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Updated Feb. 2018

How My YouTube Channel Got Started

My husband takes amazing photographs. So rather than compete with him and ending up with thousands of photos each time we do something fun, I’ve started to shoot more and more videos.  Anyone with a Google+ account (meaning pretty much anyone with Gmail) was automatically setup with a YouTube channel a few years back. (fyi…setup is a euphemism for required….read more about how G+ was ‘forced’ onto the public and is now dying a slow death here.)   I was too, in fact I was given 3 channels…one for each of my Gmail accounts. But initially I didn’t pay a lot of attention to which channel I was in when I uploaded a video.

Fast forward a few years later and after quite a bit of time spent sorting out my videos which were spread across three poorly managed channels, for the first time ever I have a little insight into how prolific my video uploading has actually become. I now have a semblance of structure to my channels and I have dedicated 2 to specific purposes:

1. One channel is for my videos that I share publicly …this channel also represents my only effort at vlogging (video blogging)…although in truth there’s not much cohesiveness to that channel to date.  This channel is the one I’ve chosen to monetize by signing up with Google’s YouTube monetization program.  Here’s a link to my channel.  The YouTube  monetization program is an easy way to  new bloggers to start earning income.  While you won’t get rich quick it’s a great introduction to earning income online and I’ve learned a lot about the whole industry as a result of my early efforts here.
2. A second channel I’ve dedicated to share only with family members and close friends…after all somethings should remain private from the World Wide Web.
3. There’s a 3rd channel that still has some random videos that I haven’t sorted out yet.

I’ve also learned that if you really want to build a following you need to actually LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT YOU’VE MADE SOME VIDEOS!  So that’s why I decided to write this post. But something pretty amazing happened along the way.

I’m a new Twitter user too, and I told my best friend from high school and my husband that Katy Perry followed me there.  They wanted to know why but I had absolutely no idea why or how she would have run across my Tweets which are primarily about Apple products and tech stuff I like.  Then I began to write this and needed of course to visit my YouTube channel to copy each of the links I include below…when it hit me.

Do you think Katy follows me because I made a YouTube video of her performance during the Super Bowl half time show in 2015?  I re-watched my video…and I think maybe that’s why.  I also noticed that my monetization was never removed from that video…which is odd…but lends more credence to my theory.  Update a few months later…sadly, I finally figured out that this isn’t the real Katy Perry.  But apparently a,good fake…because this Katy Perry has millions of followers.  I’m new to Twotter and learned that when someone is verified, it means they are the real person!

My Most Viral Video

I have one fairly new video that has beat out all my others by a significant margin.  It’s a help video I made while setting up a new 4K TV we recently bought.  It was really hard to figure out and there were no guides.  The video is horribly unprofessional…which I state right in the description.  But it wasn’t a great time for me to make a video and I just wanted it to be available for anyone who might need it.  Shockingly in less than 5 months time it’s been viewed more than 12,600 times!  I’ve earned more with  this one video than I have with all of my others combined!

Some interesting things I learned because this video has grown so popular.  First, notice that I have quite a few Thumb’s Down (there are more Thumb’s Up thankfully)…initially I was worried about this but then learned that YouToube doesn’t care if thumbs are down or up.  Either is fine and better than none because this indicates user involvement with your video. Second I discovered that when a video becomes popular YouTube begins helping it to become even more popular. They do this by adding it to the right side of related videos that are playing.  In your analytics you are shown which other videos are referring yours. But I don’t yet know how many views a video needs in order for this to happen.  In the case of this video, 5 other top videos are referring mine.

Some of my favorite videos on my public (vlogging) channel include the following:

1. How to setup a new Samsung 4K TV & Soundbar  Newest but already has 12,699 views
2. My very short (56 secs) ‘artsy’ time-lapse  video taken of the Intercontential Hotel lobby, bar, gallery and Christmas tree in Milwaukee  Brand new 61 views  This clip is unique in that it’s the only video I actually appear in…but it’s a quick one!
3. A family hike in Austin Tx Thanksgiving 2015 with unusual sounding peacocks and albino peacocks too Very new 13 views
4. Mule deer at Yosemite National Park in October 2015 16 views
5. The iPad Pro Big Reveal | Apple’s Livestream September 2015 116 views
6. The iPad Pro Quick Specs and Pricing 39 views
7. The Big Reveal of Pencil at Apple’s Livestream Event in September 795 views
8. My son’s college graduation at Rice University in May 2015 57 views (probably one of my finest videos)
9. Top Golf in Houston Texas 2015 46 views I tried out lots of special effects here!
10. Our first 3D print with the UP Mini printer 14 views 
11. Apple’s Livestream in September 2014 with audio interference 3 views
12. My sister-in-law’s speech about her early childhood experiences leaving Vietnam during the ‘Fall of Siagon’ 88 views also a favorite video
13. Katy Perry & The Super Bowl Half-time Show 2015 While Learning to Shoot Video with iPhone 6 31 views
14. My husband opens presents on his 60th birthday during a Skype session with our boys 4 views
15. The new Theta Chi Fraternity House in Madison 71 views
16. Another version of the new Theta Chi Fraternity House 137 views
17. Highlights of the Apple 2014 Livestream using the Replay app they showed 73 views
18. Another version of the video made using Replay of Apple’s 2014 Livestream 186 views
19. The Rock Bike Park 210 views
20. Apple gives everyone a free U2 album on their Livestream and I made a video showing how to download it 3511 views this is my highest viewed video of all time
21. Apple’s Watch announcement during their Livestream event in 2014 805 views
22. Highlights from the opening & closing acts of the EAA AirVenture Air Show in 2014 20 views
23. Highlights from EAA AirVenture Air Show in 2014 270 views
24. Zip lining on Father’s Day 2014 at Lake Geneva Canopy Tours 20 views
25. How to Install a SIM card in the iPad Air & iPad mini 3117 views this is my 2nd most viewed video
26. Ring the bell at the top of City Hall Mailwaukee at the Door’s Open Event 100 views
27. Learn to Setup the Homescreen on an Android Device if Your’re Used to Apple 786 views
28. Pevnick Design Graphical Waterfalls at Door’s Open Milwaukee 2013 148 views

If you wanted to watch all of my videos the total accumulated time to do so would be 158 minutes. I learned this from the new YouTube Creator Studio app.  I love this new app because it lets me manage all of my content right on my iPad!

Shortly after I wrote this post I gained a new follower on Twitter. While I haven’t investigated this completely yet, it appears they offer an interesting service that gives new YouTube channel owners an interesting tool to help grow you channel.  For about $5 per video you can ask them to share your video with their user base and across several different platforms. They’re called the Video Page and it looks like they guarantee 100k views for each video you submit.

Learning About YouTube Channels and How to Get More People Interested in Watching My Videos

First off, you might be wondering why I even care if anyone watches my YouTube channel.   Well aside from the obvious fact that I’ve usually spent many hours creating a video (sometimes even days!)…I want to feel that my time was ‘well spent.’  My other main reason is because I’m trying to find a good way to earn a living from publishing online.  I love writing and I love creating videos…I love these almost as much as I love learning!  So combining all of my loves would seem to be really a great thing to have happen.  Anyway  you look at it, it seems to be a great idea…so maybe that helps you understand more about why I do this this?  If not, think of it the way…

HOW AWESOME WOULD IT BE TO EARN A LIVING FROM DOING SOMETHING YOU LOVE???

That’s my main reason for wanting others to watch.  The move viewers you have, the more flexibility you have for finding interesting means of earning an income from what you make.  There are the standard methods to earn on YouTube…these are primarily about monetizing your videos with ads…but then there are more unique methods like having paid subscribers…that’s what the new YouTube Red program is about (I think.)  Anyway, I’m trying to learn about it all.

Here’s one of the best links I found so far:

• A Great YouTube Video About Finding Followers and an Audience for Your Channel  This video is especially good for those who are really new to YouTube and just starting a new channel.