YouTube News I hate to say "I Told you So", but oh well, "I DID!"

[The Jungle Explorer]

I don't how much clearer YT can be than their latest email telling creators to make Shorts or they will not be getting views and subscribers. I have been beating this drum for a while trying to inform people that YT is actually driving viewers away from long-form content to shorts by tweaking the algo to Suggestion favor them. Many have disagreed and insisted that traffic is still organic on YT. Oh well. If this screenshot from their latest email is not proof enough, nothing will be. YT is basically issuing an order. Post Shorts or die.

 

[jawadsoomro]

After Tiktok made the people binge watch the content on their app, all other social media platforms are dying for such massive traffic YouTube is just trying to copy others. TBH no matter how much I post shorts, my priority will always be long form content. I don't think YouTube should use this email strategy to convince everyone to make shorts. They dont even pay good enough for shorts. For short form content, my priority will always be tiktok, FB and Instagram.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

After Tiktok made the people binge watch the content on their app, all other social media platforms are dying for such massive traffic YouTube is just trying to copy others. TBH no matter how much I post shorts, my priority will always be long form content. I don't think YouTube should use this email strategy to convince everyone to make shorts. They dont even pay good enough for shorts. For short form content, my priority will always be tiktok, FB and Instagram.

I completely agree. Here is the thing. YT does not have to die. YT has a niche that it owns all to itself that no one can come close to. This is "YouTube Univeristy". All studies and polls ever done on YT viewership show that 2/3 to 3/4 of all viewers that come to YT do so to solve a problem. So what if TikTok took the 25% of short-form junkies, YT still had the chance to continue to dominate in its niche market uncontested. But NO,! YT has decided to slit its own throat by chasing after TikTok, which it has no hope of catching.

Long-form educational creators are the foundation and bread and butter of YT. If these creators do not band together and make their voices heard, YT will drive itself into the ground chasing a hopeless dream. The day will come when YT will just be another Netflix-style streaming platform where you will have to pay a monthly subscription. Most people are completely unaware that when YT announced that they would be monetizing Shorts, advertisers canceled over one billion dollars in YT ad contracts within a week. What makes matters even worst is that it seems like a bunch of idiots are at the helm of YT. Here they are burning down the house trying to compete with TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, and what ads do you see all the time on YT? Ads for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram! Are you freaking kidding me!!! These platforms are choking the life out of YT and they are running ads on the YT platform promoting the competition that is killing them. There is no other possible word to describe this but IDIOCY!

I am in discussions on many forums about this, and the general consensus from other long-form content creators is that Yt is not worth it anymore. I have already moved on to much greener pastures. I only am hanging around talking about it in the hopes that YT's staff will pull their heads out of that dark stink place they have them stuck in and focus on holding on to the creator that built YT, the long-form education content creators. This is why people come to YT, just like you said. Nobody wants YT to be another TikTok.

On a side note, I am enjoying the love in my YT comments. I mean, I always got some love in the past, but here lately, the comments have been just overwhelmingly positive and dripping with praise. I think it is a sign that YT viewers are getting angry at having to wade through Shorts to get to the content they want, and when they find a good long-form content creator like me, they are overly grateful. It won't pay the bills, but it does feel nice to be appreciated by someone that recognizes the hard work I put in.

 

[MediaMan]

I still think the best strategy for YouTube is to think of shorts / long form as 2 totally different demographic markets on your channel. I'm on pace to be monetized in just over a year of starting my channel. YouTube is alive and well in my opinion. And as usual, those that think you can post a video and the platform of choice will do the rest, well...that's legacy thinking and your success or failure will vary wildly.

YT is basically issuing an order. Post Shorts or die.

100% disagree with that.

I have already moved on to much greener pastures.

You should share your success, which video platform is giving you such greener pastures?

On a side note, I am enjoying the love in my YT comments. I mean, I always got some love in the past, but here lately, the comments have been just overwhelmingly positive and dripping with praise.

Not trying to blast you too much, but on your most recent video the only comment I see is this...

"If you found this video helpful, please consider sending a couple bucks my way to say thank you by hitting the THANKS button under the video. You can't imagine how much I would appreciate it."

Does that strategy work? I've never seen a channel be so blatant in their request for financial support. Interesting....

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I still think the best strategy for YouTube is to think of shorts / long form as 2 totally different demographic markets on your channel. I'm on pace to be monetized in just over a year of starting my channel. YouTube is alive and well in my opinion. And as usual, those that think you can post a video and the platform of choice will do the rest, well...that's legacy thinking and your success or failure will vary wildly.



100% disagree with that.



You should share your success, which video platform is giving you such greener pastures?



Not trying to blast you too much, but on your most recent video the only comment I see is this...

"If you found this video helpful, please consider sending a couple bucks my way to say thank you by hitting the THANKS button under the video. You can't imagine how much I would appreciate it."

Does that strategy work? I've never seen a channel be so blatant in their request for financial support. Interesting....

You know, you are not required to comment on my post. You don't see me hunting down your post to rebuttal everything you say, do you? If you don't agree with me, just keep scrolling. No need to try to pick a fight every time I post.

There are people on here that know what I mean by greener pastures, but it is only something I share with people a really like. Unlike YT, I don't invite competition to advertize on my platform. LOL! I can tell you that I am making more in six months on the greener pasture then I was making in 15 years on YT. By the end of this year, I forecast that I will be sipping Mojitos on a beach in the Bahamas.

As far as me Blatantly asking for paid subscribers, most people actually ask for in their videos. I just post it in the comments as my viewers really don't like to be interrupted anymore than the ads already do. Does it work? It's hard to tell. My content is unique One and Done style content, so even though I am nearing 20k subs, less than 0.5% of my views come from subscribers. Subscribers are useless to me. I am not complaining. I know the game is a NICHE game. I have niche, it is solving problems for people. Each one of my videos solves a unique problem. So unless you have the problem my videos solve, you have no reason to watch the video. There is no reason for my subscribers to watch my new videos because it does not apply to their life. They subscribe because they like me, not because they want to watch every video I put out. Also I have this really cool unique way of getting subscribers that no one else on YT uses. It's a technique I learned in Mexico watching soccer games.

 

[jawadsoomro]

I completely agree. Here is the thing. YT does not have to die. YT has a niche that it owns all to itself that no one can come close to. This is "YouTube Univeristy". All studies and polls ever done on YT viewership show that 2/3 to 3/4 of all viewers that come to YT do so to solve a problem. So what if TikTok took the 25% of short-form junkies, YT still had the chance to continue to dominate in its niche market uncontested. But NO,! YT has decided to slit its own throat by chasing after TikTok, which it has no hope of catching.

Long-form educational creators are the foundation and bread and butter of YT. If these creators do not band together and make their voices heard, YT will drive itself into the ground chasing a hopeless dream. The day will come when YT will just be another Netflix-style streaming platform where you will have to pay a monthly subscription. Most people are completely unaware that when YT announced that they would be monetizing Shorts, advertisers canceled over one billion dollars in YT ad contracts within a week. What makes matters even worst is that it seems like a bunch of idiots are at the helm of YT. Here they are burning down the house trying to compete with TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, and what ads do you see all the time on YT? Ads for TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram! Are you freaking kidding me!!! These platforms are choking the life out of YT and they are running ads on the YT platform promoting the competition that is killing them. There is no other possible word to describe this but IDIOCY!

I am in discussions on many forums about this, and the general consensus from other long-form content creators is that Yt is not worth it anymore. I have already moved on to much greener pastures. I only am hanging around talking about it in the hopes that YT's staff will pull their heads out of that dark stink place they have them stuck in and focus on holding on to the creator that built YT, the long-form education content creators. This is why people come to YT, just like you said. Nobody wants YT to be another TikTok.

On a side note, I am enjoying the love in my YT comments. I mean, I always got some love in the past, but here lately, the comments have been just overwhelmingly positive and dripping with praise. I think it is a sign that YT viewers are getting angry at having to wade through Shorts to get to the content they want, and when they find a good long-form content creator like me, they are overly grateful. It won't pay the bills, but it does feel nice to be appreciated by someone that recognizes the hard work I put in.

Wow your words are very TRUE and I agree 100%

 

[Xavier De Buck]

Well, we can be all romantic about what we would like out of YouTube, how it's changed over the year, and what we don't want, but the facts speak for themselves. We need to ADJUST accordingly, as much as we like to or not. Just like we adjust our content style, thumbnail pix, titles etc. One cannot expect the same results from 1-2 years ago vs today using those same formats?

Check below my Studio screenshot of what's happening on my channel after posting 4 long-form videos and 11 shorts videos over the past 28 days...

SOMETHING is clearly happening and if YT says we need to do more shorts, then that's what we ought to be doing. Would I like for it to have remained the same as weeks/months ago - heck yes, as it makes my life much easier as I would just need to 'cookie cut' my previous videos!

FYI -- I will end February with more than 700,000 views, which is a new record for my channel (I'll add 2 long-form videos and another 4 shorts before month end).

I'll push HARDER in March to get more long-form videos up, as well as shorts, and if this month is any indication, I'm going to crack 1,000,000 views in March. I'll make sure to keep you guys updated - perhaps do same on your side so we know it's happening across the board & across different channel sizes.

The proof is in the pudding.

 

[MediaMan]

ou know, you are not required to comment on my post. You don't see me hunting down your post to rebuttal everything you say, do you? If you don't agree with me, just keep scrolling. No need to try to pick a fight every time I post.

When a subject shows up in my feed that seems interesting I read it, I could care less who posted it. lol.. But the way you occasionally try to make your posts appear as 100% fact can be a bit of a stretch... case in point "YT is basically issuing an order. Post Shorts or die." which is just ridiculous and (especially new) users on this forum need to realize that.

I can tell you that I am making more in six months on the greener pasture then I was making in 15 years on YT.

That's awesome, I am glad you're finding ways to keep monetizing your content.

The proof is in the pudding.

I think your channel is a perfect example of "do one thing and do it well". Seriously, just an overall awesome channel, from content to production!

 

[Damon]

Seems like most everyone is missing the boat on this. I'm not interested in views and subscribers, I'm interested in finding customers. I'm trying to build a business not put on a spectacle. The closer people are to a buying decision the fewer views and subscribers you'll get. People who want to be entertained at your expense don't want to buy anything. I don't really care what YouTube says I should do. Honestly they ain't paying my mortgage.

YouTube wants you to do shorts because that's what best for YouTube. (At least that's what they think.) The kind of person I'm looking for is an older, wiser, affluent, mostly blue collar people who are not flipped about by trends and fads. They just want fun, sociable, fishing content that explores nature and provides a decent table fair with simple equipment that will last a lifetime. Exactly the opposite of the shorts-oriented person.

The problem with shorts is it doesn't lead to real money in the bank account. It's just another way for YouTube not to pay people. They payout is something like 1/100th of the payout from long-form content. That's not to mention that most of the money from YouTube is made by the content creator outside of YouTube.

The real boat being missed is that chasing views and subscribers is like chasing wind and waterfalls. It eventually becomes meaningless. It's what people do with their banks account in exchange for the products and services offered that determine success in any business. Sadly, YouTube and most content creators miss this very important fact.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Seems like most everyone is missing the boat on this. I'm not interested in views and subscribers, I'm interested in finding customers. I'm trying to build a business not put on a spectacle. The closer people are to a buying decision the fewer views and subscribers you'll get. People who want to be entertained at your expense don't want to buy anything. I don't really care what YouTube says I should do. Honestly they ain't paying my mortgage.

YouTube wants you to do shorts because that's what best for YouTube. (At least that's what they think.) The kind of person I'm looking for is an older, wiser, affluent, mostly blue collar people who are not flipped about by trends and fads. They just want fun, sociable, fishing content that explores nature and provides a decent table fair with simple equipment that will last a lifetime. Exactly the opposite of the shorts-oriented person.

The problem with shorts is it doesn't lead to real money in the bank account. It's just another way for YouTube not to pay people. They payout is something like 1/100th of the payout from long-form content. That's not to mention that most of the money from YouTube is made by the content creator outside of YouTube.

The real boat being missed is that chasing views and subscribers is like chasing wind and waterfalls. It eventually becomes meaningless. It's what people do with their banks account in exchange for the products and services offered that determine success in any business. Sadly, YouTube and most content creators miss this very important fact.

Totally agree.

 

[MediaMan]

I'm not interested in views and subscribers, I'm interested in finding customers.

Don't you think it depends on the channel and it's design? If I'm wrong I apologize but isn't the main goal of your channel to promote your original products that you're selling? If so... I 100% agree with your philosophy, otherwise for those making content more akin to tv shows, episodes, etc, those views may be a bit more important.

The real boat being missed is that chasing views and subscribers is like chasing wind and waterfalls.

Everything tells me after 1000 subs (or whatever the YT requirement is or will be), sub count is irrelevant. I'm just glad Youtube allows subs from shorts to go towards their long form monetization requirements.

 

[Xavier De Buck]

Seems like most everyone is missing the boat on this. I'm not interested in views and subscribers, I'm interested in finding customers. I'm trying to build a business not put on a spectacle. The closer people are to a buying decision the fewer views and subscribers you'll get. People who want to be entertained at your expense don't want to buy anything. I don't really care what YouTube says I should do. Honestly they ain't paying my mortgage.

YouTube wants you to do shorts because that's what best for YouTube. (At least that's what they think.) The kind of person I'm looking for is an older, wiser, affluent, mostly blue collar people who are not flipped about by trends and fads. They just want fun, sociable, fishing content that explores nature and provides a decent table fair with simple equipment that will last a lifetime. Exactly the opposite of the shorts-oriented person.

The problem with shorts is it doesn't lead to real money in the bank account. It's just another way for YouTube not to pay people. They payout is something like 1/100th of the payout from long-form content. That's not to mention that most of the money from YouTube is made by the content creator outside of YouTube.

The real boat being missed is that chasing views and subscribers is like chasing wind and waterfalls. It eventually becomes meaningless. It's what people do with their banks account in exchange for the products and services offered that determine success in any business. Sadly, YouTube and most content creators miss this very important fact.

I respectfully disagree.

I hear you - shorts videos themselves might not directly result in paying your mortgage, but the bigger YT picture definitely will.

ANY sales-related channel needs to have a sales funnel in place -- we ALL wish that the ideal customer finds us from the first Google/YouTube search AND buys our product right there & then.

Until they actually do, you just continue building your database, whether it is via more subscribers, higher views, bigger email lists etc, and provide them value with educational/entertainment video content until those customers are ready to make the transaction.

Sales is a numbers game, whether you agree with it or not.

 

[John316]

You know, you are not required to comment on my post. You don't see me hunting down your post to rebuttal everything you say, do you? If you don't agree with me, just keep scrolling. No need to try to pick a fight every time I post.

There are people on here that know what I mean by greener pastures, but it is only something I share with people a really like. Unlike YT, I don't invite competition to advertize on my platform. LOL! I can tell you that I am making more in six months on the greener pasture then I was making in 15 years on YT. By the end of this year, I forecast that I will be sipping Mojitos on a beach in the Bahamas.

As far as me Blatantly asking for paid subscribers, most people actually ask for in their videos. I just post it in the comments as my viewers really don't like to be interrupted anymore than the ads already do. Does it work? It's hard to tell. My content is unique One and Done style content, so even though I am nearing 20k subs, less than 0.5% of my views come from subscribers. Subscribers are useless to me. I am not complaining. I know the game is a NICHE game. I have niche, it is solving problems for people. Each one of my videos solves a unique problem. So unless you have the problem my videos solve, you have no reason to watch the video. There is no reason for my subscribers to watch my new videos because it does not apply to their life. They subscribe because they like me, not because they want to watch every video I put out. Also I have this really cool unique way of getting subscribers that no one else on YT uses. It's a technique I learned in Mexico watching soccer games.

You know, you're right! People are not required to comment on your post, but you are the one who put yourself out there with your words for the world to see in the first place! The only thing I see you doing here is shoving your projected sucess in our face over and over and over again! We get it! We heard you the first time! The more you mention it, the more it is your EGO talking and any meaningful advice you are offering starts to slip off the cliff! Albert Einstein says that our financial income and circumstances are one of 5 things we should all keep private!:

Watch this short 3 minute video about what he says:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VGGLCG5Gfc

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

You know, you're right! People are not required to comment on your post, but you are the one who put yourself out there with your words for the world to see in the first place! The only thing I see you doing here is shoving your projected sucess in our face over and over and over again! We get it! We heard you the first time! The more you mention it, the more it is your EGO talking and any meaningful advice you are offering starts to slip off the cliff! Albert Einstein says that our financial income and circumstances are one of 5 things we should all keep private!:

Watch this short 3 minute video about what he says:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VGGLCG5Gfc

I am telling the truth about YT. It may not be the truth a certain person wants to hear, but it is the truth. Why is it important to know the truth, because, if you operate in an illusion, you are walking blind. People need to know what is going on so they can make informed decisions. YT is pushing Shorts on both the creators and the viewer by causing the algo to herd viewers to Shorts like cattle. YT is no longer letting the algo learn what the viewer's preferences are and serving them what they want, it is telling people what YT wants them to watch. I have posted several articles from reputable sources that prove this is how the algo now works. YT leadership has clearly said this openly. This latest email is just more evidence of what I have been saying since July of 2021.

Many people want to continue to believe that the YT still works the same way it did before the Short program was instituted. They want to believe that YT is still issuing suggestions based on the viewers viewing habits. They want to believe that YT is still trying to serve the viewers the content the viewer wants to see. YT leadership has said that this is no longer how the algo works. YT leadership has stated the primary goal of the algo now is to promote Binge-Worthy content, regardless of if this is what the viewers are interested in. The algo is now trying to control the viewership using psychological manipulation to drive viewers to the content that YT wants them to watch.

So what does this mean? What it means is this. It does not matter how good your video is. It does not matter if you have absolutely perfect SEO. It does not matter if you know people want to watch your video. If your video is not what YT wants to promote, it is not going to get any traffic unless you drive that traffic to your video externally. What it means is, if you want organic traffic from YT, you will have to produce the content YT wants you to produce. Right now, they have made it crystal clear. If you want traffic from YT suggestions, you have to produce Shorts.

Why this truth makes some people upset and causes them to follow me around attacking everything I post like a little child is a mystery. If you don't like what I have to say, it is quite simple; don't read it. I am not asking for your opinion. What I am saying is not open for debate. It is information to inform. If you don't want to listen, move on. No need to get upset about it.

 

[Damon]

ANY sales-related channel needs to have a sales funnel in place -- we ALL wish that the ideal customer finds us from the first Google/YouTube search AND buys our product right there & then.

Yes, that's my point. My sales funnel consists of hundreds of long form content generating views 10 years down the road, targeting a people group who has money and wants to spend money. Filling the sales funnel with people who don't have money, nor intend to spend it even if they had it, won't make you any money no matter how much you fill that funnel. Every sale I make happens because of hundreds of videos built up over the course of almost a decade. Shorts videos simply don't have that kind of shelf life. You can't fill a funnel with mud and expect honey out the other end. You need honey bees and an environment conducive for them to produce honey.

So, targeting anyone and everyone is not an effective strategy. The buying process happens inside their brain, in their time frame, for their own reasons. For me, given the short shelf life of shorts videos does not complement my business model nor my target audience. People do find your content over time and when you have 9 years worth of content, a person really can find your content, binge watch your entire playlist, then make a sale. That time frame is up to the potential customer, e.g., a day, a week, a month, a year or a decade.

To be fair shorts haven't been around that long, but given the known short shelf life of shorts videos, I can't see it being very effective for me.

 

[John316]

I am telling the truth about YT. It may not be the truth a certain person wants to hear, but it is the truth. Why is it important to know the truth, because, if you operate in an illusion, you are walking blind. People need to know what is going on so they can make informed decisions. YT is pushing Shorts on both the creators and the viewer by causing the algo to herd viewers to Shorts like cattle. YT is no longer letting the algo learn what the viewer's preferences are and serving them what they want, it is telling people what YT wants them to watch. I have posted several articles from reputable sources that prove this is how the algo now works. YT leadership has clearly said this openly. This latest email is just more evidence of what I have been saying since July of 2021.

Many people want to continue to believe that the YT still works the same way it did before the Short program was instituted. They want to believe that YT is still issuing suggestions based on the viewers viewing habits. They want to believe that YT is still trying to serve the viewers the content the viewer wants to see. YT leadership has said that this is no longer how the algo works. YT leadership has stated the primary goal of the algo now is to promote Binge-Worthy content, regardless of if this is what the viewers are interested in. The algo is now trying to control the viewership using psychological manipulation to drive viewers to the content that YT wants them to watch.

So what does this mean? What it means is this. It does not matter how good your video is. It does not matter if you have absolutely perfect SEO. It does not matter if you know people want to watch your video. If your video is not what YT wants to promote, it is not going to get any traffic unless you drive that traffic to your video externally. What it means is, if you want organic traffic from YT, you will have to produce the content YT wants you to produce. Right now, they have made it crystal clear. If you want traffic from YT suggestions, you have to produce Shorts.

Why this truth makes some people upset and causes them to follow me around attacking everything I post like a little child is a mystery. If you don't like what I have to say, it is quite simple; don't read it. I am not asking for your opinion. What I am saying is not open for debate. It is information to inform. If you don't want to listen, move on. No need to get upset about it.

My question is, why is it so incredibly important to you to be sure that everyone else understands the YT algo and how much more important shorts are than long form? You might very well be right! But, you put your information out there on a PUBLIC forum and it is an impossible expectation to think that people will refrain from debating you at all! So, let things be now! Let the deniers keep denying your truth and just don't engague with them! See, that is your problem. You seem obsessed with trying to get everyone else to see this subject the same way you do and not debate you at all and that is never going to happen and you will drive yourself nuts trying to convince someone who will ALWAYS disagree with you no matter what! Who knows, they might just be saying what they are saying to get under your skin just for fun to see how much more crazy they can make you and your letting them! So, the TRUTH is, now that you have given your information, it is YOU who needs to move on to some other subject! People will either accept your truth or they won't.... THAT is the truth!

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

My question is, why is it so incredibly important to you to be sure that everyone else understands the YT algo and how much more important shorts are than long form? You might very well be right! But, you put your information out there on a PUBLIC forum and it is an impossible expectation to think that people will refrain from debating you at all! So, let things be now! Let the deniers keep denying your truth and just don't engague with them! See, that is your problem. You seem obsessed with trying to get everyone else to see this subject the same way you do and not debate you at all and that is never going to happen and you will drive yourself nuts trying to convince someone who will ALWAYS disagree with you no matter what! Who knows, they might just be saying what they are saying to get under your skin just for fun to see how much more crazy they can make you and your letting them! So, the TRUTH is, now that you have given your information, it is YOU who needs to move on to some other subject! People will either accept your truth or they won't.... THAT is the truth!

You see my friend, your advice is right, but it is a two-way street. This is my thread. I am the one who started it. You are telling me to stop posting on the thread that I started. Why is the advice you are giving only applicable to me and not to you? Why should I stop posting on a thread that I started and let everyone else continue posting on it? Hmmm..? Is that a logical conclusion to you? Why are you so determined to tell me to shut up? So what if I reiterate myself? How does that hurt you? Why is it so important to you that I stop? Would it not be a more logical course for you to simply stop reading and responding to me if it bothers you so much?

Again, my goal is to inform. Why is it important? I clearly articulated why it was important in my last post, which you obviously did not read or you would not have asked a question that I already answered. It is clear from your responses that you are emotionally compromised. You are making illogical statements and asking questions that have already been answered.

I did not say people cannot post, I said that what I said is not up for debate. I am right because I have more than just an opinion. I am quoting what the YT leadership has stated. It is not an opinion, it is fact. It is not up for debate because anyone who would try to debate would be only demonstrating their own ignorance of the facts.

 

[Aialaden]

I agree with you, to an extent. I agree that YouTube is indeed pushing shorts. But I disagree with your sentiment and the reasons why YouTube is pushing shorts.

It is purely the fact that it makes them more money! This idea that YouTube is following trends is ridiculous! YouTube is the trend. Tik Tok and IG all tweaked what YouTube started.

YouTube is a business at the end of the day. YouTube likes shorts because people viewing the shorts feed, in general, stay more engaged. People spend less time browsing, and more time viewing. More viewing = More Ad Placements.

From a business standpoint, shorts make sense. Shorts should make everyone more money. I don't get your logic and that's okay.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I agree with you, to an extent. I agree that YouTube is indeed pushing shorts. But I disagree with your sentiment and the reasons why YouTube is pushing shorts.

It is purely the fact that it makes them more money! This idea that YouTube is following trends is ridiculous! YouTube is the trend. Tik Tok and IG all tweaked what YouTube started.

YouTube is a business at the end of the day. YouTube likes shorts because people viewing the shorts feed, in general, stay more engaged. People spend less time browsing, and more time viewing. More viewing = More Ad Placements.

From a business standpoint, shorts make sense. Shorts should make everyone more money. I don't get your logic and that's okay.

You are correct to an extent, but the simple undeniable fact is, within a week of YT announcing that they would start putting ads on Shorts, advertisers canceled 1 billion dollars with YT ads. There are companies that will advertise on Shorts, but they are low-paying ads, because of the kind of people that generally watch Shorts and not people with mature bank accounts that buy big ticket items. This is why you have to get millions of views on shorts to make any money.

YouTube is losing money on ads. How do I know this? Because if they were making money on them, they would not have to pour 100 million dollars out of their own pocket into the Shorts fund. Yes, they did do that. The Short fund was created back in May of 2021. YouTube only started putting ads on Shorts couple months ago. It pays to pay attention. Up until a couple months ago, YouTube was paying Shorts bonuses out of their own pocket. So you are wrong that it makes them more money than long-form content. Where do you think they got the 100 million dollars from? They took it from the revenue that long-form content creators were bringing in.

So why is YT pushing Shorts? Why did Walmart invest 10 billion dollars into developing its online store? For the same reason. In big business, it is super common for companies to take a massive gamble to stay relevant. For a long time, Walmart was the king of retail. But the world changed while the Walmart leadership sleep. Amazon.com blew by Walmart so fast that their heads spun off their shoulders. Before they knew it, they were way behind the pack. In their desperate effort to stay relevant, they spend billions building 500 new stores called Walmart Local Markets in small towns that were two small for super Walmarts. It was a complete failure and within three years, Walmart shut them all down and sold the buildings off. They lost billions. Then they made the decision to invest 10 billion into developing an online marketplace to compete with Amazon.

You see, not every corporate decision is a good one. Microsoft lost billions trying to gain a foothold in the smartphone marketplace. So don't automatically assume that just because YouTube decided to push Shorts that it is a god decision and affords proof that it is profitable. You are giving the YouTube leadership way too much credit. I don't think Walmart has a chance of catching Amaz, and I don't think YouTube has a chance of competing with TikTok and regaining ground from them. I think YouTube needs to wake up and realize that they have lost the market to TikTok in the same way Microsoft finally accepted that Google and Apple owned the smartphone market.

YouTube has a great market it still has a chance of owning, just like Walmart has their Superstore. Ther is no need for YT to burn down the store to chase after a market that someone owns.

 

[Aialaden]

You are correct to an extent, but the simple undeniable fact is, within a week of YT announcing that they would start putting ads on Shorts, advertisers canceled 1 billion dollars with YT ads. There are companies that will advertise on Shorts, but they are low-paying ads, because of the kind of people that generally watch Shorts and not people with mature bank accounts that buy big ticket items. This is why you have to get millions of views on shorts to make any money.

YouTube is losing money on ads. How do I know this? Because if they were making money on them, they would not have to pour 100 million dollars out of their own pocket into the Shorts fund. Yes, they did do that. The Short fund was created back in May of 2021. YouTube only started putting ads on Shorts couple months ago. It pays to pay attention. Up until a couple months ago, YouTube was paying Shorts bonuses out of their own pocket. So you are wrong that it makes them more money than long-form content. Where do you think they got the 100 million dollars from? They took it from the revenue that long-form content creators were bringing in.

So why is YT pushing Shorts? Why did Walmart invest 10 billion dollars into developing its online store? For the same reason. In big business, it is super common for companies to take a massive gamble to stay relevant. For a long time, Walmart was the king of retail. But the world changed while the Walmart leadership sleep. Amazon.com blew by Walmart so fast that their heads spun off their shoulders. Before they knew it, they were way behind the pack. In their desperate effort to stay relevant, they spend billions building 500 new stores called Walmart Local Markets in small towns that were two small for super Walmarts. It was a complete failure and within three years, Walmart shut them all down and sold the buildings off. They lost billions. Then they made the decision to invest 10 billion into developing an online marketplace to compete with Amazon.

You see, not every corporate decision is a good one. Microsoft lost billions trying to gain a foothold in the smartphone marketplace. So don't automatically assume that just because YouTube decided to push Shorts that it is a god decision and affords proof that it is profitable. You are giving the YouTube leadership way too much credit. I don't think Walmart has a chance of catching Amaz, and I don't think YouTube has a chance of competing with TikTok and regaining ground from them. I think YouTube needs to wake up and realize that they have lost the market to TikTok in the same way Microsoft finally accepted that Google and Apple owned the smartphone market.

YouTube has a great market it still has a chance of owning, just like Walmart has their Superstore. Ther is no need for YT to burn down the store to chase after a market that someone owns.

YouTube could not monetize shorts in the beginning. This is true. But it has to do with copyright licensing issues and not taking huge lawsuits.

The creator fund was created so YouTube could run test to see if it would turn a longterm profit. That fund doesn't even account for .0000001% of Googles net funds.

It was hyped up R&D. Judging by the fact they took the time to work deals with all the publishers and labels, it will make them more money.