The YouTube bubble | Meet the Trudgians

The YouTube bubble

Posted by on Dec 3, 2016 in Featured | 3 comments

The YouTube bubble

Let me start by stating I love YouTube. I use it on a daily basis. It gives me entertainment, it provides me knowledge and perspective. As a content creator, it provides a place to output my ramblings and share my thoughts. I really do love YouTube.

But, don’t be fooled. Once you are in the YouTube bubble, it consumes you. It envelops you. It encourages you to watch another kitten montage, more Russian dash cams and “in the moment” trends of challenges that people feel compelled to share with the world. It really can consume hours of your life as you hop from video to video.

As a creator, it is not much better. You see, YouTube is a numbers game. As I create content, I check, re-check, analyse and work out whether what I did was good or bad. Checking the subscriber count, the likes vs dislikes, the Watch rate and video retention. the numbers go on and on.

img_6333Every creator does this. Trust me, we really do. We spend many hours fathoming out if our magic formula really does work and if you the viewer are getting the message we wanted to share. It’s really the only way of us to measure the success of our videos. For the creators, the videos are just like our children going out into the big wide world. Once we have moulded, crafted and created this “thing” we send them out into the world and hope that everyone likes them.

This week I have noticed that my channel is now slowing down. I’ve noticed that the number of subscribers, the watch time and viewer engagement is now starting to level off.

What exactly is happening? It would appear that the caravanning community is pretty seasonal. Who knew ? But YouTube has been suffering issues in their analytics. Over-reporting the number of views and the number of subscribers etc, it has been tough for YouTube recently, it has been a glitch-filled few days. Even now, at the time of writing, The numbers are all wrong for the previous week.

But most noticeably YouTube is in a weird place right now. Some high-profile YouTube channels have recently crumbled and stopped being so engaging. From Casey Neistat ending the daily vlog, to PewDePie now deleting YouTube’s biggest channel when it reaches 50 million subscribers and other smaller channels ending and breaking up, its all a bit of a shakeup in the online vlog environment. Don’t get me wrong, change is good. But uncontrolled creative change is an ungrounded mess. YouTubes creative energy is currently in a self-destructive cycle. It will all come good again once the dust has settled and there is regained focus.

img_6707-websafeMy channel is not immune from this either. I too would like to change the direction I want to take with our channel. I would like to expand our reach, build a bigger community and give more variety of the content we offer. There is no danger of us ending anytime soon, I want to offer more. It’s just a learning exercise on how I actually achieve this and, do it right.

In a recent vlog, I mentioned how I have plans for the new year. I am currently planning out 3 web series, maybe even a book, aimed at very different audiences. All with a common link of being the caravan or motorhome. These are challenging times for me, these are pushing my creative streak to the limit. In this quiet phase of the year, when subscribers are slowing, content isn’t being consumed so vigorously and the world at large goes into its wintertime hibernation, I’m focusing on what I can offer you all in the new year. We have big plans on top of our weekly uploads so, stick with us. I will share more details with you when the time is right.

So until then, Keep watching. There are plenty of good things to come. I do, however, need to think of a catchy thing to say at the end of the vlogs and at the end of my writing.

“Reach for the sky ?” – Maybe I’ll keep working on this, suggestions are welcome.

 

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3 Comments

  1. Hey Dan have you never been tempted to do any of those twitter poles to see what type of vlog’s your followers enjoy most ?

    Personally as a caravanning family with kids your vlogs of trips away are probably my favourite ones you guys do.

    Maybe you can keep the “caravanning is the new cool” catchphrase to use to sign off okay I know maybe watching you say that on carry on caravanning might have put you off I guess depending on your opinions of that show but I liked you saying that even if I didn’t like the tv show and it stuck in in my mind because despite what people who haven’t caravanned may think caravanning is indeed very cool and one of the best things our family have certainly decided to do.

    Good luck with your projects and plans and we all look forward to seeing them in the future

    Jason

  2. Hi Dan,

    I too enjoy your videos and as a caravaning New by, find them informative. My favourite of your videos have this far been the technical one. Getting rid of the black gundge in the toilet flush is one for possible future use and I am very excited about making my own awning lights very soon.

    Your use of light weight foam board has giving me some ideas of my own to improve storage and protect heating pipes in hidden areas.

    Basically what I’m trying to say is that I enjoy your ideas, confidence and inginuity. For me, the more pictures the better. As someone wiser than I once said, “A picture paints a thousand words”

    Regards
    Chris

    • Thank you so much for your kind words Chris.

      I’m glad our content is giving you some great ideas.

      Thanks for your comments,

      Take care
      Dan

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