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John asks viewers to like his video to test the one-like-per-ten-views ratio (2020)

ask · status: reported back · last event: result reported (2026-09-15) · owner: John

In February 2020 John asked viewers to like his video to break the supposed one-like-per-ten-views ratio on YouTube; within 17 hours the video had about one like per 2.2 views, and John declared the ratio dead.

Told alongside: John: the one-like-per-ten-views ratio will probably not hold for this video (2020) · Hank invites viewers to the March 2020 Dear Hank and John and Anthropocene Reviewed live shows (2020) · John: the Vlogbrothers like-to-view ratio will revert to the mean (2020) · John: not ask viewers to like a video again for years (2020)

About: YouTube

date event what video
2020-02-25 result reported In comment updates John reports the 1:10 ratio is dead: at 17 hours the video had 107,000 views and 47,000 likes, about 1:2.2, with views about 35% above normal. A weird YouTube thing?
2020-02-25 asked Feeling as nervous as if asking someone to prom, John asks viewers to click like to break the cycle or find the ratio is real; probably not, but he asks them to like it so he can disprove the theory. A weird YouTube thing? 00:03:20
2020-03-03 result reported Asked in comments how the like/view ratio is holding up, John says it holds incredibly well on the Art Assignment video; here it is still a little off because people are conscious of it, but reverting to the mean. Consciously Experiencing Human Dignity
2026-09-15 result reported John says the ratio holds only if you don't ask people to like your video, which the brothers don't, because there are more interesting calls to action. YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 00:00:29

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1 statement, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).