'Free' YouTube a Moneymaker? - Chris Anderson

[CharlieShaughnessy]

Chris Anderson is a freaking badass... Super smart, good points...

[emperorzombie13]

just wait for google to sell marketing/advertising info to polling companies for election/product testing/whatnot. people are bitching about what it is now and not what it will become with new technologies and new ways to use old ones. why try to get a pilot on a major network when you can test it online? it will be more about viral and less about getting a network 'hit'. eventually the comment system will be data-mined. opinions are marketing info, once all the flaming is parsed through.

[andid]

As soon as this dude figures out how to put video ads on Youtube, I won't be on Youtube anymore. Because you see, I'm in the free mustard business. Fuck your expensive ass hot dogs.

Word to the advertisers: One of the main reasons YT gained such a massive following in such a short amount of time is that we finally got to watch what we wanted without being forced to hear you hocking your product. You've already killed television--leave us alone.

[aredditor]

You won't get shit for free forever. As he said, basically youtube is in part subsidized by google, so for now, google is providing most of the funds. This won''t last forever. If youtube was a money maker, it wouldn't have this near worthless comment system we're using right now.

[andid]

We live in a different time now. There will be a new Youtube if they decide to go that route....with a different name. If they start biting the hand that feeds them, the same thing will happen to them that happened to TV audiences. They'll move.

I understand it's only a matter of time with YT though. I've been here since the beginning, when there were no practically no ads. They've tried video ads on a couple channels and they're almost always 1-starred to death. That gives me hope.

[andid]

sorry for the "no" redundancy. It's late.

[GumGuts180]

The point he was trying to make though, is that it's alright Youtube in itself doesn't make money - in the larger scheme of Google, and how it fits in to it, it does.

[aredditor]

The problem is that youtube could be so much better, but it's not a money maker for google, so they don't do anything to improve it. Again I have to point to youtubes god awful comment system. Because youtube dominates video hosting, and google doesn't care that it's comment system and other aspects of youtube suck, there's little chance they'll do something about it.

[GumGuts180]

That makes sense, the comment system has no direct relation to the goal of Youtube - harvesting information about the users, so there's not really an incentive to make it any better.

[noezway47]

aredditor - How would you improve the comments on YouTube. What do you suggest?

[aredditor]

Ever frequent a social news aggregator? Check out the comment system on reddit, and you'll see what I mean. There are a few sites that use basically the same system, but reddit seems to be becoming the most popular. Marry the two, and it will be gold.

Youtube's buggy too. The latest is my account has been showing that I have mail when I've already checked it.

[GumGuts180]

The guy even explained it! You can't just have free mustard. Because you see, reality has a part to play in this.

Advertising offers huge benefits as compared to its drawbacks, to everyone involved.

[andid]

Yes, you can just have free mustard. At least on an individual level. I watch and do everything media-wise online for free, and there are no commercials, no pop-ups...if I want to see a video ad, I'll look it up myself.

This is reality. I understand that a large portion of the population isn't going to mind buying hot dogs, and thank god someone has the stomach for it (to keep services like this available), because I don't.

[GumGuts180]

The only reason you can have free mustard is because people are willing to buy the hot dog. You seem to be complaining that when they give you the mustard, they also give a small pamphlet about the hot dog. It's the best way to do it: you get the mustard for free, and they get people to buy the hot dog.

[jalgjalg]

I take it you really sucked at statistics in kindergarten?

[kongfumonkey]

Texting Spam :p

[jalgjalg]

FUCK THAT

I'd rather pay for these so called "free" services than to be CONSTANTLY BRAINRAPED with adNONsense in return

and than to let American business mentality SHAMELESSLY equate human history with the history of advertizing... psychoterror!

We are NOT a helpless herd waiting to be fed with false reasons to buy stuff we don't need in exchange for free videos. We are thinking people with DECENT jobs, able to pay for services and information we like. If only there was even the option (!) to.

[alwiser]

Unfortunately, you only make for 1% of the entire Internet population. Thanks.

but no thanks.

[LlortnA]

The more you know . . .

[phfrankh]

Just don't sh%7 in my back yard!