151–160 of 277 posts
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> I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations? 99.9% of what’s on YouTube I have zero interest in, the recommendation engine is how I cull the noise and actually find things to watch.
One shouldn't go to YouTube to fill time, but to find something.
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> just pay for YouTube Premium This would imply signing-in. I don't sign in and reset the cookies regularly because I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. But Okay, I would sign-in and pay, if every video page had a download button and the whole thing would give me an API exposing all the features reliably (so I could use it easily in 3-rd party players with search and suggestions).
> I don't want my history tracked and suggestions personalized. I am genuinely curious, how do you find videos worth your time without recommendations? 99.9% of what’s on YouTube I have zero interest in, the recommendation engine is how I cull the noise and actually find things to watch.
1. I search for a topic and pick out a video that seems interesting.
2. I remember the names of the few YouTubers I like, and I look them up once in a while.
I do actually have a YT account and I'm subscribed to some people, but I rarely bother to sign in.
For me, YouTube is a platform for seeking content rather than a platform for being fed content (like HN or Twitter).
A significant portion of purchases are now made online, so if users don't click through an ad that directly means they won't be buying the thing being advertised.
Another point to consider: Why does youtube permit ads to run that not only are not effective in generating revenue for the advertisers (as no users click through on them) but also harm user opinions of wanting to use youtube in general. Will google make the same mistakes that television made? A significant portion of purchases are now made online, so if users don't click through an ad that directly means they won't…
TV didn't go away because of ads but because consumers shifted to a different model of consuming content.
> also harm user opinions of wanting to use youtube in general
Most people browse the web and don't even know about ad blockers. It's a very small bubble that's really loud and anti-ads. I hear from many people that actually like Instagram ads as they act as a recommendation engine for them.
> Why does youtube permit ads to run that not only are not effective
Advertisers test different ad copies and versions A LOT. You can be sure that if there's an ad running it's at least somewhat effective for the use case they are trying to achieve. Just like billboards an ad also can just increase awareness even if you don't click through.
Imho, the big question here is, if there's actually a trend. Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a website, with just one single (non-animated) banner on top, than it is today with a website that's plastered with animated banners, link ads, and other stuff? Was it easier, 10 years ago, to make money from a video platform, with just one single skip-able ad at the start of each video - than it is today with…
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> Are we ok with working for free? No, which is why I decided to pursue a career where I'm paid based on a salary, protected by employee rights (even if limited in the US), and not beholden to a single corporation's platofrm to perform my job. Most of the youtubers I watch aren't making a living off of it, and the few that do are able to do so because they've monetized outside of the YouTube platform. Nothing you say…
Do you support the YouTubers you watch through the alternative channels then?
Unwanted advertising is spam. Period. A lot of junk mail landed in my mailbox when I moved to a new place, until I put a red dot sticker on it. Within a week or two, they disappeared. We should implement this "red dot sticker" feature in browsers (with optional exceptions), and pages, services and whatnot should respect it, or they will be facing fines. Fines that really hurt.
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Sponsorblock is the real MVP. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sponsorblock-for-y...
I don't mind sponsors tbh, especially if they're nicely integrated into the video's content.
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> Are we ok with working for free? No, which is why I decided to pursue a career where I'm paid based on a salary, protected by employee rights (even if limited in the US), and not beholden to a single corporation's platofrm to perform my job. Most of the youtubers I watch aren't making a living off of it, and the few that do are able to do so because they've monetized outside of the YouTube platform. Nothing you say…
Do you support the YouTubers you watch through the alternative channels then?