YouTube's Bad Words

Side note Dan, in your Mecano video you loosely joked about making a complete series on it because it was taking you so long, although me and I'm sure many others would love, absolutely love to see you build a big Lego set, maybe something from Lego ideas for example, and cut them up into separate videos. It is quite comical to see you fiddle and fondle with different item whilst shouting profanity at the camera! -Theo

Theo Athinou

Yes it is very much controlled and quality content. a wise man once said one mans content is another's jam. I am content with his content. -- Unilew

Unilew

It may be content, but it's high quality content with specific genres, themes and focuses. Anything from Tom Scott, to yourself, to Vsauce, to Corridor Digital, it's all content. Very different, very enjoyable, content. It's the era of entertainment we live in now, where everything gets created and then consumed in small quantities in very large numbers.

Sandwich247

It's always good to criticize yourself cause that'll just make you better, or you'll realize that it isn't what you visioned. Youtubers should be considered "Producers" and not "Content Creators" as a lot of Youtubers use content already created (gaming channels) and we just add our own flair to the videos.

DougieBoy

This was interesting to read, and in a way you do influence things, I like to think everyone does on some level, you just happen to influence a fair amount of people, that doesn't mean it's a bad thing though, it can be *coughcsgolottocough*, but in terms of your work, I think its a pretty positive influence. I can see why you dislike it though, being used as a marketing speal for what I imagine is developers wanting you to cover a game and ultimately push sales, but that's not all you do, I believe a big part of what you do is entertain people, which leads me on to the 2nd term, content creator, to put it simply, I prefer the term entertainer, because that's what you do, that's why people watch your videos and I don't think there is any shame in that (it would have to be reaaaaly dark entertainment for it to be shameful, reaaaly dark), like you said though, it is interesting to dig into it, seing 59 on your clock 3 every time ya look at it means 2 things, either it's broken, or you have an incredibly good body-clock, one that I envy.

Jeremy Lucas

This was interesting to read, and in a way you do influence things, I like to think everyone does on some level, you just happen to influence a fair amount of people, that doesn't mean it's a bad thing though, it can be *coughcsgolottocough*, but in terms of your work, I think its a pretty positive influence. I can see why you dislike it though, being used as a marketing speal for what I imagine is developers wanting you to cover a game and ultimately push sales, but that's not all you do, I believe a big part of what you do is entertain people, which leads me on to the 2nd term, content creator, to put it simply, I prefer the term entertainer, because that's what you do, that's why people watch your videos and I don't think there is any shame in that (it would have to be reaaaaly dark entertainment for it to be shameful, reaaaly dark), like you said though, it is interesting to dig into it, seing 59 on your clock 3 every time ya look at it means 2 things, either it's broken, or you have an incredibly good body-clock, one that I envy.

Jeremy Lucas

Is there an alternative internet platform that could allow ideas more time to mature and be more rewarding of quality and time put into a singular project rather than focus on the number of ideas and videos produced... if yes, I would love to find it. If no then I think there really needs to be one.

Tail Of Truth

The content you make is still good y'know, which is why I'm still here. Also yes, there's great meaning behind seeing the time like that. It represents the consistency within your life, since you witnessed the same minute number each time. The 3 times you looked at the clock represents a journey, with a beginning, middle and end- although the end isn't there yet. This is shown by the fact that the hour did not tick over yet. The remaining minute signifies how there's not much time left, urging you to work hard. Furthermore, 3 is a prime number, showing how this is the prime time in your life to be more creative. This is further supported by the meaning behind the number 3, which is said to "resonate with the energies of optimism and joy, inspiration and creativity, speech and communication, good taste, imagination and intelligence", as well as a bunch of other nouns which I didn't want to copy and paste. The overall meaning for this is therefore that this is the perfect time for creativity, but only for a short while. An alternative meaning is that you’re a robot. It's suspicious that you looked at the clock like that- nothing in life is a coincidence. Either the guiding hand of fate (if it exists) is sending you a message, or you're not human. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from this. However, it’s possible the minute left before the hour ticks over is a representation of the life you have left to live. Indeed, there can be no other cause; you have a minute left to live. That’s the only conclusion I can draw from this. But yeah it is a bit strange.

elis one l

It's very wierd that it happened 3 times...I've had it happen twice consecutively but never 3 times

ViralDragonRider

Speaking on topic of YouTube itself, the copyright claims are absolute bollocks, they have complete and utter reign over the community and a big YouTuber can be gone like that. More and more companies these days are calling out YouTubers these days under the jurisdiction of copyright infringement, even though these YouTubers fall under the 1976 classification of fair use, this is the same that has happened to you Dan only in different context. It is so unlawful that YouTube has this sickening amount of power.

Theo Athinou

I think the phrase 'content creator' is used widely without a thought to the implications it has: the people involved in making a movie are called artistic directors, actors, producers, cameramen, scripters, set designers, etc. And yet at the base of it, they are all content creators. In the same way that writing an article produces the content of a newspaper, set designers produce the content of a particular scene, of which is in turn part of the contents of a film, and this cycle goes on; the film is part of the film industry, which is part of the entertainment industry; part of humanity. Just as if everything has to have a cause ( - a reason I personally believe in God, but that's kinda irrelevant), content has to have content, and belong to content. (I kinda had a point I was getting to but gone a little off topic, so I have no clue where this will end up) Anyway, I would say that you produce content for YouTube, hence content creator. HOWEVER, this is quite a diminishing term. It takes all of your effort and reduces it down to a meaninglessly small feat that is 'just another thing'. The fact is, you have to come up with the ideas, then do the writing, the filming, the acting, the editing, the audio mastering, the post processing and everything else right down to marketing and selling. Now, admittedly - and to no surprise - you have got others under your employment helping out with some of this now, but there are certainly not anywhere near as many people as there are jobs for you. And so this is why it amounts to you spending less time on videos than massive enterprises do on films: you have to contain your product to the confinement of the workforce. And actually, I think we get more frequent, better quality products for it. Like when a game masters one mechanic, it can be one of the best games ever despite its scale, your videos are a lot more focused than massive productions.

iamlikemex

I would have to say content, or filler, is the most important part. Sure you have tales of heroism, sadness, pleasure, great epics that will forever go down in history, but that's all they will ever be, history. Every single person everywhere right now is experiencing...filler. Stuff to fill your long life with, be it sleeping, eating, talking, walking, anything and everything that everyone has to do to function, or stave off insanity. Sure the destination can be great, but the joy is in the journey, if there wasn't any filler content, then the masterpieces mean nothing. The world needs it's content creators, no matter how dull or amazing they might be. P.S Love your videos man, keep em coming, and good luck with your wedding, hope everything goes well! :D

A content creator and influencer are not necessarily bad things. In fact, they are desirable things for many folks including Youtubers, news networks, major studios, artists in print, paint, and musicians. Now this does depend on the context and scope of the words and on the actual content created and the type of influence it has. For example, a musician over the course of his career may have made a little commercial jingle and a chart leading single. They're both content made by the same person. Maybe the commercial jingle took 3 weeks of trial and error and countless crumpled pieces of paper thrown away early in his career and the chart topping single was something he made up one night while completely drunk and having an argument with a cricket he couldn't find chirping away in his house at 3am. That artist probably has significantly more satisfaction from that old jingle than the chart topping song because of how it was created, the effort, and satisfaction in his solution. However, we have no way in controlling how the mass public takes that content, understands that content, and values that content, so one's a forgettable jingle that he made $300 from, and the other leads the music charts for 3 weeks, and he sold 1.5 million copies. It really doesn't matter the content or the result that content has on the public. For you personally, it's a function of livelihood, just enough to be comfortable in life, and satisfaction and pride in the work you do. Both are inherently challenging because in many cases you don't really know how people will take it. However, it's likely pretty reliable and consistent for Youtube income flow. But with other mediums, it may be higher risk, unknown. You make a game, what does it generate? You make a movie or sitcom, what does it make? You won't know. The second part is what's important though. At the end of the day you want to have pride in what you do. You want to feel good about what you've done and feel it was well worth your time and effort. You want to have fun, enjoy, and in the best possible case, feel like you've played all day rather than worked. At the same time, you want to feel pride in what you've done, so what you actually created must carry value by you. You want to be able to step back and say "Yep, I made that...and it's awesome!"

Matthew Walters

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CYDgezeQas&amp;ab_channel=moonraker79" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CYDgezeQas&amp;ab_channel=moonraker79</a>

Isn't your clock broken ?

Cédric Armengaud

All i can say is that I've enjoyed your videos for the best part of 4 years now .. (think I joined Dec 2012 ... close enough) and well, there's never really been a bad video. I appreciate the amount you interact with your fans / audience considering the popularity you have. Keep it up, for however long you want. We'll be here. :D

Simon Paffett

I like to think of you as an "entertainer"...that way when I talk to my friends about you, I can make it sound like I once got laid by some facy prostitute :'( "Last night I was hanging with my favorite entertainer. I was out of breath by the end of the night!"

James A Goodin

You are not an Influencer, nor content creator - at least for me. When I read your words, this thing came into my mind - you are a very smart comedian with talent not only for comedy but also for serious content (if I were to compare you to somebody well known, I would choose Hugh Laurie - charismatic, little psychotic, but in overall person with huge heart for comedy). You are very special for me, because from all the Youtubers, you are the only one I think about as someone who can make me laugh and also deeply think about stuff - not because of YOUR reactions, but throught MY reactions that reflect on my me because of how you do your job - well, maybe not your job, it feels more like your passion, which may be the big difference between you and others. Yes, that's it. You with few others (like Ashens) seem like someone that make videos not for their own amusement and not mainly to be able to afford a hot meal, it feels like it's something you love and are willing to share a part of it with us.

GetSchwifty

You remembered the times when you checked the clock and it was X:59, you didn't remember the other times. Probably. You are a weird one after all.

Rachel Wolfe

Kinda similar to what a lot of people had said on the last post, but I just wanna say, at least from my perspective, I don't feel you are as much an opinion leader, rather a funny YouTuber who I watch because your opinions and sense of humour already align with the ones I tend to already have. It's not really different with any channel, blog or website; the Internet gives us immediate choice, so we immediately cut out things that don't appeal to us (or that we don't agree with). Secondly, like the last post, I like many would say that if you're considering the viability of one long 'project' video over smaller ones with less effort, then why not experiment with both? Tbh those who watch you are hardly fickle enough to abandon you after one change (and one or two channel re-boots at that), and if some were to decide to leave, then hey, why bother appealing to them with stuff you don't enjoy making? Obviously there would be a preferable middle ground - as you say it can make keeping your career difficult - but once again, as with your game developing career, take time to figure out what works best, and change bits at a time. If you're anything like me I know it can be tempting to just start again with a blank slate if things feel stagnant or 'wrong', but it's important to strike a balance. And on the subject of the 'art of the throwaway', like you say it gives joy to those you intend it to at the time, but beyond that or just it being 'filler', though it's cliche (and even more so when called cliche) having one long series gives an experience that can be reflected on as one big 'memory' in the weird one-sided friendship that YouTube channels tend to be. Yes a video of yours on its own can give me a break from A-level revision, but when the series is done it tends to fee like a progression if that makes sense? Okay I'm done now, congrats again to you and Rebecca, hope the move to Scotland goes alright ;)

It is a very weird platform, YouTube. A lot of the content being posted on the site, it is just 'content. I think it depends on how you view the content though, if you just view it as a filler or quick fire idea to get you over to the next day and maybe on big idea will come out every few months. But there is the other side of YouTube with the different style of creators. People who have businesses through what YouTube has allowed people to do. People like The Fine Bro's, Rhett and Link, Epic Rap Battles Of History. I personally see you falling under this side of YouTube. Yes you may make daily videos that could possibly viewed as content. But everything else you do outside of video making, the work you do with Dad³ and the behind the scenes with the games you are making. I think it makes the videos you make not just content. Personally, I think what you do on and off YouTube defines how I would look and you and the videos you make. To me, the videos don't just look like content. They are, for lack of a much better word, more. Food for thought.

Simon Robinson

I look at content creators as more than just filler; When I write an essay for my work or I put something out on my blog, I may be just filling a space where a thing is required. However, what I put in that space is mine to shape and to create, it's unique to me and every single time I come across that thing I know it's me that put it there. No one else can come across my work and say they pilled that space because they didn't; they may have given me the tools to put it there but at the end of the day it's the creator, not the influencer, that's remembered. That's also why I agree with imfluencer being abhorrent; no one remembers the person who drove the sale or the decision or the idea, they're always drowned out by the one who made it. Sometimes that's ok because the one who drove the idea is remembered by the one who made it. However, you're probably responsible in some way for games being bought, I know I've bought a game you've recommended before. Unfortunately, I can't remember what game that was, and I bet neither can many people. No one tells you how thankful you are for recommending that one game or that one podcast because over time they forget you told them about it, it's drowned out by the thing you recommended.

WritingInVerse

I so want to see this dark comedy film Dan's doing. Surely he could do something like Ashen's "Quest for the Game Child", but maybe Dan wants to complete it with a different approach. No matter what, I want to watch it and I'm sure it'll be better than the usual crap that's on TV today. Until November when Red Dwarf's new season is out.

Stan Collins

As I, along with many other procrastinators said on your last post...do what you NEED to do Dan. We love what you do but if you feel it needs a change then we will stick along for the ride. Sláinte.

Aidan Kenny

"Influencer" is very much a marketing word. Feel free to not like it. Feh. And yes, YouTube videos have a much shorter turnover, in part because there are sooooooo many more of them than any other form of entertainment (well, leaving aside vine and snapchat and all), but they're also so much easier to return to for a hit of happy. Like, the Gang Beasts video other day, as soon as I ended up having to clean off my monitor due to the making the mistake of eating while watching it, I stuck it in my favorites as something I know I'll come back to when I need the pick up. So. Also, as long as the hour keeps changing, I think you're ok. Probably.

Diane Frank

Does the clock always say the same hour? If so I have to agree with Collin and say your clock may actually be broken, or maybe you just happen to check it every hour. Or it could be a sign that you are only 1 minute away from greatness. Whatever it is it's probably much more important than this content creator bs that you were going on about

Jacob Banerjee

So, as I said last time, make what you WANT to make, because we're here to support you.

Stephen Staver

Because being funded by Patreon means you're guaranteed that income. Not directly referring to "you" but a person in-general being funded through Patreon.

Stephen Staver

This is one reason why I am such a huge fan of Patreon. It gives fans a way to directly support a creator, so the creator can create what they 'want' to create, without having to worry about YouTube's metrics.

Stephen Staver

I'm sure the clock is a sign...

Matt Hillier

Lol Dan writes a really deep and introspective post and the comments are all about his clock...

Luc Fitzgerald

The fact that your clock says 59 every time you look may mean your clock is broken.

Collin Regalia

Yeah Dan you might want to look into the clock thing...

Your kids don’t like falafel

Yes it is weird that everytime you look at the clock it ends in 59

Hyper