Thumbs

I frequently lurk in you tube livestreams during the working day; one of those low maintenance "watch minutes" people that faithfully thumbs up as I enter.  I've been doing this for well over four months now, chatting when I can, lurking when I must.  Even so, from a viewer's perspective, I have some thoughts on those all mighty thumbs, if you're interested....





Thumbs are opinions.  Opinions are not hate.  Down counts the same as up. Forgetting, or indifference, to The Thumb is not hating.  There is no life giving power or healing properties in The Thumb.  No one is condemned or saved by The Thumb.  It's just a symbolic action, Not love or hate.  Take a deep breath folks, really, it's not the end of the world if someone does not like your content.  Focus on those that do.  Let yourself enjoy the art and fun.


Maybe think of it as serving a home cooked meal to a big family ... someone at the table is not going to like something you serve.  It might be the peas, or beans, or the bread isn't toasted light or dark enough, or the meat was a bit tough or too soft, or, or, or..... Some at the table are going to thank you, others are going to expect you to know they liked it because they sat there and ate it all, some might wander off half-way through the meal, and some will gobble the meal and bolt off to work or activity.  Conversational flow reflects these same personality quirks, go figure.

Realistically, no meal is perfect.  There is always something that didn't turn out as planned.  There is always room for improvement.  And if it is a holiday meal with extended family - there are diet issues you really can't ignore any more than you can leave out Uncle Louie and his amazing farting finger!  My point is:  there is no perfect community of viewers either.  We have bad days, good days, busy days, dull days and everything along the spectrum.  There is no way for a Channel Owner to meet every need or want.  Deep breath, I'll say that again:  No Channel Owner can meet every need or want of their viewers.

Several of my favorite channels don't show likes or dislikes at all.  I think they have the right idea.  The numbers are relevant only to the Channel Owner.  As a viewer I can attest that I've never considered the likes vs dislikes of any value when choosing to watch a video or join a livestream. And ... no numbers displayed cheats the trolls of a thrill of seeing the count & stirring outrage from loyal viewers. I acknowledge they're out there but WHY give them even two seconds of our time?!

I get that subscription counts, viewing minutes and being liked impacts where a channel is on the hierarchy of you tube.  For someone wanting to grow their channel, these things matter and a plan to develop content or improve interaction is a groovy thing to have.  BUT, most viewers don't give a darn about any of those things.  Most viewers are interested in the content, host and others chatting/ commenting.

That said, I've started leaving streams and pre-recorded vids when the talk turns to "haters."  I cannot abide the manipulation of complaining about a metric that is essential only to those selling something or seeking advertising support.  Folks earnest about selling stuff do not complain to their customers about who is not liking their stuff, not if they want to keep selling.  Folks wanting to develop their channel do not need to waste one valuable minute whining.

Folks with coloring and art channels - not coloring book / supply channels - are supposedly not selling stuff.  They're demonstrating their love for coloring and art and enjoying chat and comment interaction with others that do the same.  That's what I support with my thumb, my presence, by watching ads through when they're present, purchases via affiliate links, and occasionally, the wish list or a tip jar.  A viewer isn't obligated to do any of those things.  Not doing so does not make you a hater any more than giving a thumbs down does.