It's always fascinating in life how things seem to come full circle. As YouTube feels we are no longer "worthy" to be members of their once coveted "partner program", despite us being on YouTube since nearly the beginning, we felt compelled to create the following video:
(special thanks to @seveaux for allowing us to use his epic song "Final Battle" for this piece!)
I'll spare you the finer details of our YouTube "experience". However, in an effort to add a bit more context, here are some highlights from my introduction post earlier last year:
By 2011, our [YouTube] channel had nearly 100,000 subs (when that still meant something) with some pretty decent revenue. However, around mid-2011 our best viral videos were flagged down again, and this time (for no apparent reason at all) YouTube Support decided that many of our videos were no longer "appropriate" for the site (ie. we disagree with your politics). One video alone had over 30 million views, and still exists on copycat channels that YouTube never took down despite multiple requests (apparently, our videos were only "inappropriate for YouTube" on our own channel). Worse, all our new videos were often quickly flagged and rarely allowed to be remonetized (talk about targeting), and our monthly revenue collapsed. "YouTube Partner" meant squat.
It got so bad that soon after, we gave up producing new video for our channel altogether. And YouTube didn't just uphold the demonetization of these videos, they even blocked a bunch of them completely! At which point, all their views also disappeared from our channel.
Link (@alexpmorris): YouTuber's Guide to Re-Monetizing with STEEMIT!
Link (@michellectv): I'd like to introduce you to my Naughty Tipples and more...
Fast forward to 2017, and the "tricks" and tactics YouTube used with us years earlier, now seem to apply to every channel that doesn't completely conform and support Google's ideological worldview. And if you doubt that it's really that bad, just watch this recent Tucker Carlson interview on how they treat their own employees, "Tucker SLAMS Google For its Bias Against Conservatives", and then ask yourself if you think anyone with a voice of their own really ever had a chance over there...
You can even see how there appears to be a secret "shadow ban" on our YouTube account, as immediately upon uploading this very video (after not uploading anything to this account in years), this is the message that awaited us regarding monetization... lol
Yet, Katy Perry's latest repulsive video "Bon Appetit" on cannibalism/pedo and eating people, now has over 434 MILLION views and counting!
She's with HER, or US, or something! π€£
And talk about coming full circle, we first learned about Katy Perry at YouTube Live in 2008. At the time, YouTube flew us out to San Francisco, all expenses paid, to attend the event. I suppose back then they didn't really consider "divergents" to be all that much of a threat. However, is there any doubt which team Katy Perry is on, or if YouTube would have any problem with any of her videos?
Yeah right... At this point, I'm sort of convinced that YouTube and Google is run by some kind of blood cult, or something...! π±
π It was apparently "inappropriate" to depict Bernie Madoff as a Ponzi Scheming Demonoid! π
ππWhile our video featuring Katy Perry at YouTube Live was deemed "unsuitable" for ads!
π
Where are they Now?!
So, where do we now stand in 2018? Well, besides all the changes over the years that have made it all but impossible for us to reach our own subscribers, along with so many of our videos deemed "unsuitable for advertisers", or even better, declared outright "inappropriate for YouTube", we're now informed that our channel no longer meets YouTube's latest set of criteria for maintaining our status as a "YouTube Partner"!
Frankly, we saw the writing on the proverbial "YouTube Wall" long ago, so this really doesn't come as much of a surprise to us. It's simply another step towards Google/YouTube's goal of squashing any dissenting voices or opinions that don't further promote and support their own private and nefariously-crafted agendas...
In other words, you're either "WITH HER", or you're against the "GooglePlex Pack". I expect come the next election cycle, any YouTubers remaining will likely have you believing there exists only a single political candidate. Or in other words, there'll be no doubt whatsoever as to who they own support.
So now what? STEEMIT and DTUBE, that's what!
We've been searching for the ideal next generation "censorship-resistant" platform pretty much since 2011. In the past year alone, the censorship and banning of "dissenting opinions" is worse than ever not just on YouTube, but across all major social media. And even reaching your own subscribers has become more difficult than ever. However disgraceful this banning and censorship may seem, it again points to the impending demise of fully centralized social media platforms, and the importance of migrating over to more decentralized, censorship-resistant models.
And that's what led us to discover STEEMIT. DTUBE was created soon after, and works on top of the STEEM blockchain. Video content is decentralized and stored via IPFS, otherwise known as the "InterPlanetary File System". Streaming quality has steadily improved since site went live. One of the biggest issues that remains is that generally, your videos and other content can only be monetized for the first week after they are posted. But hold the phone a sec...
π― Did you just say... POST-EXPIRATION UPVOTES?! π
YES, IT'S POSSIBLE, sort of! I created an interim solution for this nearly a year ago, and I have used it successfully myself to upvote HUNDREDS of expired posts. Anyone can do the same by installing one of my simple TamperMonkey scripts. And perhaps at some point, @heimindanger (the creator of DTUBE) will consider implementing this method directly into DTUBE as well! Here's how the "magic" happens:
As long as a post still contains at least ONE ACTIVE COMMENT [by the post author], whether the post is 1 week or 6 months past payout, the "Past Payout Monetizer" will find and target THAT COMMENT for an upvote instead. And as simply as that, you can easily reward the author for their hard work, even if you've discovered it months after the first payout! Now, just for reference, this doesn't mean you should revisit all your old posts once a week with a fresh comment. However, back in the day when a video on our YouTube channel vlogolution went viral, people would continually leave comments on them, some even to this day!
I believe this dynamic will grow on STEEMIT [and on DTUBE!] as well, especially as more people understand the potential benefits. And if you still have people commenting on your past posts, there's one more incentive to leave a nice comment in response, even if it's just a quick thank you for appreciating your work!
FINALLY...
We hope you enjoyed our little "tribute" video depicting "the end of an era" on YouTube, and welcoming in the future of video and blogging on STEEMIT and DTUBE. It's not just crypto or BitCoin.
We're moving beyond YouTube, beyond FaceBook and Twitter, and even BitCoin itself...
We are... Beyond BitCoin!
YouTube WHO?! Now that's something to consider, future Steemian and DTuber! π
And for those of you who haven't quite had enough yet, here's a special treat, for as long as YouTube doesn't remove it on us... lol
really a post worth reading here. great message aswel and not to forget the track (hehe) but people should really come to conensus! I will try to spread this over fb aswel if im not banned yet thnx alex!
thanks @seveaux for your kind words, and also for letting us use parts of your terrific song "Final Battle". The video definitely wouldn't have felt quite as "epic" without it! π€
Link: https://soundcloud.com/seveaux/final-battle
It turns out that Jordan Peterson (who is currently getting lots of attention for short-circuiting a reporter's brain over the question of "free speech" versus "political correctness"), also appeared on a recent episode of Tucker Carlson's show, where they even go so far as to rip on YouTube and Google for censoring and/or demonetizing many of the more "conservatively-oriented" voices on the platform.
Definitely worth watching as well if you have a chance:
In one word ... sweet.
WOW! That video just went up a few minutes ago, and with just a few views, it's already been labeled as not suitable for most advertisers (too sexy / suggestive?!!)!
Attempting to monetize just results with a shadow-ban. Crazy.
The majority of the independent Youtubers who make this cut most likely won't make the next round. Happy for those who built up on Patreon or better yet, STEEMIT!!! : D
yeah... nothing new for us for sure, or for anyone else waking up to YouTube's tactics... well, except for Katy Perry and ilk, of course! lol
Well, a little birdie did tell me back in 2011 that they wanted to phase out the current model for subscription only...
I thought the introduction of YouTube Red was it. Boy, was I wrong about what the subscription model was really going to be.
Funny thing, most of their creators would have happily signed up for YouTube TV... if they hadn't felt so screwed.
Hey Alex, long time no talk! Hope you've been well :) It's pretty depressing to see what the Google/YouTube monolith is doing to us creators, but as you said it's only a matter of time. Seems like the bubble burst is now upon us. Also, sorry to hear about all the troubles/stress you & Michelle have been going through.
That said, it's very encouraging/motivating/inspiring to put the power back in the hands of the people with the Steem blockchain's decentralized, autonomous nature! Rene @world5list and I are back and have plans to hit the ground running faster than ever: this weekend we'll each be releasing videos on both of our YouTube channels (Rene 800,000 subs, me 1 million subs) speaking out to our respective audiences where we raise awareness of both Steemit & Dtube while also providing them links to direct traffic to both platforms.
Kinda nervous, kinda excited, but whatever...it's a step in the right direction & (hopefully) helps your/our cause! If you have any other ideas or need our help with anything whatsoever, please feel free to reach out to either one of us :)
PS: this isn't just a one-time push either (from YouTube to Dtube) but rather, a bi-monthly/recurring effort to make everyone & everyone aware of our beloved Steem-based platforms :) I've outlined our plan here in case you're interested in checking out the details.
hey @theywillkillyou, great to hear from you, and nice to see you all doing so well! It's also amazing the extent your mom's gone all in on the community as well! She recently messaged @michellectv how she served up one of Michelle's recent cocktail recipes to her party guests, and it went over quite well!
As I wrote in another comment:
For us, our channel was mostly demonetized already, so this is more the final "nail in the coffin", at least as far as "YouTube monetization" goes (we already often earn more on a single STEEMIT post, than we did from an entire year of YouTube earnings).
And, of course, there are still other ways to leverage it, such as the way you're now doing it, by embedding the YouTube video, and uploading and gaining traction on STEEMIT and DTUBE as well. Also, if YouTube ever decides to outright remove some or all of your content, your videos will still be available on DTUBE/IPFS, where they can't so easily be "shut down".
We've also been building up some new show formats too with @officialfuzzy at BeyondBitcoin.club, which I believe I had introduced you guys to months back when you (or was it just Rene, I can't remember.. it's been a while! lol) stopped by the WhaleShares Chat on Discord (feel free to stop by again and say hello!).
Perhaps there's also opportunity to do some old-style "collabs", sort of the way it used to work in the early days of YouTube! lol :)
Ah yeah my mom told me she tried out the drink & that it was a huge hit! Regarding the YouTube issues, yeah it's been a long time coming & we're more motivated than ever to see Dtube succeed!!!
Interesting man...Rene just joined me in Bangkok so we'll definitely try to hop in in the next few days. I like your idea of collaborating so I definitely wanna discuss this in more detail soon! Will be touching base with you again very soon. Cheers buddy!
Yup agree. I deleted Facebook for SteemIt and don't use YouTube, and now instead use DTube. SteemIt and DTube are my go to places for blogging and posting videos.
The world is upside down. Katy Perry's video is approved for all ages, while depicting Katy being dissected and boiled and about to be eaten, smiling all the while. Can you picture this: "Hey Joey, lets cook and eat sister. It won't hurt her, and it will give us a good meal. Its OK, I saw it on You Tube." Inappropriate for children? Inappropriate for anyone with a brain!
Try viewing "Sanguinarios del M1" in Spanish on You Tube (one of many such songs) Lyrics translated: "With an AK-47 and a bazooka behind my head, cross my path and I'll chop your head off. I'm crazy and I kill my enemies." Over 33 million views! How inspiring is that!
And to think that they took down the videos that you and MIchelle contributed, which were funny, sophisticated, astute and slightly right of center, were removed and/or demonatized as inappropriate. That is a sick joke in itself.
Let You Tube wallow in its own filth. Bring us a sane world with your new Steemit and DTube efforts.
thank you @domo for your terrific and quite astute comment. Yes, it really is rather sickening and perverse.
And those are just a few of literally thousands of other examples equally as repulsive. And the more I learn, the more I truly believe I really may be right on the money when I say:
Yet, calling Bernie Madoff a "Ponzi Putz" or fake-burning some fiat bills to make a point about the illusory value of money in everyone's pocket... well, that's where they draw the line...! π
I mean, I've sort of gotta laugh about it, cuz otherwise it's just gonna make me cry for how far down our society has now devolved... πͺ
HAHA... this may be closer to the truth than we'd like to even joke about!! Glad you guys told YT to shove it!!
huge influx of youtubers to make their way here as they hear more and more about what is going on.... they will say to themselves I have been putting in all this time, energy and quality content, to not have it on dtube ??? yikes, let the pilgrimage begin hahah
Tub Cat is pleased to hear that you will be embracing DTube over YouTube. This is fantastic news for a platform on the Steemit blockchain. Especially if you encourage your YouTube followers to make the switch to DTube as well.
Tub Cat looks forward to seeing your future content on this platform and also appreciates the high quality content that you prepare for Steemit under your @alexpmorris account.
Tub Cat endorses high quality content and is growing his account in order to up vote and resteem any content that is of high quality and offer advice to those new Steemit users who may not understand what it requires to create high quality content for this platform.
Well done!
TUbb Catttt so squeaky clean after bathtime hahaha :-)
Tub Cat is always squeaky clean. Tub Cat loves his Tub. Tub Cat has mixed feelings for pink and squishy humans.
well I ain't pink and I'm definitely not squishy haha so we'll get along just fine then
yes... bye bye youtube
i hate youtube they terminate my channel twice i love dtube and steemit this is new generation
right on man glad you have found a home here
I got the same ban hammer. Since they collect ad revenue for the site whether the video is monetized or not, I decided to pull down all my content. It was a modest channel, but it still generated over 100k views with the few videos I had up on there depicting auto repair. I've been in good standing since my channel went up over 5 years ago with zero complaints or hits against my reputation, then cya, no more monetization for the little guy. I've even stopped watching stuff on YouTube since. They're going downhill fast because they're killing all the new talent coming in. The barrier to entry is huge now. Easy pickings for DTube and other video hosting sites.
actually, I'm not sure the barrier to entry is that huge, for the right type of "characters"...
If you lean more towards the "free-thinking" type, then yes, I totally agree! lol
Absolutely correct. That's what I was originally thinking of doing with a channel but quickly realized it was virtually impossible on a platform like YouTube at the time. What I was thinking of in my comment though is the kind of content that I was producing, much like the content I usually consume on there. People doing little projects and posting it. Small amount of followers for each channel, but a huge community in aggregate. YouTube is doing everything they can to chase them away right now, along with a lot of others who deviate even a little bit culturally from the West Coast SJW's running the company.
Great rant! I'm pleased to say that I gave your video its first Youtube upvote. If Youtube had a resteem feature, I would have resteemed it hard. :)
well, thanks for that! it felt somewhat good to get at least some of that off my chest! lol :D
Thank you for sharing this to us. I don't have any youtube channel but based on your statement above, it seems that it's really getting obvious that there's something happening with youtube and google. Will be following you on this and hope to see more of your encouraging post. I would also want to be part of your new channel soon although I really don't have any idea how dtube works for I'm only seeing it posted around but I haven't really tried visiting one for I only have limited and slow data access.
it's just another way to upload video, which is connected directly to your posts on STEEMIT. In fact, if you see my next blog post, it is the DTUBE/IPFS version of the video, uploaded directly on DTUBE's website, and now forever a part of the STEEM blockchain (well, the post part, not the video)! lol
Great post. The feeling is mutual. I no longer fit in with the "You" of YouTube, my YouTube days are numbered (and that is a very small number of days). Their loss.
thanks for the kind words @monadnock. It's still sort of bittersweet for us, because it spanned over so many years, with so much effort put into it, especially in those early years. But life goes on, and better models come along, which is what makes the STEEMIT model so revolutionary.
Over time, I also expect that YouTube will sadly continue on its downward spiral. Hopefully for them, they'll see the "error of their ways" before it's too late. However, I certainly won't hold my breath on that...
This is crazy!, I'd heard about youtube demonetizing channels in this way, but this is almost harassing!!!
That is a great video. And you are right the song to that video is very cool. I think it's sickening when a company forgets where they got their roots from. To think that YouTube somehow feels that has enough customers to discriminate against the very people who bring them their business. when a company stop serving its customers and starts to cater towards the government's needs that's when you know they're headed downhill.
Well, "frankly".. Fuck YouTube and their greed. Good riddance. :)
I am also out of partnership myself, not reaching 4k hours despite having all the other requirements. I had just only encouraged myself to give it a go and after a break started to upload consistently, then I got the same notice, I felt punished! Their traffic is all our content big and small. I will not leave my channel there but I see now other options unfolding so maybe that was a wake up call too.
Nice post I will definitely also use Dtube, Decentralized all things all the way. Blood hungry cult called the "Elite"
Excelente, Steemit es grandioso, pero todavia esta en paΓ±ales a pesar de que todos los beneficios que da, apenas se esta dando a conocer, todavΓa les falta luchar y vencer a las super ballenas de redes sociales que se alimentan a si mismos, como facebook y twiter, esperemos que asi sea, mucho Γ©xito.
their recent changes was a big f#@* you to all its lower users, this was a shame and a sign of arrogance, but here we are and its an opportunity for dtube to capitalize and grow the lower end of the spectrum, build something that is great and draw even more people to this platform
Obviously, they appears like the biggest loser here. But to stay ahead, you have to think ahead. And our hope is to keep the steemite community growing.
Indeed! Steemit and Dtube are rocking the world of social media right now. :)
Gonna upload my 1 dtube video soon.
wow awesome your choice I like your information thank you for sharing
@alexpmorris resteemed..quite interesting stuffπ
Yeah, youtube is going towards advertisement rather than focussing on its youtubers who dedicated part of their lives for them.
It will definitely bite them in their ass.
Dtube...
" Facebook " !!!
Wow it's just 8 minutes Upvote to 101.04 dollars money earnings wow iam surprised ur super talented bro @alexpmorris
TLDR; but the video was trippy as fuck!!! Good job
That video is very good friend great choice thanks for sharing
hola @alexpmorris disfruto esta publicaciΓ³n Γ©xito
Wow just amazing video thank you for sharing bro I like it
This website is revolutionary.
Yeah you're right! Now dutbe era start.
Nice Post Alexpmorris,,,I going to fallow you
nice to meet you
have a nice day
disfruto esta publicacion @alexpmorris
Who needs Youtube when there's dTube. Long live the STEEM blockchain!
Ya it looks like steemit could get way bigger and hopefully it does.
looking so much sexy
Facebook is out the door if Zuck don't hurry up and fix things. all hail decentralize social media!
Goodby you tube
thanks for sharing, very good, my vote is for you
DTUBE is the future.
this is you good decision @alexpmorris, Youtube is mad day by day i also jumped the youtube and enjoying here, Welcome here.
I think it take another 4-5 years.. ^_^
Thank you for helping us turn youtube into the next Myspace!
Dtube is the 34,551st biggest website, Youtube is the 2nd. I think we will still be in the era of Youtube for a little while longer!
yes, except most people will no longer be able to monetize their content on YouTube anymore, and those that still are managing to squeak by, will find it increasingly difficult to do so.
I completely agree. That creates a vulnerability that Dtube can exploit. I just feel that mainstream is a LONG way off! That being said, I'd rather be an early adopter so I can get the most benefit!