For everyone else who isn’t Harris, Harris used to subscribe to my videos, but recently unsubscribed because I wasn’t replying to his messages, I’ll get to my reasoning later on. You/He still reads and comments on my blog [from what I believe anyway], but he/you left a comment a couple of hours ago. I’m just going to go through it.
“You don’t open your messages at YT, you don’t reply to comments there or here. Possibly you feel your videos should satisfy your subscribers, and to some extent they do, but only so far. Maybe when you began posting videos at YT you had some idea where the effort might take you. Maybe now you’re not satisfied with where you are or what you’ve gained. Again, I’m not sure. ”
I’d just like to say before I start this, is that I read everything, every single thing. I can’t stress that enough, I read every single comment on videos, read every comment here, read profile comments, I read all messages, I watch videos that even have me tagged in the videos tags. Even with my myspace, everything, and you don’t know how appreciative I am about it. The fact that SO many people out there actually give two flying fucks about me is something to be amazed at and I’m so grateful for that.
No, I don’t usually reply to messages on YT, mainly because I get a lot of mail, and the mailing system is terrible. I don’t reply to comments here because there is no replying system without me clashing up the comment section with my own comments.
In regards to my videos satisfying my subscribers. When I started making videos I had no intention to cater to anyone else but myself. My sole reason wasn’t to get everyone to watch my videos, it was for me to express myself on however I wanted to. This is why I’m getting so complicated with video making, since I now have a hefty amount of subscribers, I feel like I have to cater more to them and not myself, and 90% of the time they want me to be all quirky and cute and talk in that little accent on mine. I’m NOT saying that’s a bad thing, but doing that forever doesn’t express myself? No, it’s almost a big act, and people don’t get to know the real me. My video ‘First Impressions’, at this present time one of my favourite videos I’ve made for myself, because it really did represent how I was feeling, but many people didn’t seem to get it, or didn’t like the way I was going with it. I’ve already explained that video to death anyway.
“Maybe you hoped to connect to more people via the internet, but you’re learning that there’s a big difference between contacting and connecting. You’re contacting a huge number of people, but maybe you feel you’re not connecting with many. You’re a swell guy, very talented, intelligent of course, and a disposition that makes you a good friend. So what’s wrong with that? Not one thing.
I’ll make a suggestion, that’s all it is. I’m no guru and don’t have the answers, obviously. But take a chance. Try to spend the next 30 days spending more time “connecting” with your subscribers. Open their messages, read them - at least the reasonable ones. Even if you don’t reply to them, you’ll know your sub base much better. And try to leave more comments to the comments others make to your vids. Interact. Connect. For 30 days. See whether you feel better about where you’re going with this after that. I think you will. ”
I do understand what you mean, and I did used to do that. This is where I’d neatly reference my ‘500 subscribers and post-its’ video. Reaching that point were so many people where interested in what I did that they wanted to subscribe and learn more about me was incredibly special to me, and in return I wanted to do something big. I did get to know everyone, and when writing down all their usernames I did know a lot of them. You don’t understand that if you add another 17,000 people onto that, it makes it so much more hectic. It does just get to the point where you can’t reply to everyone because there arn’t enough hours in the day.
It’s too hard to connect with everyone, because the amount of people that message me and ask me what’s up or how am I doing, or want my contact details, it’s insane. It would be almost impossible for me to connect to thousands of people for 30 days and try keep up to speed with them. It would be having thousands of similar conversations at once and that isn’t going to bring myself across to them very well. I’ve already tested the waters with this idea before, and in some cases I’ve had some threats been given across to me because I don’t respond to them. Even if it worked, it would be rude of me to shun them all away after 30 days, and it would make me more anxious and feel awful if I couldn’t keep up with being their friends.
On another note, look at all my most popular videos, the Ask and Challenge Adam series, the Childhood CD collections, Tayto raffle etc, if I didn’t care for my subscribers why would I bother asking opinions, seeing their video responses and little parts of them and their lives?
“There’s not enough affection in this world. Your subscribers like you lots. Like us back. Give us a hug. Pat us on the back. Tell us when we’re full of s**t. :-) Connect. For 30 days.
a follower, if not presently a subscriber:
Harris”
Again, I’m appreciative and grateful, it’s overwhelming how so many people care. Have a free e-hug on me everyone.
*hug*
With subscribers, I’d rather have people subscribe to me for what they like about myself, than subscribing because you felt the need to or whatever. I have no problem with people unsubscribing from me, I wouldn’t want to force anyone to watch anything by me that they didn’t want to. Subscriptions were set up just as an easy access feed for your favourite videos. Harris, I would never want to restrict anyone’s opinions or choice.
I guess that’s all I really wanted to say. I’m sorry if everything is all over the place, I’m finding it hard to concentrate because my sleeping pattern is up the left and it’s not healthy. I wanted to talk about other things going on in my life at the moment but I’ll leave it for another time.