YouMotorcycle Motorcycle Blog – Motorcycle Lifestyle Blog, MotoVlog, Motorcycle Reviews, News, & How-Tos
In 2019 I made 11 new “how-to” videos for motorcyclists (and a handful of other videos) which lead to a combined 5,600 hours of watch time over 130,000 views. On a daily level YouMotorcycle’s YouTube channel feels insignificant and tiny, so it was cool to do a year-end type of audit. It made me feel like I actually am helping people. Here are my 5 thoughts on YouTube after my best year motovlogging:
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1) YouTube is a crazy place and not safe for snowflakes.
You’ll post a video and sane rational people will thank you for helping them, while on on the same video an anonymous person will be calling you the most vile things they can think of. You can expect everything from sex and marriage proposals to death threats from strangers behind keyboards.
2) What’s more alarming is the lack of expertise and research done by “content creators” (other “motovloggers”) before they start recording.
Nearly every motorcyle how-to video I’ve watched has either misinformation or something crucial left out. Apparently no one knows what a torque spec is, or why the engineers who designed your vehicle have one for every single bolt.
3) A lot of people think of YouTube as a Golden Goose.
You post videos –> you get paid. Right? Because of this belief, there’s a whole industry trying to sell you products & services to grow your channel so you can blow up like Yammie Noob or Spite, be your own boss (just like the pyramid scheme girls on Instagram). The reality is that those who don’t think of their videos as an art, a science, or both –> fail.
4) Our world is getting ever more controlled by Silicon Valley’s interests.
In 2019, Google and YouTube continued to be the two most popular websites, both are owned by Google, meaning Google’s algorithms control 95.1% of all searches on the internet (vs. 1.5% on Facebook). Any “Russian influence” is a drop in the ocean compared to Google’s media influence on what we see.
5) Yes, to be relevant as a publisher or *shudder* “Content Creator” in the 2020s, video and YouTube specifically, is the way to go.
Yes, the platform isn’t perfect. BUT, there are a lot of fantastic people (Delboy, Scotty Kilmer, Ana White) out there making a full time living by pouring out a ton of free quality information for others, and that sounds awesome to me. It’s what I’ve been doing on YouMotorcycle since 2009!
Ok, on second thought, scratch that, I’m going to share two bonus thoughts on the subject:
Bonus #1) My mother now watches (and criticizes) every new video I put out. Her comments range from “Your teeth look very white, good brushing!” to “You sound stupid. Why do you sound stupid for?” ????
Bonus #2) I was recognized about 2-3 times this year by people who had seen my videos. Being in front of a camera is all kinds of awkward, and when someone says they watched you, it brings that all back… but when you stop and think about it, it’s also kind of a compliment, so thank you guys for watching.
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COMMENTS: Who are your favorite motovloggers on YouTube? Let me know!
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