CATERING TO YOUR AUDIENCE thoughts...

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    • CATERING TO YOUR AUDIENCE thoughts...

      Hi fellow bros, Felix has just posted this video and I would sincerely like to know your thoughts about this as well:



      Recently he has been posting videos where he talks about his fans/bros complaining about EVERYTHING he is, does and uploads... the type of the contents he make, the length, the decency of some videos, the similarity from other youtubers and the list goes on... ridiculously even about his appearance and ULTIMATELY how he does not care about his bros anymore. The fact that his fanbase is SO demanding is no secret but I feel like the demands keep getting stronger and stronger as his fanbase grow every thousand and million of new subscriptions. Along with these demands, means more criticisms, especially when demands are not met and changes are introduced. I also notice that these complaints are mostly from so-called "hipster bros" who think they have the right to tell him what he must or must not do since they think and claim they are the ones who helped him to be who and where he is now. In short, the pressure Felix is facing right now is getting too much for him to bare, more than ever :(

      I myself upload some videos on youtube, though mine is still an extremely small channel compared to his (no shit sherlock xD) but at some point I too felt pressured by the demands and criticisms of my viewers, may it be "good" or bad, I sometimes felt myself, as a creator and as a person, attacked. Well, maybe it's just the insecure me. Most of the times I want and I try to be true to myself and think, "This is MY goddamn video, I'll put what I want to" or "I'll play it how I want to" but I'm not stupid to know that providing what your old and potential subscribers want is one of the main keys of finding success on youtube, which is ofc what every youtuber wants. Sadly, this dilemma caused me to stop uploading for a while and rethink what really matters to me, "IS being myself, true to who I want to be as a channel, with the risk of remaining stagnant and unnoticed MORE IMPORTANT than catering to my audience jeopardizing my own sanity by putting myself under the pressure of pleasing everyone else?".

      Maybe I seem too pessimistic but sometimes "Be yourself ", "Do what you love", "Life is too short to focus..." advices don't have much of an effect to me anymore, not too sound presumptuous, 'cause let's admit it or not, words, in this case youtube comments, constructive or destructive may it be, will hit you at some point and will make you think "Is all of this even worth it?". Every dislike questions what you've done wrong, and may hit you really hard if misinterpreted. This is what I envy though of Felix and many other big content creators out there, which is knowing how to maintain a good balance of doing and being who they are and knowing how to turn a deaf ear to haters and their criticisms. I admire them and I myself want to pursue this balance, hopefully.

      Anyway, back to the increasing demands and criticisms of the bros, at some point I thought of a solution that might solve them: I think Pewdiepie should make and announce an official SCHEDULE of when his different type of contents will be uploaded in each day of the week... like for example Horror videogames on one day, Q&A or vlogs on Fridays (with Pewdiepie), Uncut in the butt Mandays, Weird Wednesdays, BroKen Podcasts twice a month, etc... you get the idea, so that in this case bros are aware when their favorite contents are up instead of seeing unexpected and unwanted videos they'll just complain about in the comments. And enough with the comments like, "Accept it or not, his fanbase is immature!"... well, let's tend not to generalize. BUTTT in the end I thought to myself that I'm no different to his complaining fans just ordering and telling him what to do with HIS channel, and I'll be honest that I'm guilty myself of commenting in some of his videos, saying "More uncut in the butt!", "I prefer less edited videos"... he should be doing this or making that. Finally, I remembered something he said in one of his recent videos and he already told us the BEST solution to this matter:

      LET'S MEET PEWDIEPIE HALFWAY.

      What do you bros think?

      Thanks for reading :brofist:

    • I'm not gonna lie. Pewds is one of those youtubers who you can grow out of for whatever reason (taste in youtubers is a funny thing, huh?). However, this is a serious matter and it is annoying how this keeps happening to some of the best youtubers.

      Yes, his videos have changed, and the hipster bros hate it. Who wouldn't, seeing as their main role model on youtube has suddenly changed from horror games to these daft games about Barbie or Frozen (mind you, those were good videos). That being said, Pewds is probably under a lot of stress at the moment as he tries to create videos, edit them, upload them and see what the viewers say. Sometimes, it's a great response with only a few people being trolls. The other times... well, lets just say some of the "bros" have been less than ideal. Bros should be there to support Pewds with his channel choices, rather than criticize his content. At times, criticism is needed if the video is slightly inappropriate to younger fans, but when it comes to troll basically saying "OMG, Poods suxs. unsubbinglolskreb", it gets annoying to viewers and Pewds. I mean, he does a lot of hard work for his channel, and the bros/viewers are taking interest. The last thing they want to see is some smartass in the comments.

      Personally, I think the bros need to get an understanding that Pewds is unique with what he uploads. Granted, I've said some stuff about the effects being over the top, but that's where the channel is heading, probably. If Pewds wants to upload a crazy video, that should be something the bros should accept, even if they don't like that style of video.

      Heck, they should be grateful that Pewds isn't trying to get copyright for using certain gameplay videos and words.

      EDIT: That being said, Pewds is one heck of a guy. In the 5/6 years he's been making vids, he has over 40mil(?) subs. That's quite an achievement, to be honest.
      I'd rather live with broken bones than lay here all on my own like a lovesick fool.

      If you need me, visit my about me section on my profile for my skype contact.

    • Tophat Guitarist wrote:

      Bros should be there to support Pewds with his channel choices, rather than criticize his content.
      Exactly. I think this is exactly what he meant by meeting him halfway... hundreds or thousands if not millions of bros criticize him all together yet we forgot that he's just only ONE guy who does all of this work. One bro can say "It's just my way of seeing things, I'm entitled to my own opinion", I mean it's alright for one to say that but when more people, hundred, thousands, say the exact same thing, over and over again it becomes a never ending, deafening complaint which is extremely difficult for him to take in. Even just by saying, "I miss the OLD Pewdiepie", which to be honest I myself was guilty too of saying in the past, shows our total lack of appreciation towards him, his persona, how much he has grown, what he has done and even what is currently doing for the bros. I think his fans and bros should AT LEAST try and imagine, just even ONCE being in his shoes... not in the shoes of a fun, always smiling, happy-go-lucky, famous guy who earns millions and seems who has everything that we see in front of our video screens but of someone who has to take in ALL OF THESE demands, criticisms, complaints or whatever you call them, who tries extremely hard to find a way to listen and please most bros with the risk of stressing himself out because of doing all this work alone behind the scenes. If we all sincerely think and do that, we would all be hesitant the next time we say or type another comment we consider "constructive" which in most cases is quite the opposite. He DOES care, without a shadow of a doubt, but we must do OUR part and consider his feelings too, especially now, more than ever.

    • This is exactly what I thought about this situation. I very much agree with the schedule idea too. I really feel bad for him, he just wants to have fun but at the same time, he has to worry about whether or not his fans are going to enjoy it. He ends up getting comments that are criticizing him and it's really unfair. I hope pewds sees this thread.

      gamer_rye wrote:

      Hi fellow bros, Felix has just posted this video and I would sincerely like to know your thoughts about this as well:



      Recently he has been posting videos where he talks about his fans/bros complaining about EVERYTHING he is, does and uploads... the type of the contents he make, the length, the decency of some videos, the similarity from other youtubers and the list goes on... ridiculously even about his appearance and ULTIMATELY how he does not care about his bros anymore. The fact that his fanbase is SO demanding is no secret but I feel like the demands keep getting stronger and stronger as his fanbase grow every thousand and million of new subscriptions. Along with these demands, means more criticisms, especially when demands are not met and changes are introduced. I also notice that these complaints are mostly from so-called "hipster bros" who think they have the right to tell him what he must or must not do since they think and claim they are the ones who helped him to be who and where he is now. In short, the pressure Felix is facing right now is getting too much for him to bare, more than ever :(

      I myself upload some videos on youtube, though mine is still an extremely small channel compared to his (no shit sherlock xD) but at some point I too felt pressured by the demands and criticisms of my viewers, may it be "good" or bad, I sometimes felt myself, as a creator and as a person, attacked. Well, maybe it's just the insecure me. Most of the times I want and I try to be true to myself and think, "This is MY goddamn video, I'll put what I want to" or "I'll play it how I want to" but I'm not stupid to know that providing what your old and potential subscribers want is one of the main keys of finding success on youtube, which is ofc what every youtuber wants. Sadly, this dilemma caused me to stop uploading for a while and rethink what really matters to me, "IS being myself, true to who I want to be as a channel, with the risk of remaining stagnant and unnoticed MORE IMPORTANT than catering to my audience jeopardizing my own sanity by putting myself under the pressure of pleasing everyone else?".

      Maybe I seem too pessimistic but sometimes "Be yourself ", "Do what you love", "Life is too short to focus..." advices don't have much of an effect to me anymore, not too sound presumptuous, 'cause let's admit it or not, words, in this case youtube comments, constructive or destructive may it be, will hit you at some point and will make you think "Is all of this even worth it?". Every dislike questions what you've done wrong, and may hit you really hard if misinterpreted. This is what I envy though of Felix and many other big content creators out there, which is knowing how to maintain a good balance of doing and being who they are and knowing how to turn a deaf ear to haters and their criticisms. I admire them and I myself want to pursue this balance, hopefully.

      Anyway, back to the increasing demands and criticisms of the bros, at some point I thought of a solution that might solve them: I think Pewdiepie should make and announce an official SCHEDULE of when his different type of contents will be uploaded in each day of the week... like for example Horror videogames on one day, Q&A or vlogs on Fridays (with Pewdiepie), Uncut in the butt Mandays, Weird Wednesdays, BroKen Podcasts twice a month, etc... you get the idea, so that in this case bros are aware when their favorite contents are up instead of seeing unexpected and unwanted videos they'll just complain about in the comments. And enough with the comments like, "Accept it or not, his fanbase is immature!"... well, let's tend not to generalize. BUTTT in the end I thought to myself that I'm no different to his complaining fans just ordering and telling him what to do with HIS channel, and I'll be honest that I'm guilty myself of commenting in some of his videos, saying "More uncut in the butt!", "I prefer less edited videos"... he should be doing this or making that. Finally, I remembered something he said in one of his recent videos and he already told us the BEST solution to this matter:

      LET'S MEET PEWDIEPIE HALFWAY.

      What do you bros think?

      Thanks for reading :brofist:

    • I think this is partially cultural thing.

      I'm non-English person and I can see what non-english Youtube is like. And it's very different to english youtube. The audience is four times more loyal, supportive and kind, obviously it's culturally very different, the social boundaries and jokes wouldn't make sense in english culture. But channels with 100k subs are getting 100k plus views etc., it's very, very different. No one spams in the comments or very little, which is because it's just something you wouldn't do and everybody knows. On the contrary it's very small world. If you are starting youtuber and you upload a video, it often happens that someone with 200k subs comments on your video, not giving you shoutout or anything just a supportive comment. And the person who receives the comment would never ask for a shoutout. It's just these unwritten rule. I'm not saying it's some youtube paradise, obviously there's hate and shit in the comments but it's different kind of shit, it's much harsher and socially devastating shit but it's somehow recognised as valid because....the honesty of expression is very high cultural value in this culture....If you think something's shit it's okay to say it, if you think someone's full of shit it's okay to say....and it's this that keeps the culture clean, balanced and healthy on some levels of society. If people say brutal shit in the comments....the youtuber and others calls them out on it in a very brutal way...for example youtuber makes very rude, socially incorrect video....because it's his opinion...but this is the cultural difference that I understand cannot be applied to english youtube.

      English youtube and culture is different. Everything is supposed to be NICE and socially correct and perfect on the SURFACE. It's exemplified in what danisnotonfire said..."it's okay to have opinions but don't be a jerk about it" This really just says it all.. that if you say how it is and how you feel it in the moment, you're jerk. There's no validity to an honest expression. What matters is what's on the surface, not what's underneath. To maintain the social correctness is most important. This goes on and on, FouseyTube is the greatest example of that, he faked his pranks but no-one cares because it just doesn't matter, what matters is what's on the surface. He says one thing, does another...and it doesn't matter.

      I'm just saying that I noticed that the nicer the culture seems to be, the bigger is the shit that's going on underneath. Contrary the culture where things don't have to be that nice, the shit is not that strong. And paradoxically all becomes much more loving.

      Maybe it's because when the emphasis is on looking cool and shiny all the time, people feel they need to bottle so much shit, and it has to explode somewhere ...like on the internet or in the comments. And then when ppl are busy exploding their shit they don't have time to watch and pay attention to the actual videos, people and stuff.

    • There is a difference between big YouTube channels like PewDiePie, Smosh etc and small private channels. For big channels YouTube is a business, they are looking to grow profits. Small channels are just a hobby.

      Obviously people still keep a bit of their own flair and everything, but big channels have to cater to their audience because that is what businesses do, it keeps them afloat (demand and supply). The feedback can be harsh at times and that is nothing bad - negative opinions will always be louder than positive ones. Felix and co. have learned to deal with these things, like the marketing department of any company. It doesn't mean it changes the persons themselves. They have two personas, PewDiePie as a character online/at events, and Felix Kjellberg the everyday guy. There are some overlaps because of how the character came to be, but still.

      So my point is: the "be yourself" advice, while cheesy and not really helpful as in knowing what to do now, still applies. Small channels that use YouTube as their hobby shouldn't cater to their audience if they don't want to, what for? That would literally be like ass kissing all the people around you. That just doesn't work out and makes you feel miserable too. It's just a hobby. Don't obsess over it needlessly, it's supposed to be fun.

      Also, a schedule likely wouldn't work out too well in Felix' situation as his uploads are not really that regulated, it would just lead to people complaining about how some video isn't up yet or w/e.

    • I completely agree with @'youarekitten' on this. I also notice how different things go with English YouTubers compared the non-English ones. Maybe it's because of the culture.

      Off-topic, not related to Pewd's video but related to youarekitten's response:
      I'm going to be frank here, sometimes I find that we can hardly voice out our true opinions in the YouTube comment section anymore, no matter how nice and polite we put it. It seems that nowadays, if our comments don't contain any praise, they will be seen as hate comments. If we give even the smallest feedback, other people will reply with the cliché:
      1. "You're just jealous!"
      2. "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!"
      3. "Keep your opinions to yourself!"
      Do we always have to give compliments to the YouTubers that we watch no matter what they do? Does blindly praising them 24/7 count as supporting them? If we see that something is off, don't we have a right to say anything about it? I notice that even if we voice out our honest thoughts in the nicest way possible, if they don't contain compliments, people will lash out on us. Things like these can often be seen in beauty YouTubers' videos, where the majority of the comments are only: "GOALS!" or "UR PERFECT I WISH I CAN BE U". Once we post something like "Your makeup application is a bit messy," thousands of minions will appear with their death threats. Are we only allowed to post ass-kissing praises in the comment section now?

      It's great that people are supporting what their favourite YouTubers are doing. I agree that YouTubers should ignore their haters, but we also need to understand the difference between a hater who always complains about everything and a fan who merely wants to give feedbacks. People tend to get them mixed up nowadays.

      End of Off-topic rant

      Going back to Catering to Your Audience video; is it normal for people to bitch about things? Yes, because people are stupid, especially on the internet where their identities are hidden. Is it normal for PewDiePie to be upset about it? Hell yeah, he's human too just like the rest of us. Can we expect people to stop bitching once they watch this video? No, because they don't care. There will always be those people who will claim "PewDiePie has changed and only cares about money now." no matter how much explanation Pewds gives. On a positive note, at least he's gotten those things out of his chest now. Hopefully he feels better after posting that video.

      Like the OP and mKeRix said, the saying "Be yourself and do what you love" can't really be applied to big YouTubers. If they do something they love which people don't find interesting, then people will stop watching their videos. If they make videos just to please their audience, then they won't be enjoying what they do and that will certainly have a huge impact on their contents. It's a matter of balance, which is a difficult thing for a huge YouTuber like PewDiePie to do.

      Oh and I agree with mKeRix about the schedule thing. I don't think it will work out. It will only give more pressure to Pewds in the end because he has to strictly follow that schedule, and if he slips up then all hell will break loose.

    • If anything, we, as his fans, should continue supporting him through thick and thin. Sure, people keep demanding for a certain type of content to be uploaded on his channel, but they're missing the point. The point is, he's still uploading everyday. Everyday, there will be a video or two up for all of us to watch. To me, I feel grateful that Felix uploads something, no matter what it is, because it always cheer me up after I finish watching it.

      Felix is putting time and effort to make us happy and put us in a good mood in each and every single video he make. And now, it's time for us to make HIS day happy and put HIM in a good mood by showing our support for him every single day. He needs to know that even if he has millions of subscribers out there, there are still those who care for him for who he is.

    • mKeRix wrote:

      So my point is: the "be yourself" advice, while cheesy and not really helpful as in knowing what to do now, still applies. Small channels that use YouTube as their hobby shouldn't cater to their audience if they don't want to, what for? That would literally be like ass kissing all the people around you. That just doesn't work out and makes you feel miserable too. It's just a hobby. Don't obsess over it needlessly, it's supposed to be fun.
      Thanks for this insight, I understood what you meant when you said "be yourself" and saw a different perspective in these words. Catering to an audience is a very crucial aspect for every content creator but as you said, the size of the channel must first and foremost be considered. I guess the "right" audience will come on the right time and ass kissing every person on every comment would only cause damage and the wrong impression I myself don't want to give.

      Raffee wrote:

      I agree that YouTubers should ignore their haters, but we also need to understand the difference between a hater who always complains about everything and a fan who merely wants to give feedbacks. People tend to get them mixed up nowadays.
      Definitely. It's sad that the "real" feedbacks every youtuber would gladly appreciate are either drowned in the hundreds and thousands of troll comments and spam or are attacked by fandom that misinterprets the point of the comment itself. That Dan quote @youarekitten shared explains it perfectly well too :)

      Raffee wrote:

      Oh and I agree with mKeRix about the schedule thing. I don't think it will work out. It will only give more pressure to Pewds in the end because he has to strictly follow that schedule, and if he slips up then all hell will break loose.
      xD I never thought of it this way, I guess I was wrong all along. I honestly never would have seen it this way without your replies. Thanks again :D :brofist:

    • To be honest, someone giving honest criticism on a Pewds video nowadays is like handing someone an axe and expecting them not to threaten you with it. Some fans who like the vids seem to be too protective and act like "omghowdareyounotlikethis", or something like that. idk, but Pewds might be getting annoyed with that as well.
      I'd rather live with broken bones than lay here all on my own like a lovesick fool.

      If you need me, visit my about me section on my profile for my skype contact.

    • I don't know but somehow I foresee him turning off the comments again for the second time if things get worse, well unless YouTube grants his request of having moderators in the comments like he suggested a while back. I just hope I'm wrong as always.

    • Hey, it's just a theory, but what if Pewds turned off the comments until youtube granted mod requests? That'd be great for all the major youtubers, not just the gaming ones. That way, it'll prevent people from making those annoying comments
      I'd rather live with broken bones than lay here all on my own like a lovesick fool.

      If you need me, visit my about me section on my profile for my skype contact.

    • gamer_rye wrote:

      I don't know but somehow I foresee him turning off the comments again for the second time if things get worse, well unless YouTube grants his request of having moderators in the comments like he suggested a while back. I just hope I'm wrong as always.

      Tophat Guitarist wrote:

      Hey, it's just a theory, but what if Pewds turned off the comments until youtube granted mod requests? That'd be great for all the major youtubers, not just the gaming ones. That way, it'll prevent people from making those annoying comments
      The YouTube commenting system is flawed and that won't change for quite some time by my predictions. We explored alternative commenting systems, but the issue is that the convenience of just being able to comment without jumping through extra hoops would be removed by disabling YouTube comments. There's a browser extension that puts reddit comments under YouTube videos, that would be a possibility, but again... this requires users to install an extra extension and make a reddit account AND it doesn't work on mobile.

      During the time we had the main comments on these forums they were a lot cleaner and it all worked pretty well, but again, it was missing that convenience because you always had to go to a separate page.

      Also, I doubt YouTube will really care if he turns off the comments, that doesn't give them any revenue anyway. It won't change more than the current contact with Google he already has.

    • mKeRix wrote:

      During the time we had the main comments on these forums they were a lot cleaner and it all worked pretty well, but again, it was missing that convenience because you always had to go to a separate page.
      I've joined here on the broarmy forums after the youtube section has been reinstated so I couldn't verify this myself but looking back at the previous video threads here and reading some comments I could say this really worked great as you said, negative comments and spams are filtered out while suggestions and feedbacks are well expressed... but I also agree with the inconvenience of going to a separate page, especially if a bro just wants to say only a few words about the video.

      True, the YouTube commenting system is far from perfect but I really, really hope YouTube or in this case, Google, will listen to the content creators' outcry for change and improvement.

    • Yes.. he has 40 million people to contend with. That is 40 million people with different thoughts and feelings. 40 million people who all have an opinion. It's not something that one can really comprehend until they get that many subscribers. Which for some of us will be years before that happens if at all. That is a lot of people who like to watch something. The difficult thing with Pewds.. and any Jack of All Trades channel, is the fact you will have people disappointed in your content.

      For example, I am a Jack of All Trades channel myself.. I didn't want all kinds of different channels to put videos on, nor did I want to focus on just one thing all the time. (Granted I am focusing on How Tos for now.) But when you post a vast array of content on your channel, people are going to be like "Y U NO POST GAMEPLAY VIDEOS!?@" and others will be like "Y UR NEW PURST VLOGGER VIDEORS!?!?" That's the disadvantage to that kind of channel.

      He has a lot he has to do. He's famous, and being famous comes with a lot of perks.. but is also a huge burden to carry as well. Nothing comes without a price. Nothing ever does. He does a great job as well as any YouTuber out there. YouTube isn't so much about skill than it is about dedication to the craft.

    • catherine99 wrote:

      I agree with this, so many bros are very demanding of Pewds... i think we should give him more personal space. Please continue uploading Pewds without comprimising your personal life. We <3 you and thank you for everything :D
      yup, this was my point as well. we all should be understanding lil' bros :D :brofist:

      LittleJayBerry wrote:

      Yes.. he has 40 million people to contend with. That is 40 million people with different thoughts and feelings. 40 million people who all have an opinion. It's not something that one can really comprehend until they get that many subscribers. Which for some of us will be years before that happens if at all. That is a lot of people who like to watch something. The difficult thing with Pewds.. and any Jack of All Trades channel, is the fact you will have people disappointed in your content.

      For example, I am a Jack of All Trades channel myself.. I didn't want all kinds of different channels to put videos on, nor did I want to focus on just one thing all the time. (Granted I am focusing on How Tos for now.) But when you post a vast array of content on your channel, people are going to be like "Y U NO POST GAMEPLAY VIDEOS!?@" and others will be like "Y UR NEW PURST VLOGGER VIDEORS!?!?" That's the disadvantage to that kind of channel.

      He has a lot he has to do. He's famous, and being famous comes with a lot of perks.. but is also a huge burden to carry as well. Nothing comes without a price. Nothing ever does. He does a great job as well as any YouTuber out there. YouTube isn't so much about skill than it is about dedication to the craft.
      i agree on almost everything u said except the last sentence... i personally think skill, which in this case editing and most importantly communication skills, is needed too but if one is dedicated enough on this endeavor, these skills will come along the way. thanks :D :brofist: