Forestry Forum YouTube Channel

Jeff · April 21, 2021, 12:10:24 PM

Subscriptions is what we need to make the channel viable, unless it can raise funds elsewhere.

21incher · April 21, 2021, 02:35:11 PM

Jeff my channel was a slow starter. It took about 3 years before I made anything. I had about 3600 hours of time invested and 3k in equipment (camera, computer, software, lighting, microphone, batteries, and much more). So if you don't do crazy things it can take some time to get going. Subscribers and comments are what help. The more comments the further a video spreads. One thing is when a channel is setup against a business YouTube seems to handle advertising and distribution differently. The forestry forum has many great sponsors but what you will see are commercials from competitors run against all your videos. Say you show a Logrite arch in a video you may see commercials about northern tool arches at the beginning and you have no control over who advertises against your videos when monetized and it looks like you are promoting the competition. That's why some channels work directly with vendors for sponsorship. In my opinion videos with a big forestry forum label will mostly appeal to members and many of them won't log in to a site like YouTube to subscribe and comment. I actually think Jeff and Tammy as a team would attract more female viewers even if they are not fully interested in the content of all your videos. 45% of my subscribers are female and they like comment, and share the most on my videos. I see a whole different challenge running a business name related channel then a personal blog type channel like I do as I don't have to consider who runs the adds and who I do reviews for. Just my opinion.

Jeff · April 21, 2021, 03:50:53 PM

Which I appreciate. Tammy is going to become much more involved. We even talked about me running the camera for her one day. GASP! A doll dress fashion show! EGADS!

It's only fair. Tammy is one half of "Behind" the Forestry Forum.

Here is a thumbnail for a video I have in the can I think it id 3 or 4 down the line yet.

Jeff · April 21, 2021, 04:13:20 PM

Quote from: 21incher on April 21, 2021, 02:35:11 PMIn my opinion videos with a big forestry forum label will mostly appeal to members and many of them won't log in to a site like YouTube to subscribe and comment.

And I find that a shame if so. This website has been here for 20 years, to help. It hasn't made me rich and never will. Never was intended to. Either is this channel idea. I fear the death of forums as we know it in the future. If I am forced into a mandated to control content at some point here, what do I do? This forum has helped a ton of people. Ten tons. People we will never know, or any of you will ever know. It also has helped ya'll help each other and some of you find friends you will have the rest of your lives. Subscribing to a channel and watching some video's to me doesn't seem like an outlandish wish. I guess that is why I mentioned the cabin ceiling blocks. A little square chunk of personalized wood was like asking for a pound of unobtainium.

mike_belben · April 21, 2021, 04:54:17 PM

you lost me on the cabin ceiling blocks but im impressed with your doggie obedience. just have to teach them not to crap on your intro's from here out. impressive paintings too, funny how that all snowballed into what youve built here.

ya brought back a lot of memories. had i only asked jeeves what to do with my pay checks. maybe if i invested the money i blew on that first gateway and the monthly AOL fees ... nah. id have still blown it all anyway.

don't get discouraged on the channel. its hard not to be staring at stats all day after you put in a bunch of work making vids, and then wonder why such stupid stuff out in the mediasphere has so many millions of views. i think it just takes time.

21incher · April 21, 2021, 05:16:02 PM

Quote from: Jeff on April 21, 2021, 04:13:20 PM
Quote from: 21incher on April 21, 2021, 02:35:11 PMIn my opinion videos with a big forestry forum label will mostly appeal to members and many of them won't log in to a site like YouTube to subscribe and comment.

And I find that a shame if so. This website has been here for 20 years, to help. It hasn't made me rich and never will. Never was intended to. Either is this channel idea. I fear the death of forums as we know it in the future. If I am forced into a mandated to control content at some point here, what do I do? This forum has helped a ton of people. Ten tons. People we will never know, or any of you will ever know. It also has helped ya'll help each other and some of you find friends you will have the rest of your lives. Subscribing to a channel and watching some video's to me doesn't seem like an outlandish wish. I guess that is why I mentioned the cabin ceiling blocks. A little square chunk of personalized wood was like asking for a pound of unobtainium.

Many forum members don't trust social media sites like YouTube and will just click the links to watch you videos without logging in. By doing that they cannot like and comment after watching. Only 1.2% of my viewers are subscribers logged into YouTube. The rest are on things like smart TVs that don't need to be logged in. I think that big distracting logo over Tammy's head is not going to help find viewers that don't know anything about the forestry forum. It's your channel name and should be watermarked off in a corner so people think the video is for everyone. After watching the video they will have a better idea about the channel and the 2 of you. I make videos about my wife's hobbies all the time and they usually get the most comments. You are also required to monitor all the comments on your videos to keep them family friendly or YouTube will shut you down. Like I said it's just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

Jeff · April 21, 2021, 06:20:37 PM

Those are all great points. Especially about the logo hanging over Tammy, or maybe anywhere.

thecfarm · April 22, 2021, 07:34:09 AM

Need something that people are looking for. That is why I mentioned the pool. People bought one, came to you tube and there I am!!!! Brenda had an Instant Pot. That bring views. I betcha that air fryer of yours will bring in viewers searching on how to use one. ;)
Some you tubers grow by 1000's every day.

Jeff · April 22, 2021, 10:31:55 AM

How about this as a logo?

logo test - YouTube

21incher · April 22, 2021, 11:07:55 AM

That looks nice. I would make the youtube cover picture that you upload with just the logo up in the corner and an interesting picture from the video with possibly maybe catchy text that would make people want to click on it then start the video with the clip like you have created to introduce the video once people click. It also can help to use it as an end screen with like and subscribe plus cards to other videos that you have on your channel that area similar subject. You could even add click through links to topics on the Forestry Channel that are similar to drive traffic there. Not intending to be critical but just trying to throw some ideas out there and maybe others will kick in also.

Jeff · April 22, 2021, 11:40:37 AM

Many suggestions I'd previously recognized, but had the videos compiled. I'm 4 videos ahead of what anyone has seen. I think rather than re-do all of them, I'll just opt on future evolution.

Jeff · April 22, 2021, 03:19:08 PM

Wildflower and I decided to do a video today, trying to use comments and tips and ideas from you, our Forestry Forum family. Still in the works, but I'm thinking we can throw it down for evening snack time viewing ;)

Jeff · April 22, 2021, 07:44:45 PM

CCCLLC · April 23, 2021, 09:24:55 AM

Pickled peppers, yea you got me. Couldn't find the "SUBSCRIBE" button fast enough.

mike_belben · April 23, 2021, 11:04:30 AM

Youve asked for feedback so im offering it to help you monetize, not at all as a criticism.

Youre intro portion has improved dramatically. The minimal clips to illustrate action without speech, the fades between clips. Very very good. It feels like what id see in many of the very successful channels about plain old normal life. I dont subscribe to any but it seems there are a lot out there succeeding. So that is a large improvement for you, getting right to action and grabbing loose attention. Im a blabbermouth, less talk more action is something i always have to be thinking to make a good vid. Not letting that viewers attention span slip away at the drone of my flat voice. The analytics prove too much jib jab makes people click off.

What should be worked on next is the easy stuff.. The cheap repairs.. Your camera is picking up a streak from the overhead light and putting it on your hat brim.. Maybe try taping a scrap of paper or something so it doesnt send light into the lense.

Next up, and i dont know anything about sound gear, but there is a huge clarity difference when i speak into the room, verse when i speak into the boom mic on my bluetooth headset linked to the phone to voiceover a vid in cap and cut where i edit. Its like 8track vs HDTV.

$20 of mics would probably make your audio much better and as your format is a conversational video, good audio will be important to your target audience. Im not taking my dish gloves off to rewind more than once before i move on to another vid when i cant hear what was said.

I dont have a succesful channel and probably never will as im losing interest, but the research i did revealed that to make much money your stats need to show that people click on and stay on your stuff. Its gotta be long enough to park a few ads and for the audience retention to keep them there for most of the ads.

So when your reviewing and trimming.. in your head.. If you need to tell a 3yr old "wait for it... Wait.. The good part is right after this.." Well.. No one waits for it anymore. There are 300 other highly stimulating things calling for their few minutes of attention. So trim out everything thats uncaptivating and not advancing the video.

In business writing they basically taught not to add any extras.. The bare essentials, not one cliche. It feels boring at first but the truth is busy people (which is everyone in a debt riddled digital society) zone out instantly.

I think when you are starting out and looking to collect your audience, ita gotta be slim, strictly business. Buckin billy ray.. I cant watch him. Its just too much jib jab for me to get passed. I can listen to 3 hours of bible study because im committed to that no matter the time required.. but i cant commit to 32 minutes of billy. But those who have stuck with him from the getgo cant look away because theyve committed to him. Its gonna be a slow process attracting that crowd of people who will commit to you and tammy as entertainers and stick around for your quirks and out takes. Much like scanning the TV and clicking next next next. But once people get hooked in to a series with a few really good initial episodes, it can go off on some crazy tangents and keep the die hards locked in. Harry potter could read off stock ticker stats for an hour without losing his crowd because he isnt needing new recruits.. Hes got a massive die hard following.

Last thing i can think of.. And i could be wrong about this too so im interested to hear what the youtube vets think about it...

Since you are using the word forestry in your videos, that searchword is likely going to bring a lot of your traffic in time. It may present a conundrum in your retention numbers because someone looking for logging or forest science will not stay on a family talkshow video when they realize this will not involve forests. I dont think diybobcatrepair.com is a good way for me to launch a breakfast show because theyre just not related.

I dont know if its smarter to make the show always have a bit of forestry, or to make it distinctly a jeff and tammy show. There is no reason why "meet the brokaws" cant be successful and completely separate from forestry. Youre massive platform here is a huge head start to advertise the channel for rapid growth. Soon youtube will be suggesting it to suitable subscribers when your niche starts being defined. In time it will retain its own following -like a snowball- of people who have not a thing to do with forestry. My fear is that the jeff and tammy show cannot grow beyond the size of the forestry forum audience if the two have to be linked. That the forestry part may limit the potential of the tammy and jeff part.

You wanna branch out and get rolling faster? Make a vid of how you trained your dogs not to eat that food until you said so. Because the USA-only dog people marketshare is probably 5x the global interest in timber. Dogs are huge and you obviously are a boss with dog obedience. Thats a whole other crowd to collect as subscribers.

Whip out some of that bob ross and paint up a happy little sawmill shed with a happy little live deck and a cozy little flume into the storage pond next to the happy railcars and smiling letourneaus just waiting for another happy little michigan spec truck to pull into the line to get unloaded.. Do you know how popular it is to immitate bob ross now? Thats a market of its own. Your new hat could be quite the sawmill painter's trademark.

mike_belben · April 23, 2021, 11:17:10 AM

Bob ross logarithms. 2.2mil views

Logarithms explained Bob Ross style - YouTube

Jeff · April 23, 2021, 11:38:53 AM

All great things to think about Mike.

My original intentions were not to attract the world, but to provide something of value to members. I've already discovered the world seeping in on the channel. It amazes me that I have had to block more spammers with porn link comments already than I have had legitimate comments from forum members.

I was invisioning a hub where we could add Forum member channels if they added us, but of course I see the importance of the forum to people probably much more optimistically than the reality.

mike_belben · April 23, 2021, 04:00:03 PM

It always hard to know what will "sell" and i started off thinking man.. I am a teacher by nature and can fix almost anything in a world where most people can fix almost nothing.. This should be a hit. Well.. I have repair vids that are months old with 4 views. I was wrong.

And if i have to change me to sell, im out. I dont like the idea of opening up my life beyond very limited things just to make a buck. I dont even need money.. My best skills are from going without it!

The wife is after me to preach on youtube. Im still waiting to hear what the Lord's plans are about that.

mike_belben · April 23, 2021, 04:02:29 PM

Quote from: Jeff on April 23, 2021, 11:38:53 AM

but to provide something of value to members.

Youve already accomplished that jeff. 10 million times over.

Ed_K · April 24, 2021, 09:26:42 AM

The only thing that bothers me is on any video out in the open air is when the mike is into the wind and you can't hear what the person is saying, maybe there should be a cover or something over the mike? Another is a panning shot that moves to fast, you don't get to see what's being shown all that clear.

Jeff · April 24, 2021, 12:27:34 PM

My quality is probably suffering due to those type of things. I have no mics yet other than built in.

Ed_K · April 25, 2021, 08:21:08 AM

I wasn't meaning these remarks to yours as much as to a lot of videos I've watched on u-tube, everyone who gets out into the air has this problem I think.