zlacker

>>babelf+(OP)
So basically:

Come up with contrived BS that caters to younger audiences, micromanage anyone who is holding you up, and attempt to game a blackbox algorithm on a site you don't pay for (YouTube)

The whole modern social media / influencer sphere seems like a huge bubble that will pop eventually. Google has already started wiping inactive accounts[0] presumably because storage isn't truly infinite or cheap. I imagine YT will also take the same path eventually.

0: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/12418290?hl=en

>>hypeat+s5
The guy has earned a net worth of maybe $700 million starting with YouTube. Saying it's all a bunch of contrived bullshit hides the fact the he is obviously brilliantly talented and dedicated at making a business from YouTube. If you or others blow off a document he wrote or an interview he gives because most of his videos are "just" gaming an algorithm then you must not be a very curious person.

I don't like coffee but I still might learn about the business since it's so big.

>>zulban+2a
I don’t even think he’s gaming an algorithm. He doesn’t have to.

He’s just making videos people will click on and then watch.

It’s almost like he’s trying to make something people want. I’ve heard that before somewhere…

>>mattma+Sv
If you read the full PDF it’s clear he is very carefully gaming the algorithm: he includes charts showing exactly when people drop off from watching videos, and explains how he has an exact set of rules for how the thumbnail, first minute, 2-3 minutes, 3-6 minutes and 6-end minutes of any video should work.

I find the lengths he has gone to in order to design his videos specifically for how YouTube works to be extremely impressive.

>>simonw+5x
Statistics about when people drop off, or what thumbnail or content is appealing, is studying human viewer behavior. There's no algorithm telling the users to find it interesting and keep watching.

>>nitwit+hy
Talking about “the algorithm” always feels a bit foolhardy to me because it’s undocumented and constantly changing.

Given that, it’s pretty clear to me from the full PDF that MrBeast is “gaming” it to the best effect possible given no perfect information.

The thing he cares about is if YouTube is going to recommend his video for people to watch, even beyond his own subscribers.

He believes that the key to this recommendation mechanism is having a high AVD and AVP (defined on page 5). Given that he has the highest rated account on all of YouTube now I’m inclined to defer to his expertise.