Entering the world of YouTube video creation has been an interesting journey so far, with several challenges. How to handle the stresses of posting regular videos, and handling the feedback associated.
The first challenge has been that of the editing of videos – a task which is far more time consuming and detail oriented than many people realize (myself included). For each 10 minutes of final video, I would say I spend at least 1-2 hours cutting, adjusting, and fiddling, plus additional time for graphics and other pieces. And in truth, I don’t see the final product as “professional” quality. At best, it is a decent amateur effort.
Once complete, then it is a challenge to not watch the statistics of the video. It is always so tempting to check back in, and see how many views and how many likes (or dislikes) the video has received, or if there are any comments. Since it doesn’t actually have any value, this is really just wasted time, at least at the level of my channel currently. Certainly, if there were thousands of views, then trending data might be relevant – what is being watched, what isn’t, etc. But with 10 views, that is really not a big concern.
Finally, there is the motivation factor. Of course, everyone assumes their channel will instantly become popular, and they will strike it rich with views. The reality is no where close – many of the videos go unwatched, with neither subscribers, viewers, or likes. And the occasional dislike (without constructive comments with which to improve) are discouraging. In truth, a “thick-skin” is necessary to continue moving forward – there will no doubt be plenty of nay-sayers and negative opinions. Fortunately, what content I create is more for my own entertainment, and less for a public audience, so even if no one watches and no one likes it, my small gaming group can still get some benefit.
Perhaps as I continue to learn and add content, that will change. In the back of my mind, I still have hopes to become yet another YouTube star 🙂
