The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube • Hacker News Board

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#101

Post by HardlyCurious » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:39 PM UTC

djaychela wrote: post #42

I produce Music Tech-based educational content on YT. It started as a hobby and sideline to my main work (which at the time was classroom teaching of the same content). While I'm no longer working in classrooms (pandemic plus other reasons led to this), I'm still producing content, which I think is of good quality and worthwhile. The issue I have with it is that I refuse to produce attention-grabbing clickbaity title…

There is certainly slimy YouTube tactics for attention and clicks, but not all successful YouTubers are doing slimy things.

If your videos are genuinely interesting and / or useful, you need to be able to convey that fact to users, before they watch it. It isn't too much to ask.

Just imagine a viewer asking you the question, "ok so why should I watch your videos over someone else's?". It is a fair question. And replying back, "you don't get to know that until you watch it" isn't a reasonable response.

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#102

Post by shuntress » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:40 PM UTC

djaychela wrote: post #42

I produce Music Tech-based educational content on YT. It started as a hobby and sideline to my main work (which at the time was classroom teaching of the same content). While I'm no longer working in classrooms (pandemic plus other reasons led to this), I'm still producing content, which I think is of good quality and worthwhile. The issue I have with it is that I refuse to produce attention-grabbing clickbaity title…

People will never just spontaneously realize you exist and on their own seek out the media you produce.

They have to discover you somehow. The YouTube Algorithm is at least partially concerned with enabling people who would like your channel to discover it.

Regardless of how well you think YouTube does that, you have to admit it's not exactly a simple thing to do. YouTube is trying to maximize ad revenue by maximizing watch time. They are not trying to evenly distribute viewer attention among "worthy" channels.

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#103

Post by bergenty » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:41 PM UTC

djaychela wrote: post #42

I produce Music Tech-based educational content on YT. It started as a hobby and sideline to my main work (which at the time was classroom teaching of the same content). While I'm no longer working in classrooms (pandemic plus other reasons led to this), I'm still producing content, which I think is of good quality and worthwhile. The issue I have with it is that I refuse to produce attention-grabbing clickbaity title…

You can start of click bait and then gradually transition into what aligns with your worldview.

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#104

Post by nephanth » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:42 PM UTC

9dev wrote: post #23

TimTheTinker wrote: post #6

Does it bother anyone else that YouTube has its own TLD (.youtube)? TLDs used to carry a lot of weight, and used to signify something besides individual entities/companies... but it feels to me like that designation is becoming rather diluted.

It bothers me that we still have those useless suffixes attached to domains. What does „org“, „com“, „net“ even mean to the average user? Nothing. It’s nothing but a pointless ritual at this point, and after ICANN chose to add thousands of generic domains, they don’t have any significance left at all, except that nice names are very expensive now. It would be easier for everybody if we simply removed that extra step…

Regional TLDs like .us .uk .fr .ru etc. do make sense though

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#105

Post by tsumnia » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:42 PM UTC

klabb3 wrote: post #94

LouisSayers wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This reminds me of a saying I've heard from Dean Graziosi (sales type guy). "Sell them what they want, give them what they need". I also dislike this whole game where you have to essentially mould yourself into this "mainstream click-baity character", but part of me recognises that if your goal is to sell, then you'd be wise to spend time on presenting your content in a way that is at least initially attention grabbi…

> but part of me recognises that if your goal is to sell , then you'd be wise to spend time on presenting your content in a way that is at least initially attention grabbing. The issue is, I think, exactly that everyone must be at least partially a salesman to get ahead. Is this what we want? Is there a way for YouTube to compensate for clickbaity titles and thumbnails? Are they incentivized to do so? Thinking back a…

Just to add, most of us AREN'T trying to become big YouTube viral influencers. My channel has 2.5k viewers and all my videos were done because I want my in-class students to have a resource to review at home. I got my doctorate and a career as teaching faculty to teach students, not become another Computerphile. I love the channel and link it regularly, but again my passion is in helping people learn in the classroom. The "Thanks!" comments and $100 a year I get from YouTube are just nice bonuses to that end.

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#106

Post by alexb_ » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:43 PM UTC

Maybe I'm wrong for immediately thinking of the worst case scenario, but the moment I saw "Pay To Watch" I immediately thought about those garbage courses that will give you the "secret" to making gazillions of dollars in the stock market. I wonder how YouTube is going to approach content like that. This definitely won't just start with "qualified creators", and even if it does, the people deciding who is qualified may not be 100% accurate (or even worse, being "qualified" gives more legitimacy to a scam product).

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#107

Post by cphoover » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:44 PM UTC

throw_m239339 wrote: post #100

Youtube, please fix your search function. Only show me the content I'm searching for, not something completely unrelated to my search "just in case I like it", also work on your recommendation system cause it still sucks... and stop trying to shove "shorts" don't my throat as well... There is a good reason I use Youtube and not Tik Tok...

this so much...

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#108

Post by shuntress » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:47 PM UTC

HardlyCurious wrote: post #101

djaychela wrote: post #42

I produce Music Tech-based educational content on YT. It started as a hobby and sideline to my main work (which at the time was classroom teaching of the same content). While I'm no longer working in classrooms (pandemic plus other reasons led to this), I'm still producing content, which I think is of good quality and worthwhile. The issue I have with it is that I refuse to produce attention-grabbing clickbaity title…

There is certainly slimy YouTube tactics for attention and clicks, but not all successful YouTubers are doing slimy things. If your videos are genuinely interesting and / or useful, you need to be able to convey that fact to users, before they watch it. It isn't too much to ask. Just imagine a viewer asking you the question, "ok so why should I watch your videos over someone else's?". It is a fair question. And reply…

I was trying to think of a way to word this same thought.

I would expand on it slightly by adding that "Good Thumbnails" are complicated and are not necessarily "Clickbait".

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#109

Post by criddell » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:49 PM UTC

yamazakiwi wrote: post #58

djaychela wrote: post #42

I produce Music Tech-based educational content on YT. It started as a hobby and sideline to my main work (which at the time was classroom teaching of the same content). While I'm no longer working in classrooms (pandemic plus other reasons led to this), I'm still producing content, which I think is of good quality and worthwhile. The issue I have with it is that I refuse to produce attention-grabbing clickbaity title…

It depends on what you want. Google is optimizing for eye balls so content that warrants more engagement is going to win. 2 questions on the end of the spectrum to ask yourself... Do you want to build a community that is a reflection of your ideas? Do you want to build revenue by growing your channel regardless of the type of consumer you attract?

> content that warrants more engagement is going to win

What does that even mean?

I'd be careful about using the language of silicon value ad companies. It changes how you think. One minute you're talking about content and community and the next thing you know you have metrics and are trying to measure engagement and are now making decisions based off something you could actually measure and not relying on your instincts, experience, and good taste.

Instead, create videos (not content) for your fans / audience based on what you know works. Make it so good, your audience will want to support you.

I think Justin Sandercoe does a good job of this. There is a community on his web site and a community on his YouTube channel, but more importantly he has fans on every guitar forum on the internet. He sells books for people who want them and he has courses you can pay for, but they are mostly guides through his lessons which are all available for free on YouTube or reproductions of copyrighted work which he can't give away for free.

The most important thing for his success (IMHO) is that he has created a lot of very high quality videos. He doesn't do clickbait titles or images. Just video after video of great stuff.

Re: The Next Chapter for Learning on YouTube

#110

Post by sergiotapia » Fri, Sep 09, 2022, 9:51 PM UTC

Tiktok has replaced youtube for me. Shorter form video means less of a chance to sell me junk, more "in the flesh" content from real people.

For example I wanted to find a specific room on a cruise ship and someone recorded it in 30 seconds on tiktok. The _specific_ room! Youtube is becoming cable TV, too many grifters and long form content for no reason other than to make a buck.

On tiktok, I found great content for replacing a toilet flush mechanism, drilling pilot holes into wood to hang lights, a cruiseship stateroom walkthrough, CPU benchmarks, GPU benchmarks, Anker charging device review, it doesn't stop there.

Google should most definitely be afraid. They are losing this game.