ABOUT YOUTUBE
For years people have been asking why don’t I have a YouTube channel. And I’ve gotten what feels like a million requests asking the same last week. I have responded for years, in detail, why this is not a reasonable solution for me.
This comment I found on YT and it sums up what my research indicates:
The entire YT business model hinges on content creators wearing themselves to the bone while being paid pennies, only to eventually burn out and/or be replaced by new content creators who haven’t yet burned out.
Yes, there are channels that do very well. But these are an extreme minority. YT is like acting. An extreme minority hits it big. Most actors though starve.
For seven years I watched Leo and his extraordinary Tally Ho restoration, funded by, it seems, YT. How is he doing all this, I often asked out loud.
- 566K subscribers.
- 242 videos
- Many of his videos have well over a millions views.
- His project (a classic sailboat) was romantically inspiring and appealing.
- Leo is very easy on the eyes AND has a British accent. Two invaluable things in attracting views. Poncho the parrot also helped!
- To my knowledge, Leo has never detailed his income from YT.
- It seems that Leo no longer creates the videos and hires this out.
- Leo is young. THIS IS VITAL.
I also watch SAILING UMA. This is a very attractive couple, with great banter. They have been vlogging about fixing up their 1970s sailboat and sailing the world. A few years ago they gutted the boat and have been rebuilding it
- 434K subscribers.
- 648 videos
- Each video seems to get around 150K views.
- Vlogging for 10 years.
- Kika creates the videos which take about 40 hours a week. This seems to be her job.
- They are both young. THIS IS VITAL.
I love OCEANLINER DESIGNS with our friend Mike Brady.
- 846K subscribers.
- 469 videos. 42 have over a million views.
- Mike creates the videos. This seems like his full time job.
- Mike is young. THIS IS VITAL
George Dunnett hit it big with his first video, which now has an extraordinary 19M views. More than any other blogger, George details his earnings. He make less than you would think.
- George is very cute and with a lovely gentle voice. And Irish!
- 273K subscribers
- 100 videos.
- He started 3 years ago, just when COVID shut down the world.
- He has cats!!!!!!!!
- George is very young. THIS IS VITAL.
I have become very fond of The Chateau Diaries. Stephanie has corralled a delightful group of supporting players and the shows have been electric of late with a dazzling new kitchen, and the discovery of the original grand hall and ancient stenciling.
- She has been vlogging for 6 years.
- She runs her chateau as a bnb but has never, to my knowledge, revealed how much she is earning money from YT..
- She seems to create most of the videos.
- She has a delightful tiny doggie, cat, peacocks, and chickens.
- While she is not quite young (she just turned 50) she is much younger than me. THIS IS VITAL.
Handsome Dan took off like a rocket with his Escape to rural France. He used to work for Stephanie. He was Landscape Dan.
- 657K subscribers
- 958 videos
- Most of Dan’s videos are very short and with a great deal of time-lapse. I normally fast-forward to the end where he talks.
- Doggies!
- Dan began alone, and doing jaw-dropping tasks, but then assembled a small crew. I have assumed the crew is being paid, and from YT monies. Note the word assume. Dan has not, to my knowledge, ever detailed his YT income.
- Dan, quite cleverly, is often shirtless.
- Dan is young. THIS IS VITAL.
- Recently, I gave up on Dan as I dislike how he is proceeding.
- They have been vlogging for 7 years.
- 170K subscribers
- 390 videos
- Maya creates the videos (this seems to be her job) and the results are incredible. She recently upgraded the sound equipment so we viewers can better hear nature: birds, trees in the wind, water lapping, whales, and other creatures. I greatly admire her, and him.
- Both are very young. THIS IS VITAL.
- 281 subscribers
- 623 videos
- Vlogging 7 years now.
- I’m not sure which one is doing the video work.
- Both are very young. THIS IS VITAL.
- Shaun creates the videos and he’s talked about how much work they are. He makes clear that while they earn YT money, it has not made them wealthy. They sell honey to bring in more income!
- 175K subscribers.
- 567 videos.
- Vlogging for 7 years.
- Shaun has been open about his mental health issues and I suspect his honesty has helped a great many people. I applaud him.
- They have doggies!
- Both are now middle-age.
- Started vlogging 5 years ago.
- Tyler creates the videos and has stressed how much work they are. He has no other job.
- They have 3 doggies and one cat.
- Both are very young. THIS IS VITAL.
- They started 4 years ago.
- I think Felicity creates the videos.
- Neither has another job.
- They have a doggie.
- I do not know the ages of Tim and Felicity are but they are not old. THIS IS VITAL.
- Young. THIS IS VITAL.
I enjoy Walk With Me Tim. He reviews hotels and other places. He is a good talker (a must!).
- 841K subscribers
- 520 videos
- Tim creates the videos but has never detailed how much effort this is, or his earnings. Making the videos appears to be his full-time job.
- Tim is young. THIS IS VITAL.
I love Emma of Emma Cruises. She is another great talker (no umms and odd pauses) and just simply reviews cruise ships. While I have no interest in cruising, I enjoy her, ships, and interior design.
- She has a small stuffed doggie.
- I think, think, doing the channel is her full-time job.
- Young. THIS IS VITAL.
I am not devoted to Max & Occy, but often watch. Max lives in Australia. I love listening to him, and he’s very easy on the eyes.
- Vlogging 5 years. This is his full-time occupation.
- Had a dog, Occy. Who died recently.
- He built an outdoor shower and I commented that if he filmed his naked backside on occasion his views would go through the roof. He has not, as of yet, taken my obviously sage advice. Sigh.
- Young. THIS IS VITAL.
I live for every Baumgartner Restoration video. Julien restores paintings.
- Julien is very easy on the eyes and I love his soothing voice.
- I do not know who is doing his videos. And he works hard at his business.
Jake started vlogging as a teenager and created Bright Sun Films
- Superior production quality.
- “From Abandoned buildings, to Bankrupt companies and Cancelled projects, Bright Sun Films is the place to explore our past and discover what worked and what didn’t.”
- Vlogging for 12 years now. Wow.
The B1M is unique among all the vlogs I watch. It has a host, Fred, who created the vlog, but I have no idea who is actually creating the content. “The B1M is the world’s largest, most subscribed-to (and best) video channel for construction.”
- Superior production values.
- Fred is young. THIS IS VITAL.
Peter began with travel vlogs, and with his big dog Geordie (since passed away): Travels With Geordie Then he purchased an old wooden boat and has been fussing fussing fussing with it for years now. He recently got engaged.
- Started vlogging 8 years ago.
- Peter creates the videos but has not detailed how much he earns from them. He has no other job.
- I don’t know his age but would guess around 50.
OBSERVATIONS
Things which strike me:
None of the above (save one) have been vlogging for over ten years.
Almost all are young.
Almost none of what I watch involves a single person doing everything. If it is a single person, as with Emma, Tim, and Max, and Peter, vlogging is their full-time job.
My guess is that Maya (sailing magic carpet) spends the most time on each video, and handsome Dan the least. Maya is, again, very young and doing the videos seems like her job.
All the people I list don’t have another job (save one). This, to me, speaks volumes, and articulates the #1 reason why I can’t just wave a magic wand and make money from YT: I have another job which is very demanding.
VLOGS I STOPPED WATCHING
I recently stopped watching Kara and Nate after Nate was shockingly abusive to Kara, who seems about the sweetest person alive. I will not link to them.
- Vlogging is their life. Neither has a job otherwise.
- They no longer create videos but farm this out.
- Both are young. THIS IS VITAL.
I also stopped watching Trent & Allie. I grew tired of the click-bait headlines ( a massive turn-off) and disliked how Trent treated Allie.
- Allie creates the videos
- Both Young. THIS IS VITAL.
For awhile I watched The 2nd Empire Strikes Back. I stopped watching as I did not like what he was doing.
- 158K subscribers
- 236 videos
- He took off during COVID but then stopped vlogging. I have no idea why.
- He is very young. THIS IS VITAL.
Patrick and Stuart lived in Chicago and decided to buy a chateau in france. Their vlog: Journey to the Chateau. I stopped watching because Stuart is a terrible speaker. Just way too many Uuummmms.
- I do not know who creates the videos. Neither has another job.
- They are the oldest creators I watched. Kenny and I call them The Old Farts.
Cash Jordan is a very cute young man that did lively, brief videos about small apartments in NYC. I enjoyed these. Then, bit by bit, he morphed into depicting the city as an ever-increasing dystopian hellscape. And this is his newest video:
800,000 Illegals ‘SHIPPED BACK’ to Mexico… as California SHUTS DOWN
OTHER VLOGS I WATCH
Wes Wherever is a very attractive young bearded ginger. He mostly kayaks out to surreal places and camps for a night. He occasionally has his dog (and mom) join him. Oddly soothing.
NautiStyles is a couple (and she is gorgeous) that simply give us tours of $$$ yachts for sale. Excellent production values. No doggies though. They both talk well.
Wentworth Woodhouse is all about a massive grand house in England. The channel is hardly watched but I love viewing this immense mansion being slowly and carefully restored.
Stewart Hicks is an architect and his vlog is, of course, all about architecture. Ross happy. Stewart is quite attractive (notice a pattern with me?) with a slightly dorky quality. Hot.
VLOGS I DISTAIN
This year I noticed a flood of AI-generated videos. You can usually tell right away as the narrator will have a too-perfect voice and an accent that is from nowhere.
I despise AI. I read that YT has been clamping down on such videos. This is wise as they will destroy the channel.
SUMMARY
I have resisted going down the vlogging path mostly due to the fact that I have had a wildly overloaded schedule since 2006 when I began my lighting business and it just took off. I was already working full tilt (7 days a week from waking up till going to bed at 1AM) when I purchased the Cross House and I somehow jammed this massive amount of new work into my life WHEN I HAD ZERO SPACE FOR IT. Any possibility that I could magically find the time to do videos was an impossibility.
(SIDEBAR: An act of pure insanity is the only explanation for creating this blog in the summer of 2014. Because I did not have a second of extra time, something had to be sacrificed. And this proved my long-standing task of getting a vintage light listed every day. I discovered that I could list a light, or blog, but could not do both. So, my business suffered and I went from having 520 lights listed the day I purchased the Cross House down to like 270. I have it up to 320 now. Listing 30 lights a month is no longer possible. With effort I can do about 18 a month. It scares me to think of the income I sacrificed and, boy oh boy, am I suffering now as a result. Bad Ross! Dumb Ross!)
But, by abruptly stopping all work on the Cross Properties recently, and with sales so slow, I suddenly have something I have not had for 19 years: time.
I am also rediscovering something I thought had gone extinct: brain space. I have been on full-blown brain overload since buying the Cross properties in 2014. I remember when I had glamorous party in 2015 and Justin watched as I struggled to open a box of wine. I had never purchased box wine before and my brain just could not process how to open it. Justin scanned the panic on my face and gently said: “Here, let me do that.” I felt such gratitude.
When a person has no brain space (like every new mother), even minor new tasks make one want to burst out crying. Some of you will know exactly what I mean.
I am also uncomfortable with what seems to be the assumption that creating a vlog will be:
- easy-peasy.
- It will just take off and ease my money worries. Based on my research, I am doubtful of this. For every vlog that earns money, there are likely hundreds more that take a ton of time and do not earn a dime.
The entire business model hinges on content creators wearing themselves to the bone while being paid pennies, only to eventually burn out and/or be replaced by new content creators who haven’t yet burned out.
Patreon
My creating a Patreon account has also been suggested. But I know somebody with a well-known and popular blog. And from Patreon the owner earns around…$113 a month.
HOWEVER….
In pondering all this for years, I have the following ideas:
- Do a video on all the stained-glass in the Cross House. This will be easy to film (I think), and people love stained-glass.
- Another video: How to create a kitchen in a historic house. This might well generate millions of views. I have given the subject much thought since 2014 and have a lot of fabulous archival images, plus my great plan for the Cross Kitchen. Could I find somebody to do a computer-generated rendering of the kitchen finished as I envision?
- Start vlogging about vintage lighting. This is my last idea to keep afloat. And the videos will not have to earn me a dime, as…I assume…the videos will increase traffic and sales at my e-commerce website. So, yes, friggin’ brilliant. I restore lights at my big desk in Strong City, while half-watching…can you guess?…YT vlogs on my computer. Of note: There are almost always two kitties on my desk and I will make sure they are on camera and that we interact. Viewers will eat this up. My main image will be me holding NewKitty2. She is excited about being famous.
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I like your ideas! Especially with kittehs. Any one of those would be popular
From what the YT creators I follow have said you are absolutely correct in stating it is a lot of work that frequently results in burnout. I feel bad for creators that enlist their whole families into the YT endeavor and are now wondering what to do now that YT is their “one basket” and revenues are dwindling. I also think it is a case of folks who jumped on the YT bandwagon 5-10 years ago did the best and now the market is flooded. I don’t agree with folks who are telling you YT is the silver bullet to your financial problems and you are correct to be skeptical. I’d be much more likely to direct you to opening a Patreon but that’s not a sure thing either.
Bless you, Alice.
I watched ‘The Second Empire Strikes Back’ and liked the channel. Kaleb got married and I think it is possible the couple is expecting. And they may want alone time to enjoy their newlywed status and their experience of parenthood. Hopefully, they are not giving up or had a financial crisis. That said, I hope you will be able to sell your surplus properties and enjoy the Cross House. Viel Glück!
Ross…
As always a great blog thanks so much !
Re some of the YT vlogs…a very comprehensive list , follow a couple of them my self…always good viewing !
I would also add JORDAN KAMILLERI & his partner & their restoration of a very beautiful Italian villa…
Both a very attractive & very well spoken/articulate YOUNG gay couple…
As I’ve mentioned before a particular sensibility is required…these 2 have in spades…as to video production/income stream etc I couldn’t comment , but it’s an effort worth following !
HOWEVER…
I wanted to correct you re some basic facts about
WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE.
A very historic and very large country house in ENGLAND not SCOTLAND…
Located in the village of Wentworth Rotherham District if South Yorkshire Nthn England.
I highly recommend the book
” BLACK DIAMONDS ” by CATHERINE BAILEY which outlines & describes the 20th Century history of the Fitzwilliam Family…an incredible story… you couldn’t make it up !!
Again thanks for always interesting & amusing blogging !!
Regards Jeremy
Jeremy,
I’ve corrected the location of WENTWORTH WOODHOUSE. And I’ve read Black Diamonds!
Thank you!
Dearest Ross: You provided salient points about YouTube and the blogging. The most important issue and you pointed this out is that they are almost all very young; and there’s no one that is doing just the blogging and the video and everything themselves so they all are teams. so all this is perfectly understandable. I think your game plan that you outline at a previous blog is a very good one. As far as you know selling the Tin house selling the Strong house; all these properties on the market trading in your car for another car or selling your car and then buying another car that’s sturdy and that you can afford. These are all great ideas and a great path forward. I think you’re proceeding cogently, practically and doing what you have to do. I pray that the Fates will allow all this to happen in a way that works most advantageously for you.
You watch quite a few of the same videos I do.
You missed Yip and Paul who are not young and forgive me I wouldn’t characterize as handsome but they do have a certain charm. They are renovating a village.
My thoughts on Youtube ewre never that the videos would never provide a source of income but that they would be a way to generate traffic to your online lighting store to sell fixtures. My thoughts were you could set up an iPhone on a tripod and just film your work bench while you renovate your vintage lights. I don’t think it would take 40 hours to edit such a video. And once you got the hang of it it would go faster. My main thoughts were you would have a wider audience for your online store and it might help to expand your sales. Kitties are always a plus.
Something along the lines of Wristwatch Revival. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on screen.
There is also Mark Vogel who knits, but he mostly talks. While you see some knitting it isn’t particularly an instructional channel although he did show some cabling in his last video. And I adore Mabel the Corgi. I find he has a very soothing voice, but then he is a singer.
Another not young is Kevin Lee Jacobs. I first found him because they were renovating their historic home in New York state but now it is mostly cooking, gardening and things around the house. He plays piano, has two cats and a dog and a very soothing voice. He does have a helper named Lisette who is never seen that videos him and I assume does the editing for him. His videos are more involved than the others.
I also enjoy Firebox Stove. His channel is an outdoor camping type one but it is to promote his products as he uses them, demonstrates different ones and what you can do with them. He uses a selfie stick when hiking or puts a GoPro on one of the dogs or pack goats. Beautiful scenery and he does fishing, catch and release with the occasional meal. He doesn’t do videos too often. He’ll do a long one and then just release a short from that video until the next camping trip.
I don’t think being young is vital. I think the young embraced the technology and format. Or perhaps I should say a certain generation. The really young are doing TikTok instead of YouTube. Xitter and Instagram may be in the between.
I don’t think it is vital to have the production values of Dan Preston or Stephanie. You’re trying to drum up business to sell lights, not make money off the videos and get subscribers and a plaque. You’re providing instructional content to mask advertising your business.
BTW I am hooked on ATrestoration. He refinishes furniture in Estonia. Doesn’t talk much and doesn’t appear on camera much. He isn’t young and handsome either but he sure knows his business. His work is amazing.
Bob Fowler is another, not young and handsome. He restores vintage sewing machines, mostly Singer. Instructional but does have a business.
Likewise Spraque Woodturning. Instructional but his work is for sale. I think he sets a camera on a tripod and films himself and occasionally moves it to a different angle. Don’t know who does the editing but I think he does. He does one video a week and he doesn’t spend 40 hours doing it.
I love your last idea, especially as it seems like the least work for the most reward. And I love video that include cats.
Wow Ross! I should have known that you would have addressed this topic and honestly appreciate your patience with my inquiry. Somehow I missed it, not like me… Thank you for so many YT channels and your take on them. I do however think that “young and cute” cannot compete with Ross and his gorgeous house with KITTIES too! I just so wish you had some more monetary help in this project. Fingers crossed that you get a well deserved grant!!!
I think alot of YT people have patreon, sponsors, and sell merchandise. Plenty that I follow are living off of YT. I think though that it is alot of work. But they are doing it.
And yes, they all are younger people. So, you do have some valid points.
I’ve just subscribed to My Self Reliance. Mature Canadian building a homestead in rural Canada. I am amazed what he does all by himself. Pretty sure he is filming himself with a camera and tripod. I absolutely love his chicken coop. His cabin is thoughtfully designed and he’s now adding a bedroom with a fireplace. He includes some beautiful elements to the functionality. He doesn’t seem to be doing it to make money as there are no sponsorships and I don’t recall him saying anything about liking and subscribing. I don’t think he has a Patreon either.
YES! Please pass on your wisdom and knowledge about restoration! Showing how to do it and why it’s vital to save surviving treasures from the past: homes, furniture, lights, textiles, etc. It’s a lost art and you have so much knowledge, training, and passion. Just a video here and there for posterity and especially details about saving the Cross properties. You are a treasure and we have all been blessed, comforted, and encouraged by your blogs.
Absolutely. My nephew sent a family heirloom chair to the dump because he broke the seat that could easily have been repaired just because he didn’t know how to do it and considered it “broken”. Also, probably to hide the fact he broke it by being too lazy to go get a ladder and instead stood on it.
He also ruined my Mother’s coral brooch by supergluing it instead of waiting for me to take it to a jeweler to be professionally repaired.
At 36 you’d think he knew better.
Is it generational?
I’m 70 and I fix things because my Dad did and taught me to reduce, reuse, recycle from a very early age, way before it was “fashionable”. I know some young people are starting to embrace this but I still see consumerism and discarding to buy “new” way too much.
I’m interested in any repair/restore methods of anything. I don’t know much about lamps and am just now venturing more seriously into furniture. I did just restore a 35 year old cast iron bench i bought for my house around 1990. I’ve also rewired my Mother’s vintage milk glass lamps which are now proudly on my dresser. but they didn’t require any sort of restoration beyond cleaning the glass. I know nothing about metal or the different styles or brands of vintage lamps.
It’s so interesting to see what you watch, Ross. We watch many of the same things. YouTube channels require many hours of devotion by the persons who run them. I donated my TV because I can no longer tolerate hearing people discussing politics. I read about politics. For entertainment I watch a variety of YouTube videos that I enjoy, on my laptop. I still watch Dan because I want to see how the chateau turns out. I just discovered a new channel Villa Nuova, two gay guys (young) in Ireland, buy a ruined country house that still has many original features. They value tree and animal conservation and want to save the house and honor the house’s history.
I’m very late commenting. But you’ve done your usual thorough breakdown in answering the “Why not YouTube?” question, and I appreciate it. I’ve also added a dozen new blogs to take a look at, which should keep me out of trouble for most of the winter.
What you accomplish in a day astonishes me. I’m crossing my fingers that you can cross a few things off your list, solve your cash flow conundrum, and enjoy your life and kitties. Love you, buddy.