a month. Yoo Hoo! But like I said it is about sharing information. The channel has been growing a lot lately so that number should theoretically go up. My advise would be, unless you have a passion for sharing something there are other, easier ways to make side money.

Thanks Greg. How many views do you get per month?

Do you make watching the ads optional or are they something that must run, before the content can be viewed?

Have you personally set up any arrangements with advertisers?

I was certainly hoping to hear a much larger number than $15.

I expect having an online presence to help me in my other endeavors. I expect to do videos that demonstrate much of what I do for a living. When someone clicks into demolition or hedge trimming in the Victoria area, I'm hoping that they stumble upon my video. If this doesn't happen, I guess I could send people to the videos with other advertising.

So, does a view produce a penny or some portion of a penny? And what if they click on and watch an ad or go to the website of the advertiser? What does it pay then?

Some of my stuff would naturally lend itself to the advertising of relatively expensive tools. The people watching are likely to desire some of those tools. Is one view considered equivalent to another view or do you make more points somehow, for bringing in those more likely to spend the money?

I have the full range of advertising on YouTube. $15 is just from YouTube ads. If I added in the occasional Amazon link, it would be a little higher.

After you have over 1000 subscibers there are groups that will help you get brand deals, if that is what you are hoping for.

YouTube tracks 28 day watch time. Right now I average 20,000 minutes in 28 days. Again it is steadily going up. I started taking it seriously spring of this year and have increased 300 supscribers since March. That is something to take into consideration.

I must also add, that my channel has opened other doors that could turn out to be profitable.

Do it Dale!
I would love to see you cut loose!
Van living, wild harvesting, working for yourself  advice, but mostly YOU!
Wranglerstar or Forgotten Weapons(Gun Jesus),  or who ever, the main thing us the personality,and you got that in spades.
Plus, you seem to have a unique social/political viewpoint.
Another great thing is that you seem to know A LOT of people. Weird,smart, talented people. You network hardcore.
The post you made about doing the math on storage with your client,well,you could have just taken her money.
Instead you worked out a good deal for both of you.
That's gold right there.

All the cool ideas you want to try but are too busy for,showthem to your audience and they might sponsor your experiment.

Demonstrating your demolition techniques,like pallet dismantling,or your new denailer,these are useful,wanted knowledge.
Show how you slab a log,turn hedges into mulch, hell, show us how you use your camping  shower!

It occurred to me, you are a busy guy. A lot of your best content will be hard for you to capture yourself.
You need a partner who will do the shooting,editing and search optimization.
That way you can just be you, making money, conversation,friends,deals,and trouble,while your media person does the rest.


Hurry up and make me watch commercials so I can see you do you!

Thank you William. I definitely plan to go ahead with this. I'm hoping to get some sort of tracking device that I can put in my pocket, so that the camera will always stay on me. Not sure what that costs.

Along with my permaculture stuff, I would love nothing better than to pontificate until I'm hoarse on political issues, social issues and even whack-job conspiracy theories or religious stuff. If I can't be the most beloved person on the internet, I'm happy to be the most reviled.
.....
But, I want to start with the things that I'm already known for, where I can claim some degree of expertise. The camera may not love my fifty-three-year-old face, but I love it. The camera I mean. When the internet first came along, I thought, I have to get in on this. The whole world should be given the opportunity to find out what I think. But I was very busy and had absolutely no computer knowledge. I can run a camera, and I know how to hit send. Now, the dream of having my opinions blasted into every home, is a real possibility.

Of course there are a million other guys who would also like to do as I am suggesting. My job will be to outcompete them, with knowledge, perseverance, wit and skullduggery.

I've already come up with some very unique scenarios that I haven't seen done before. Before doing those things, I will search them this way and that, to make sure they haven't been done. Then, when the time is right, I will dump a written version and a video version onto the market at the same time, linking one to the other. I don't have a brand that I need to protect, so I'm willing to take some pretty serious chances, and really push the limits.

I expect it to be fun, and I expect it to become my primary social outlet. Viewers will be invited to my place, to participate in experiments and proof of concept stuff.

The world is full of crazies. I definitely want to put my camera in front of anyone who is likely to draw an audience, simply by virtue of their existence.

I'll offer my female perspective Dale :)   I've been browsing Permies for about 4 years and  I always look forward to reading your posts.  I find the amazingly wide and creative range of things you engage in interesting and inspiring.  You often have technical expertise to offer on a wide range of subjects so I get excited when I see your name on a topic I'm researching.  And you come across as a deep thinker, somewhat poetic, interesting and amusing,  when ranging into politics or other right brain stuff!    So I would follow you and don't believe you should be concerned about too many people doing the same thing.   I've checked out dozens of homesteading type Youtubers and only follow a handful because they're technically knowledgeable, and I just like their personality and presentation style.    The ones I absolutely avoid are the people who don't prepare.  The just ramble about general things.  And then there's the sloppy camera habits, walking around with the camera jiggling and swaying in every direction so I feel like my eyeballs are going to pop out.   I don't know much about YouTube policies and procedures but there are videos by individuals you can search for "how to make money on youtube".   It seems to take about a year to gather a good following, and my impression is you need about 100K subscribers to make real money.   Justin Rhodes is a good success story.  Maybe he'd give you some tips.  He's certainly benefited from permies promotions.      I think you'd do well !

Thank you Susan. You are obviously a woman of taste and intellect. We should get married.

The technical skills stuff is what I will really have to work on. I have watched many shaky videos, where the person on the other end, had no regard for my time. One fellow led me on a 90 second walk to his pond, before the video got going. Some people seem lost for words. Others will decide that they're going to show us how to generate electricity with biogas, and there they are, attempting to get the thing lit for the first time. That seems like something that could have been done off camera. They could have fixed their gas/air ratio and then shown us what worked, out of their 20 different tries. But no, here's these two nimrods yelling to each other, as they make fine and not so fine adjustments. So, there's absolutely no chance of me being the worst presenter. That's a 10,000 way tie, held by people who are already on YouTube.

I have watched quite a bit of stuff where the person is a good presenter. Some of that stuff can be emulated, others not so much. I'm really good at composing my thoughts and presenting them in a way where most intelligent people will understand what I mean, whether they agree with me or not. Some presenters go with a quirky personality or, look, I'm a pretty girl, as a sort of shtick.

I expect to do different things, for my different types of videos. When presenting permaculture, building or alternative energy stories, I will play it pretty straight. If I'm presenting one of my inventions that is not likely to catch on, such as my Office Chair, Chainsaw Mill, or Fishwasher/Dishwasher, I will inject some humor.

Having lots of videos in different genres, should expose me to a wide audience. Even people whose idea of a good time, is arguing with me on the finer points of corporal punishment, will still need to eat. Perhaps they will build a hugelkultur mound and link to one of Paul's videos on that subject.
.....
I have an endless list of flame bait subjects. I don't like the idea that I have to pay the same amount for healthcare in Canada, as someone who smokes. I'd  like to see changes in the standard of care, depending on which group you fall into. I don't believe in universal suffrage. That's a can of worms for sure. We have legally assisted suicide in Canada. I could see, doing a comical outtake, where I suggest hundreds of possible reasons why this should be approved, for various people who haven't yet applied. The list is endless. I'm an atheist, who was raised with extreme religion. Lots of fodder there. Again, all of these people, would be given the opportunity to learn how to produce their own food and build a pond.
.......
In order to keep things clean around here, it's necessary to constantly censor what the rabble have to say, and sometimes, to ban them completely. I want to swing the doors wide open and let them in. They can enjoy themselves in the comment section, where I seldom tread. I will encourage them to make their own videos, to refute my point of view. Guaranteed, some of them will link to my video, to make sure that their audience will understand why I'm wrong.
.......
Yesterday, my friend Felix, agreed that I am the perfect personality type, for this sort of thing, and then he said "Don't give up your day job." That's going to cost him. At some point, I hope to do a video with that title, where I bring up his name. Perhaps, that one should be saved for the day when I reach 100,000 followers.

Dale Hodgins wrote: ..... then he said "Don't give up your day job." That's going to cost him.

You seem to have incredible depth in construction and localized engineering, Dale.  Any way to parlay that into a partial income stream along with the videos of making and selling specialized types of gardening/farming/construction tools (or otherwise)?  You could limit them to the types that are easily disassembled and shipped as inexpensively as possible.  Maybe this just ends up being not cost effective, but if you did it in an way that you did not "stock inventory", but rather did it on a request basis, it may be mildly profitable as part of a diversified effort?  Is it hard to ship *out* of Canada?  The video channel would give instant access to advertising.

Thank you Susan. You are obviously a woman of taste and intellect. We should get married.

Ah this so reminds me of the famous but probably not true concerning an attractive Russian ballerina and Sir Athur Conan Doyle . One day when in his seventies the famous writer was approached by a famous young dancer . She asked without preamble to marry her . He very much surprised asked why? .Her reply was " so our children would have my looks and your brains " He replied " but just think they might have my looks and your brain "

Sigh....where were you when I was young and good looking and a smoker too??   We'd have a lot of fun 'cause I'm a resourceful project/inventor kind of gal, but alas, I'm too "mature" for you and I suspect we'd go insane very quickly -  forgive my presumption but I suspect you're a little ADHD and I am too -lol.    Which leads me to another observation about Youtubers - they all whine about the hours required to edit their videos (4 hours per video they say).   So I've noticed a decline in quality and frequency with my favorites.  My impression is that you are a VERY busy person and might want to give thought to whether it would quickly become too tedious for you.  But heck, you're not signing a labor contract so make a video or two with your current camera and see what happens before investing in a bunch of high end equipment!    Anyhoo - I'm thinking your title should include something like  "Renaissance Man".  Let us know as soon as you're published.   I'll subscribe for sure!
:wink:

Dale Hodgins wrote: ...I'm happy to be the most reviled.

Dale Hodgins wrote:I might end with some bodybuilding poses.

That alone might get you on your way...

I often find that I get sucked into a YouTube vortex, that gobbles up a bunch of time. I want to make it easy for folks to have One-Stop shopping.

On the ADHD thing, I'm not completely convinced that that's a real thing. But there are obviously many people who think that it is a real thing and a very important one at that. I think that makes it good video fodder.

I'm also completely convinced that Reiki, aromatherapy and a hundred other things don't really do anything other than relieve you of your money. Again, I expect there would be millions who disagree. I'm going to need those folks.

I'll probably have the most fun on any subject that has to do with magic water or some sort of magic food.

Feathers are bound to get ruffled.

I've got to start writing s*** down. My voice to text just censored a word. I wonder how far I'd have to go for YouTube to censor anything?

Don't forget homeopathy Dale check it out . My personal view is that it's the world most expensive sugar .

David

If you aren't familiar with this guy, you should check him out, he is one of the biggest guys on YouTube:
Philip DeFranco

This video talks about a big deal that hit YouTube creators earlier this year:
Youtube BOYCOTT Just Got Way Worse and Why People Are Scared

I post the video as background, because you might want to read this:
Your Content and Making Money from Advertising on YouTube

So if you are looking at this from a way to make money, I see two types of videos you can create:
1. Advertiser-friendly: you make money
2. Not advertiser-friendly: you don't make money

I think a few of the ideas you suggested above would be highly entertaining, and a way to build your following by going viral, but they are likely to fall into the second bucket and not the first bucket. My guess is you want a healthy mix of both types of videos in your channel. I see the first type of videos as money-makers, and the second type of video as follower/channel/brand builders.

Hope this helps

David Livingston wrote:Don't forget homeopathy Dale check it out . My personal view is that it's the world most expensive sugar .

David

That is at the top of my list, but filed under Magic Water.

Youtube has changed the deal. Pray they do not change it further.

Some very big youtube content creators saw their income take a huge cut after the advertising boycott.  This produced an aha moment for many of them.  They were digital share croppers.  While they might be "successful," their continued financial success depended on youtube keeping the same rules in play.  Risky...

So, a number of them, like Cody's lab for example, started a patreon account so they could have a direct relationship with the people who enjoyed their content.  If youtube changes the money rules, it now affects them much less, or not at all.  If youtube becomes unpopular, they can migrate their content to another venue, but the revenue stream still goes directly to them via Patreon.  Youtube never touches the money.

If you get 10,000 people who watch your videos regularly, and 5% of them like it so much they want to send you a couple bucks a month on patreon, that's $12,000 a year.

Thank you Rick. I'm sure I will learn something from watching those videos.

And thank you, Trey. I had heard or seen the word Patreon, but have never checked it out. I will definitely do that. It probably makes sense to put content in as many places as will take it, and link between them.

I hope I don't become one of those guys who makes multiple videos commenting and sneering at my detractors. But, if it pays the bills...

It's too late for me to play on my youthful beauty. I can do a pretty good curmudgeon. But most of all, I'd like to come across as an aspiring and inspiring know it all who is chock-full of interesting and shocking opinions. That doesn't really require acting, just some practice in front of the camera.

Dale Hodgins wrote:Thank you Rick. I'm sure I will learn something from watching those videos.

And thank you, Trey. I had heard or seen the word Patreon, but have never checked it out. I will definitely do that. It probably makes sense to put content in as many places as will take it, and link between them.

I hope I don't become one of those guys who makes multiple videos commenting and sneering at my detractors. But, if it pays the bills...

It's too late for me to play on my youthful beauty. I can do a pretty good curmudgeon. But most of all, I'd like to come across as an aspiring and inspiring know it all who is chock-full of interesting and shocking opinions. That doesn't really require acting, just some practice in front of the camera.

Quick comment about Patreon - I would not start an account with them until you had built up a following on YouTube and had some committed fans. I have been reading up about Patreon as part of a business plan that I'm developing and all the advice I found said that if you just dive into Patreon at the very beginning without building up a following you won't have much success. Doing a big roll out once you have followers seems to be much more successful though with Patreon you also need to have some special rewards for different funding levels. Some people do live Q&A sessions, or 1 on 1 trainings once a month for high level sponsers, etc. It all depends on what your videos or other product is about.

I would recommend looking at the successful Patreon accounts and seeing what they offer their supporters to get some idead and then set a goal where once you get X number of YouTube subscribers then you do a big rollout campaign to launch your Patreon account.

A sidemark and not so related to the topic: I hate youtube videos unless it is a topic you really need a video. Otherwise I am old and I can still read and I prefer reading to watching endless movies.

Dale Hodgins wrote:Thank you Susan. You are obviously a woman of taste and intellect. We should get married.

Aww. I am a real minister and lurk here. If the two of you and I can get together somewhere I can file my credentials (so the proceedings are legal) I would be happy to do the ceremony for gratis. Bring your intended, a legally issued license and two witnesses. Standing in an alpine meadow in November at moonrise with four wolves in attendance and snow up to my keyster, we will talk further FIRST. (I have done this, we had a howl after and it was great)


Elsewhere I am seriously sorting through this thread.

Dale, I do like a lot of your posts here at Permies and I'd like it if you would get into doing the videos. I'm hoping to do the same, and add it to a portfolio of adding to my bottom line. I live in the literal nowhere, we are truly at the end of the grid, and this place is 'bring your own job'. Like working with you behind scenes too. High five 'brutha'.

Susan Pruitt wrote:Sigh....where were you when I was young and good looking and a smoker too??   We'd have a lot of fun 'cause I'm a resourceful project/inventor kind of gal, but alas, I'm too "mature" for you and I suspect we'd go insane very quickly -  forgive my presumption but I suspect you're a little ADHD and I am too -lol.    Which leads me to another observation about Youtubers - they all whine about the hours required to edit their videos (4 hours per video they say).   So I've noticed a decline in quality and frequency with my favorites.  My impression is that you are a VERY busy person and might want to give thought to whether it would quickly become too tedious for you.  But heck, you're not signing a labor contract so make a video or two with your current camera and see what happens before investing in a bunch of high end equipment!    Anyhoo - I'm thinking your title should include something like  "Renaissance Man".  Let us know as soon as you're published.   I'll subscribe for sure!
:wink:

Hon, you're as old as you feel (other than those mornings, you know which ones I refer to). You have much to offer. Insanity can make life interesting though, it depends on which kind, how often and when. (and what the little voices tell you, and what you do about them/what they tell you) Following this one (Susan and Dale) with great interest. (hehe, just in fun with a big grin) I was cheesecake in my day, I had something upstairs besides the bikini padding, and I was snagged by a good'un. It took a long time for us to work out something that worked. If something happened to him, I'm not a cougar, but heck, Dale might be a something to look at twice. Heh. Still, go for it Susan. I recently did a senior discount and got carded within four hours, same city same day. The fellow that requested my ID for an adult beverage purchase, said 'we visually card to 30' and I thanked him very nicely. 55 and getting carded, felt good. That should carry me through the next 30 years or so. I hit forty and was at 'I'm clean, it's covered, let's go' for fashion/makeup which is usually 80 by the chart I had....


I think I'll be happy here with my tomatoes and my yearnings to kill every bit of bindweed in my favorite garden patch and him. My other half loves me so that's all that matters. And he's a real keeper, he turns the massive mound of 'compost in process' a few times a week for me.

Youtube, we both want to get into here. I admit I'm the better camerawoman and better stills, he knows something about video and has put a few clips up on youtube (he's disabled, so video is a way he augments his memory, stuff he's done he documents so he can look later and remember what he did. We both carry pretty fancy iPhones (7plus 256's) to keep in touch and so he has a good camera in his pocket to record those things he wants to remember (and I often will catch video of something he's done for the same reason. Hence he's better at video editing. I get paid to do stills and I'm better at that because)  

I'm already supporting an artist friend heavily with Patreon, he needs it. It can be a great asset if you can build a fanbase. I've watched my friend do so, build a loyal fanbase, and get support that way. In return he remembers his patreon subscribers, and shares his talent with us for sticking by him. Which I've been honored by such and greatly appreciate.

Dale, forge ahead. I wait to hear how you fare in this new realm (to me) and hopefully you will guide me with what you report. I may not patreon you but I would like to know what you endorse and if I can buy it on amazon versus you (where you get an affiliate fee) I'll go to you. Please. What camera you use, what software you use to edit (I have the adobe suite because a client demands I use it though I prefer Corel and have used them for decades, etc) and more, let us know.

(hopefully this is all fun, between you and Susan, I'm just enjoying it totally. If either of you don't like I'll drop it like a rock in the lake, though after this one, consider it buried. Thank you for the fun)

David Livingston wrote:Don't forget homeopathy Dale check it out . My personal view is that it's the world most expensive sugar .

David

That and several other things I consider placebo. I am a reikimaster. There seems to be something to it. Along with my shaman training. However, I will point to the Great Randi, a mentalist and his putting up $1,000,000 of his own money against a doubleblind clinical test of the 'Memory of Water'. (there was a documentary, the test was run rigidly as a doubleblind, he proved he had the million and he sweat for a bit as they opened the data on camera and tallied it. It came out as 'mreeep')

I have nothing against a cheap placebo, those have their place, and note the word 'cheap'. I have been part of clinical trials and every time I was fed the placebo I could tell.

In the meantime one of the tenets I follow is 'Do no harm in what you do'. I used to do some major metaphysical faires as a near-headliner. I knew the talk and I walked the walk but ethically, if presented with something the person was denying and needed intervention/care NOW I was blunt and told them so. (did happen a few times. One person had a friend with her, I lived in town the faire was, and I turned to the friend and said 'take her to X hospital NOW'.

So getting back to youtube, for true instructional, I love it. The rest, a grain to a truckload of salt....

Dale Hodgins wrote:/I hope I don't become one of those guys who makes multiple videos commenting and sneering at my detractors. But, if it pays the bills...

It's too late for me to play on my youthful beauty. I can do a pretty good curmudgeon. But most of all, I'd like to come across as an aspiring and inspiring know it all who is chock-full of interesting and shocking opinions. That doesn't really require acting, just some practice in front of the camera.

Ask Paul for a few lessons. He's good in front of the camera. I'm not sure how, but he is. Heh.

One of my patreon people offers 25c a month. NO rewards recognition, just a way for his supporters to toss a few bits of change every month. He actually have several subscribers that do that.  His next is $1 and he offers a minimal reward. (digital based graphics)

I find that I am already withholding some of my better ideas. I want to roll them all out, in video form. Once I have some sort of audience, this will motivate me to improve some of my minor inventions and to build prototypes for those that are just presented as ideas currently.

I'm looking for much more audience participation, than most YouTube presenters. I will invite people to come to my place to witness and participate in various experiments. They would need to sign off on everything to do with using their image etc.


Airbnb
I've been scouting around, looking for suitable campsite locations, where I will build some very small and hidden cabins. They will be available on Airbnb, along with the main cabin. I'd like to provide accommodation for those wishing to participate in videos. Those who are capable of helping to produce quality content, will get a free spot. Unfortunately, I'm on an island, so it's not the easiest place to get to. But, we have a large population of locals who would fit in very well on this site.

Dale Hodgins wrote:I find that I am already withholding some of my better ideas. I want to roll them all out, in video form. Once I have some sort of audience, this will motivate me to improve some of my minor inventions and to build prototypes for those that are just presented as ideas currently.

I thought since you seem so motivated to make a great channel, I'd share an interesting channel I was introduced to a few months ago. I'm sure it's been shared on Permies before, but I didn't see mention of it in this topic.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA[/youtube]

Basically the guy goes off to the woods for a weekend, makes a video on a single topic with no talking involved, and has various different angles for his shots.  

People seem to enjoy the way he presents this day-to-day life in the jungle. It should be noted that he started his youtube channel 2 years ago and now has almost 5,000,000 subscribers while only having 27 videos - quite an extraordinary story.

I think what is liked most by viewers is the challenge-aspect of only using what nature provides him, and yet he can build amazing things like a forge blower. I could see you doing something similar as a theme where you take apart an old building and reuse it to make "something".

Since you were also interested in Patreon, he is currently getting $5,000+ donations per video. (at least I believe that's what the #'s means)
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2945881
Patreon would probably be best once you have a larger following, as noted in replies from other people in this thread. Once that happens, people could essentially pay you to make videos of you bringing your ideas/inventions to life.

Most Youtube Creators I know don't have that kind of experience making their channels like Primitive Technology has though, and generally relevant or decent levels of cashflow via youtube ads can't be seen for 3-5 years.

Anyways, just some food for thought. Looking forward to seeing your channel come to life

Thank you Deb and Jared.

I'm going to need some gimmicks. Something to set me apart from the others. Something that's not related to my skills or knowledge. Just something memorable, that will make people come back, just to find out what I will say or do next.

 It would be fun to Lampoon the rap music, murder thing. I could set up a deal with another guy who does gardening type stuff, and we could stage a feud. It would end in a drive-by fruiting. I'd smash a rotten peach on his back, unless he got me first.

Another idea, would be to call out those who have produced very poor content. I could invite them over for a slapping match or threatened to send my mom over, to beat up their mom. 

Here's something that would be fun to do at the end of every video. It would be really fun to make a pathetic plea, looking for a girlfriend. That one could be approached from many angles. I could insist on a Raquel Welch look alike, or give a list of duties that would essentially make them my slave. Then invite comments.

I am quite strong for a fifty-three-year-old my size. I could do Feats of Strength or Feats of Endurance, to end a segment.

I have to break many things, in the process of doing demolition jobs. A segment on growing potatoes, could end with me doing a spinning hammer throw and sending my pry bar through a big window 40 ft away. Nothing to do with the topic at hand, but a memorable 3 second ending.

 I could see people choosing to watch the next little segment, just to see what I'll do next.
.......
There could be an alter ego, full of bombast and vitriol. That could make a fun start or end to a video.

In my early life, I had much exposure to evangelical preachers. It would be fun to do an overblown version of that, although I'm not sure how you top some of them. I guess I could shimmy, gurgle and sputter, cast out pestilence and heal the land. Send $10 and I'll pray for your garden in the next segment.

My vote is for the smashing stuff idea. Especially if you put a teaser for today's smash segment at the beginning of the video to give your watchers a reason to watch until the end

Are you familiar with Blendtec?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/user/Blendtec/videos?flow=grid&view=0&sort=p[/youtube]

The lowest common denominator of smashing stuff does pretty well on youtube.