Contributor
I’m not sure this is an apples-to-apples comparison as none of us are paying these YouTubers directly for a service or product (at least I’m not). It’s ultimately our choice whether to give them our time and attention.Originally Posted by Mark Bolton
There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” - Dave Barry
Contributor
There is also fake it To make it. The longer Piccaso was married to a woman the uglier the portraits got. Fading art skills,
or ....escape artist ?
Contributor
The reference I was making was not pertaining to paying the creators for content creation (which we do pay the for directly either by watching ad's or having YouTube Premium).
Member
There is no question about April being a good business person. I started watching her videos from the beginning. I admire her dedication and her business model. It's worked for her. Ultimately though, I unsubscribed from April's channel when it felt like I was mostly watching infomercials. I've unsubscribed from many channels because of that. I realize that folks have to make a living. I get enough commercials elsewhere. Happy holidays, everyone!
Contributor
My opinions exactly. I subscribed way back when she was new at it, but unsub'd a couple of years ago because of the really heavy infomercial content. There's a line between featuring a product in an organic way and flogging it shamelessly. A lot of her videos cross way over that line.
Contributor
Does anybody remember the Wood Whisperer project that contains the mis - cut dovetails ? I'd like to check that out , if it's still posted .
Administrator
Thanks Mell, I will smile all day long thinking about women's portraits
Contributor
Timely thread. I love youtube on a saturday morning, but it seems ive watched most of the good woodworking content already. Oddly enough, the shop tour in question popped up in my feed over the weekend. I saw the thumbnail of the 24" planer and big jointer and said, "wow, a shop tour that isnt a sawstop with a dewalt 735 fliptop cart!". My enthusiasm cratered after she started opening her mouth. I dont follow April and havent seen many videos. It appears to me that she fits in with a lot of the Youtube producers in that their WWing skillset could fit in a thimble, but they have hustle and camera/editing abilities. It is about all that is on youtube now for me to watch, and i cant watch anymore of it. I wish someone would come onto the scene that put out 6-12 videos a year on making interesting pieces. Not cramming in new content every 2 days, because thats what gains subs, likes, views, and more sponsorship.
Overall, i think most of their presence is beneficial. It is a good thing to have more people involved in a shared interest. However, i think its a little disappointing that the money/system clearly favors the folks on the bottom of the skill spectrum churning out high volume/low quality. It seems like there are 24 Aprils for every Doucette and Wolfe. I will end by concurring with the previous statement that Marc is applesranges with April. I started out watching a ton of his stuff 6-7 years ago and i am very grateful he existed. However, i believe my interest or aspirations outstripped Marc 3-4 years ago, and i rarely watch his stuff. To me, education is still the primary goal of youtube. I do not glean much entertainment value from watching someone make a cutting board, or a shaker end table, or another entry-level project. I used to love shoptour videos for the same reason, but now there is nothing new or educational in it for me. I need to see tours of people with high end or unique equipment with interesting layouts for me to click on the video.
Contributor
I'd like to add that I personally have learned more here at SMC than I have from you-tube. YMMV though.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Contributor
Let me summarize. 1) YouTube content quality varies with the knowledge/skill of the presenter. Caveat emptor. 2) The more you know about the subject, the harder it is to find content that is valuable to you personally. 3) There’s an old saying: if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product. That’s worth bearing in mind when considering product recommendations and advice. 4) It is very instructive to read the comments. I often learn more from the comments section than from the video itself. 5) All that said, I’ve learned a great deal from YouTube videos, particularly immediate solutions to specific problems, or as a way to survey a subject I am new to.
Contributor
I have to give it to April. First of, she's been at this for a few years, built a heck of a shop and made some money from her business (you-tube videos included). I'd love to have a shop like what she has built. And could all this be or was a hobby, it might be, we don't know what her finances are. Some people drop 3 million bucks on their Viking Fishing Boat that they use a few times a year to catch a tuna. So - for those that are having some issues with her build-up of machines, I am thinking some of you would do the same if you had a few hundred thousand laying around for hobby money. Now, maybe it's not a hobby and she's making money hand over fist, and maybe it's just 'craft' items that she is selling. We'll i got news for you, if she makes a 'craft' like wood item, like the christmas trees she has on her web page (who knows, maybe she's getting them into stores also), and she sells a million of them (yes, she has what, 3 production level cnc machines now?), and makes a buck a piece of em, well, that's a lot of money. I also see from her videos she might actually have hired some staff, well, good, now she gave people jobs. Is she equal to someone who's been building fine custom made furniture for the past 25 years, maybe not, but she is good at what she does and I commend her for it.
[OP]
Member
Until now I saw her skill set as mostly crafts and outdoor projects. However she really upped her game in my opinion with the latest project, a huge live edge epoxy river table done in 48 hours.
NOW you tell me...
Contributor
The epoxy river table thing alone coupled with someone compromising the whole ot into 48 hours speaks to #1 epoxy is prostitution and #2 allowing a customer.to dictate the timeline of such a product either speaks to conjured up, pre planned drama, or stupidity.
It's a level just below HGTV trash. Itsjust gross. There is no business other than to sell product. It's a typical hgtv, history, speed, perpetual advertisement.
Member
Glad I was done drinking my pop when I read this....
Member
ha ha ha!!!! Love it!
If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!
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