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This video talks about the problems I faced when I first started a YouTube channel starting in 2017.
I faced so many issues as a small creator.
I was in this group that had a feedback thread. I had to use my laptop’s webcam. I couldn’t afford lighting for my videos. Someone commented on a link to buy a camera and said ‘don’t make an excuse this time.’ I was boiling. They saw me being broke and having no money for equipment as ‘excuses.’ What kind of person tells a broke creator they’re making excuses? How can I buy anything with NO MONEY? What did they want from me? To steal a camera?
I couldn’t afford the equipment I needed. I tried making vlogs and a guy commented on how poorly edited it was and the quality. Little did he know, my laptop was old and slow so any quality over 720P took forever. Also because Filmora lagged on my laptop, I could not add cool effects and cut out things I didn’t want anymore. At the time, I had no money for a better laptop. I played older games since that was all my laptop could handle and played the Telltale games on my phone. I got tired of telling people I did not have the equipment nor could I afford it to play newer games.
I couldn’t understand the feedback I was given. I made a skit about school and I asked for advice and one guy told me to be serious. I didn’t understand why I am being told to be serious in a skit. In my mind, I’m thinking skits are meant to be funny. One guy said something about my voice and mention Markiplier. I guess they wanted me to make my voice sound like Mark? One guy said the music I had was ‘overused.’ Honestly, as large as YT is, loads of people will use similar music. If your neighbors had the same doorbell sound are you going to make them change it? When people say ‘thumbnails need work’ ‘editing needs work’ I don’t know what exactly needs work. Did I miss something in the editing process? As for thumbnails I’m I not using clear images? It will help to know specifically where I am weak in those topics.
I feel a viewer’s feedback may not always work if they don’t know what goal you’re trying to accomplish.
Or if they pointed out the audio and left me no helpful guild on how to fix whatever they heard wrong. Audacity is a free program to help with audio, it would have helped dearly if they left a video on Audacity,
The laptop I started with was the first laptop my folks got me for school back in 2009. 2017 is when it started getting slower and slower. When it quit, I had no money for another one. My mom let me use the desktop she bought but it was no better. I was still limited to the editors I could use. I used VSDC editor and I had major playback lag. I tried Hitfilm express but for some reason when I rendered the video, it lowered my audio, and I didn’t know because I could hear it on the desktop for some strange reason. I didn’t know no one could hear the video until someone commented on it. Because I am small with no following, I couldn’t ask people on Instagram or Twitter for help.
I have some videos on this topic. I like to have video and blog versions of my content. When I am not clear enough, I get read incorrectly. However, if I have both a video and a blog post, I can cover what I forgot to add or what I think a viewer will misunderstand.
The feedback I got that involved spending money was useless because I had no money to get a phonemic or lighting or a tripod.
I thought my retention was bad (I was looking at the overall retention of my channel and not looking at each individual video) one person said a light caught their eyes and threw off the white balance in my video. First what light? what video(s) and what is a white balance? When you are not clear in your feedback, you delay the possibility of the issue(s) getting fixed. When the person didn’t care to explain the white balance issues, I would not know what to search on Youtube. Instead of searching for videos that could help is spend going back and forth trying to get an understanding of what the person is seeing. They give feedback like I am a professional filmmaker and not a noob. if you told a professional to fix their white balance they will know what to do and possibly spot what environment caused the issues but a small channel that is doing 100% of the work (some Youtubers hire editors) may not know what a white balance is. I used to record in the living room and turned on the ceiling light when it was cloudy. I couldn’t afford to light. I went outside to record but that would only work in the summertime.
I stopped asking for feedback altogether because the person is never clear and direct. They don’t outright tell me what the problem is etc. And I couldn’t get feedback without someone mentioning I needed to upgrade something and having to tell them that I could not afford it. Unsolicited feedback is out of my control. I am talking about if a group I am in opens a feedback thread.
On one site that I used to share my videos, it was one of my old Roblox videos. One guy mentioned is there a chance I can upgrade my mic. Didn’t even tell me what they were hearing that was off. I couldn’t afford a mic stand so I can bring the mic closer to my mouth. I told them I could not afford it and they asked have I tried making a Patreon. I told them I have but no one is interested in supporting it/doesn’t have the money to support it.
If you don’t tell me what you are hearing wrong, you may hear the same problem on a new mic if I don’t have the right settings.
Being a broke small Youtuber is ROUGH. I couldn’t find a job. No job=no money for Youtube gear. I have explained when I blogged about autism my employment struggles and the way I tried to make money but it was not enough to do anything.
I am going to keep the old content up under the ‘off-topic’ category.
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