Are these Vloggers just a scam? SOL or Shmee etc???????

[Yipper]

Not a fan, but the vloggers are only trying to earn a crust, feed their addiction, or simply get through the day, like everyone else. Good luck to them.

[Gav147]

First time I have seen that channel and subscribed, as said a great video.

A similar way I got into watching Salomondrin, I first watched one of his Banging Gears episodes after seeing it on here somewhere and subscribed/followed him off the back of that one video, still watch a lot of his stuff and most of it is enjoyable, obviously you can tell the difference in quality between his daily vlog style videos over the banging gears stuff, that said that one video got me watching probably 2 or 3 of his normal stuff every week, chances are I wouldn't have heard of him if not for the odd big release he does. Similar to the guy above.

[LanceRS]

But do the videos need to be daily? I realise that the hobby has become a business, in that context, do you need daily content or would it work just as well With slightly fewer videos but better viewing figures for what is posted? Is there a possibility of over exposure?

[Shmee]

LanceRS said:

But do the videos need to be daily? I realise that the hobby has become a business, in that context, do you need daily content or would it work just as well With slightly fewer videos but better viewing figures for what is posted? Is there a possibility of over exposure?

YouTube is like any other social media platform, algorithm based, which means effectively you must comply to their demands if you wish to succeed. It is set up to favour long-form daily content at the current time, but this is open to change at any point.

[ambuletz]

Thanoj said:

Polarbert said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDbsNNxgC7I


This is a phenomenal video.

Ridiculously underrated channel imo.

I've had him subbed for a long time but find his videos boring, that's nothing against him many people do vids like that. 50% regurgitating the spec sheet then the rest of it saying yes this car is fast. But this is just me, I'm kinda bored of these videos, I like to hear ones where they're saying something interesting, not part of the press pack. such as production issues/history, unique design features or design flaws. It's probably why I really like people such as engineering explained, Harry's Garage, Jay Leno. also I feel I can't really respect the opinion of some random guy who's in his 20s. The CarFection (or is it car throttle?) has somoene of that age with a scouse accent reviewing cars. I instantly turn off when I see him. at least harry is a made of experience and the guy from Engineering Explained is a guy of knowledge.

[Quickmoose]

you should try SavageGeese.
A limited supply of cars/makes but a great review/production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZWO4E4LItU

[andyroo]

Shmee said:

What a frankly incredible video to watch.

There is one significant problem that has been discussed at length on earlier pages of this thread, unfortunately YouTube is not the platform for premium quality content (as discovered by Chris Harris) because the mass numbers want quantity over quality. Something that is filmed and edited to look straight-from-camera, or done in a way that the viewer feels they could be there or part of the activity is hugely better for natural and organic engagement. It's the exact same philosophy that has allowed and pushed the existence of platforms like Instagram and SnapChat.

I can't imagine how long that video took to put together but for sure the editing is hours and hours of work, rendering the possibility of creating daily videos almost impossible.

That's an interesting perspective. In terms of marketing, is it more important to have a larger viewership in order to generate more income from views, rather than providing content to a standard of quality that would refine your audience base to something that fits a paying brand's demographics? Or do brands simply want numbers?

[Shmee]

andyroo said:

That's an interesting perspective. In terms of marketing, is it more important to have a larger viewership in order to generate more income from views, rather than providing content to a standard of quality that would refine your audience base to something that fits a paying brand's demographics? Or do brands simply want numbers?

I suppose the business challenge is finding the middle-ground. The 'quality' extreme works exceptionally well with premium advertisers but however much the going-rate translates to, if you aren't talking big numbers you want get very far. The 'quantity' extreme in general is the most successful because you will find a lot of companies who equally just want to target large numbers. My attitude is to try to find the peak middle-ground, where my content is to a certain level that I aim for but receiving as much traffic as possible.

There's definitely no set in stone rule, and even if you think you are getting somewhere the algorithms and rules of the game change overnight.

[Polarbert]

Shmee said:

Polarbert said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDbsNNxgC7I


This is a phenomenal video.

What a frankly incredible video to watch.

There is one significant problem that has been discussed at length on earlier pages of this thread, unfortunately YouTube is not the platform for premium quality content (as discovered by Chris Harris) because the mass numbers want quantity over quality. Something that is filmed and edited to look straight-from-camera, or done in a way that the viewer feels they could be there or part of the activity is hugely better for natural and organic engagement. It's the exact same philosophy that has allowed and pushed the existence of platforms like Instagram and SnapChat.

I can't imagine how long that video took to put together but for sure the editing is hours and hours of work, rendering the possibility of creating daily videos almost impossible.

Kudos on getting your Vantage with a manual by the way.

I think the bloke said he adds new videos twice a week which isn't that bad. I haven't had a chance to look at his other content.


B is for Build is one I've followed with interest, just because of how genuine the guy seems. I don't think his Evora will win any safety standards but I think its very impressive what he started out with and what he ended up with. (In case anyone didn't know he bought an Evora that had been rolled over. Nearly every panel was damaged.)

[andyroo]

Shmee said:

I suppose the business challenge is finding the middle-ground. The 'quality' extreme works exceptionally well with premium advertisers but however much the going-rate translates to, if you aren't talking big numbers you want get very far. The 'quantity' extreme in general is the most successful because you will find a lot of companies who equally just want to target large numbers. My attitude is to try to find the peak middle-ground, where my content is to a certain level that I aim for but receiving as much traffic as possible.

There's definitely no set in stone rule, and even if you think you are getting somewhere the algorithms and rules of the game change overnight.

Thank you for the insight. I produce video content for a luxury watch retailer and we strive to keep the quality high but, as you say, it's the quantity that kills us. Finding that middle ground is tricky because, as branded content from a luxury outlet, the 'feel' can't become too casual for the brand, as I'm sure you're familiar with from producing content directly for manufacturers. We have some good numbers, with one breakaway at just under 3 million views, but the day-to-day stuff plods along and I think you're right, I think it's because we need more quantity.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts, it's really helpful. Sorry to everyone else for derailing the thread!

[LanceRS]

Shmee said:

LanceRS said:

But do the videos need to be daily? I realise that the hobby has become a business, in that context, do you need daily content or would it work just as well With slightly fewer videos but better viewing figures for what is posted? Is there a possibility of over exposure?

YouTube is like any other social media platform, algorithm based, which means effectively you must comply to their demands if you wish to succeed. It is set up to favour long-form daily content at the current time, but this is open to change at any point.

Thanks for the reply. There must be a danger of content for contents sake. Salomondrin for example appears to have upped his output considerably but not necessarily for the better (I appreciate that with his pre YouTube background he is a bit different).
As an aside, it must be exhausting producing at that rate, the travelling, finding new content all the logistics etc. Admittedly I'm not the most creative person in the world, but how do you hold peoples interest while being so prolific ?

[onemorelap]

Shmee,

You operate in a world that I know little about but my son is a massive petrol head and over the last year or two has avidly followed the adventures of you and your peers on YT.

Over the last few months things have progressed from just “following” to actually “following and doing”.

He has set up an Instagram page and despite living in a village in the Midlands has still managed to upload over 350 pictures in maybe a 6 month period.
He currently has approx 120 followers, each photo attracts approx 15 to 20 likes and he was absolutely delighted when in short order Patrick Sandell liked one of his photos and then another wrx driver became a follower.
He has built up a small network of mates who send him photos from their travels and most weekends he clears off for hours on end on his bike around the local area with a rucksack, some butties and his phone to do some “spotting”.
His intention for the page was to focus solely on supercars but given our location there is quite a lot of crossover with motorsport and other car content.
He is currently developing a web page as a school project using his hobby as the basis for it and after talking to him he has an awareness of uploading sufficient content to his Instagram page to keep it fresh using a #throwback tag for photos from previous events when his spotting yields are thin.

He has done all of the above off his own back with little input from me other than initial guidance on taking the photos from a respectful distance, don’t encroach on people’s property etc.

After realising how keen he was on it I was able to offer some advice on improving the quality of the images he takes but I’m not techno savvy so beyond that i’m stuffed!!

So, I appreciate that the above is small enterprise and fairly baseline stuff but is there any advice that you could offer me that I can pass on in order that he can get more out of his hobby?

Additionally he has specifically asked to go to London over the Xmas break so is there anything we can do to maximise our “spotting” time whilst we are there?

Thanks.

[mikearwas]

onemorelap said:

Shmee,

You operate in a world that I know little about but my son is a massive petrol head and over the last year or two has avidly followed the adventures of you and your peers on YT.

Over the last few months things have progressed from just “following” to actually “following and doing”.

He has set up an Instagram page and despite living in a village in the Midlands has still managed to upload over 350 pictures in maybe a 6 month period.
He currently has approx 120 followers, each photo attracts approx 15 to 20 likes and he was absolutely delighted when in short order Patrick Sandell liked one of his photos and then another wrx driver became a follower.
He has built up a small network of mates who send him photos from their travels and most weekends he clears off for hours on end on his bike around the local area with a rucksack, some butties and his phone to do some “spotting”.
His intention for the page was to focus solely on supercars but given our location there is quite a lot of crossover with motorsport and other car content.
He is currently developing a web page as a school project using his hobby as the basis for it and after talking to him he has an awareness of uploading sufficient content to his Instagram page to keep it fresh using a #throwback tag for photos from previous events when his spotting yields are thin.

He has done all of the above off his own back with little input from me other than initial guidance on taking the photos from a respectful distance, don’t encroach on people’s property etc.

After realising how keen he was on it I was able to offer some advice on improving the quality of the images he takes but I’m not techno savvy so beyond that i’m stuffed!!

So, I appreciate that the above is small enterprise and fairly baseline stuff but is there any advice that you could offer me that I can pass on in order that he can get more out of his hobby?

Additionally he has specifically asked to go to London over the Xmas break so is there anything we can do to maximise our “spotting” time whilst we are there?

Thanks.

Supercar spotting in London is not a difficult activity. Go to Sloane Street. Job done.

[Alan_I_W]

No one is anywhere near the detail of Saabkyle04. Not even the dealers go into the detail like he does; and he has EVERY car you could think of, in a fully detailed look around.

[Frio3535]

Alan_I_W said:

No one is anywhere near the detail of Saabkyle04. Not even the dealers go into the detail like he does; and he has EVERY car you could think of, in a fully detailed look around.

I've followed him from the very beginning and still watch his older videos - it's almost therapeutic in a way, all the different sounds everything makes. My favourite car based channel.

[Alan_I_W]

Frio3535 said:

I've followed him from the very beginning and still watch his older videos - it's almost therapeutic in a way, all the different sounds everything makes. My favourite car based channel.

Wouldn't've bought my Benz if it wasn't for him. I used to love his parents dealership tours.

[anonymous-user]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's probably the quickest and easiest way to get views though.

If you're a young guy who has almost stumbled into this but it's now your sole source of income, and you don't have much of a financial cushion from a former career, other income etc then it's hard not to get stuck on the hamster wheel of short term "looky looky" on an almost daily basis.

[VTECBOY]

Shmee said:

VTECBOY said:

Shmee on the other hand wouldn't even stop for a photo..

That doesn't seem very fair, I spent 2-4 hours on each day of the Gumball trying to entertain grids and take selfies - unfortunately one does have to call it a day eventually because there are so many people at Gumball you'd otherwise be doing it around the clock.

Edinburgh stop on the Gumball I asked you for a photo so I could show some friends back home and you said "if you can get one whilst I walk" felt a bit ushered out of the way and that you couldn't be arsed but sure I can understand if you were tired or had to call it a day. My phone actually ran out of battery and Seb was kind enough to take a photo on his phone and send it to me Via Instagram.

[anonymous-user]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I wouldn't disagree but one man's crassness and vulgarity is another 15 year old's "goals".

I'd add that there's a world of difference between production values and those values communicated in the content and for a more mature audience getting the balance of the two is the key to building a following.

[Quickmoose]

Is it too simpistic to suggest Youtube reflects the current crop of freeview stuff?
(generalising)You get the production values and quality on the the beeb, ITV, CH4 and others
You get the relative click bait on CH5...

You make your choices and stick to them on the whole, there's room for them all.

If there is a downside..it's that regardless of quality they're mostly bitesize... I can settle into a good piece from STG, Mr JWW or Jay Leno or SavageGeese and all too soon it's over...

It's useful to have a forum that points you in new and interesting directions though.