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2013-03-15 · Hank · watch on YouTube · Internet & YouTube · reflection essay

Hank worries that YouTube is drifting toward the old media system of a few big, rich players and argues that viewers and creators should keep it open; he launches two creative contests, plans daily April vlogs and asks for help and discussion on a better funding model than advertising.

What is said

00:00:00 — Hank's worry about YouTube's future: a creative crisis, YouTube looking like the old system with fewer, bigger pots, 99% watching 1%; it's our job to prevent that

  • ★★ Hank says he has been thinking a lot about YouTube lately and may be having a little creative crisis, which he says is part of his normal cycle. (hedged) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Hank notes YouTube and Vlogbrothers have always been changing; as YouTube becomes a bigger cultural force drawing attention from people "in big cities with suits on", he wonders what will happen to it. — 00:00:00 · YouTube, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★★ Hank says YouTube is starting to look like the old system: fewer pots with more money in each, instead of many pots with the money spread out. — 00:00:22 · YouTube
  • ★★★ Hank worries that only big content will be self-supporting, with 99% of people watching the same boring, TV-like 1% of content, no innovation, and rich people invested in keeping it that way. — 00:00:36 · YouTube
  • ★★★ Without overstating viewers' power, Hank thinks it is "our job" to stop that happening; it won't be hard, but it won't happen on its own. (hedged) — 00:00:51 · Nerdfighteria

00:00:58 — A P4A perk lets a donor choose the topic; she asked for something the brothers care about; why online video matters to Hank (he runs VidCon)

  • ★★ Hank says one P4A perk was choosing a Vlogbrothers video topic; many such videos will be uploaded unlisted, but one donor asked for a video on something the brothers care about, so this is it. — 00:00:58 · Project for Awesome, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank says online video is very important to him (he runs VidCon) and thinks it is culturally important now and will be historically important. (hedged) — 00:01:12 · VidCon
  • ★ Hank wants people to be conscious of how we consume content, what we like, and what makes online video rewarding and different. — 00:01:27

00:01:27 — Doing things with the other side of the camera: the Hank's Face remix contest and the GIFMaster Award

  • ★★ Hank announces the Hank's Face remix contest: he has put the Hank's Face stems on a torrent for video remixers; the winner gets "prizes and glory", though mostly "who cares?". — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Hank announces the GIFMaster Award: viewers tag exceptional GIFs (any subject) 'GIF Master' and the brothers pick winners; there may be a physical prize, but nothing is guaranteed. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ Hank says he and John think animated GIFs are an underappreciated art form. (hedged) — 00:01:56 · John Green

00:02:26 — Vlogging every day in April; Hank wants to change the business model of content, not the content: advertising is the wrong model (the Brain Scoop example)

  • ★★ Hank says he misses vlogging more, will vlog every day in April, and encourages viewers to do the same. — 00:02:26 > «I'm gonna be vlogging every day in April»
  • ★★★ Hank says he wants to change the business of content, not the content itself, hoping a new model will lead to better content. — 00:02:26
  • ★★★ Hank objects that a project like the Brain Scoop, with 50,000 dedicated community members, still cannot pay for itself, because advertising is not the right model; he doesn't even like advertising. (hedged) — 00:02:40 · online advertising

00:02:55 — Asks: designers and developers to help build a new model, domain names; let's talk about Nerdfighteria, discovery and better ways to fund online video; make new rules; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank asks designers and developers to apply via a description link to work with him on a new model, and asks for short, snappy domain names (wording garbled). — 00:03:01
  • ★★★ Hank invites Nerdfighteria to discuss, in the comments, Our Pants and the Nerdfighter subreddit, what they love, how to broaden, how content is discovered and whether there is a better way to fund it. — 00:03:13 · Nerdfighteria, Reddit
  • ★★ Hank is tired of businesspeople applying old rules to the new system: "Let's make some new rules." — 00:03:35

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