the freevolous

this is an unscheduled video that I decided to make.
I’ve gotten my first payment from the YouTube ads — that YOU didn’t click out of —, so I want YOU to help me decide what to do with those whopping 72€.

this is something I’ve always wanted to do if I ever got some revenue from my channel, so I’m pretty chuffed!

leave your suggestions on the YouTube comments section!

the second announcement is that my channel is being demonetised… I don’t meet the new YouTube requirements when it comes to the amount of views — so I won’t be able to put ads on my videos anymore — nor keep accumulating my cents off of the ones that I’ve already posted.
this leaves me somewhere between frustrated, sad and plain mad. yeah, I’m an emotional bundle of stuff.

I haven’t been that affected because my audience isn’t that big to begin with. yet, keep in mind that some of my older videos still attract a nice amount of views which would continue to add to my revenue, as well as any videos that I make from now on.
BUT the biggest thing is I’m feeling a bit hurt from the discrimination and, above all, I’m sorry for all those small YouTubers that may have now lost their meagre revenues and may not be able to carry on.
some videos are only relevant for a moment in time and, if the monetisation is off long enough, then that video won’t contribute to your income as it should and could.
other videos may be a steady source of views, but monetisation is off, so… it won’t build up as it should.

I think everyone should be allowed to give it a shot, no matter how long it takes to see some revenue.
in my understanding, if you have ONE view on your video, and that viewer took the time to sit through an ad for you and YOUR content, then you ARE entitled to that fraction of a cent that comes from the view. it may not pay off as often as you deserve (there’s a lot of time and yes, some money, into keeping a channel), but there’s something there that you’ve EARNED. and that should be as simple as that.

now, those cents thousands of small creators won’t be allowed to make will funnel towards and pile up in… you guessed it: the usual big creators’ accounts.
it left a bad taste in my mouth: the big YouTubers will become bigger, the people who can afford to keep a channel will continue to do so until they get tired or they’ll grow “enough”, but many smaller YouTubers, especially with lower incomes, may feel disheartened and give up.

this is not (I’m paraphrasing Matt Mullenweg here) “democratising publishing”, it’s quite the opposite.

my personal goals with my channel remain: to one day be able to break even, instead of going through my personal savings to feed the channel.
this was a step backward — or sideways — but I’m fortunate enough to be able to keep on keeping on.

Now, if you want to help smaller YouTubers, there’s a few things you CAN do:

1. Give them your time:
   – subscribe to them,
   – watch their videos when they come out (most keep a steady schedule),
   – watch the videos until the end (that algorithm is counting),
   – binge-watch on their past videos,
   – prioritise them over the bigger YouTubers on your screening schedule ;
2. Spare some change: If they have an add, don’t skip it (unless it’s excruciatingly long);
3. Be there: show up and show your support, talk to them on the comments, give them feedback when asked, leave suggestions of things you’d like to see from them;
4. Spread the word: share the channels with people who may be interested in them — because they have the same skin concerns, taste in makeup looks, or clothing or games or whatever.