And many if not most of those YouTube creators are increasingly dissatisfied with Googles management and are looking for an alternative platform. It seems like such an obvious missed opportunity.
I'm in no way surprised. I thought this was a questionable idea when it debuted and it never struck me as something that could actually grow into something popular.
Part of the issue, I think, is that Google as a company fundamentally does not understand content. (YouTube is the one exception here and even with YouTube, the way the whole YouTube partner program works, the way the ad side is run and other aspects make it clear that they still really don't get content -- they just happen to have a great platform and a few people trying to convince people who make more than them to think outside the algorithm).
It was an interesting idea but marred with poor execution and a dwindling Google+ audience.
I think Google was expecting Youtube to no longer exist as an entity in its own right, but just be a part of Google+ after they integrated all of their properties into a massive Facebook killer social media app, but that was a colossal failure.
Now, I think they want to use the infrastructure to build something that competes against Netflix and Amazon, but to do that they have to destroy the existing economic incentives for content creators and drive off as many content derivative users as they can (anyone incorporating or using licensed content, even as covered by fair use), and basically rebuild Youtube from the inside out.
yeah, it's a weird complete lack of ambition from google which I kinda didn't expect. Like, can they not see the potential of building this type of gaming tech into youtube? Maybe even behind youtube premium to begin with.
There's a ton of fascinating things they could've done with it that they certainly have the money to do but instead they launched what they did which was compelling to no one at all?
I personally feel that Google is letting us all down with the Youtube product. It works well, but its so behind what it could be. They could take a lesson from tiktok on how to actually surface content people want to see.
I didn't think it was a good idea either. I though google would get bogged down by DMCA request and having to pay the big name content makers. I also though once it became only "legal" content everyone would just move on to the next video sharing site.
I'm mostly not on Google, apart from an occasional web search (DDG still not 100% replacing Google) and Youtube.
There is just no replacement for YouTube for now. 99% of I'd like to watch is there, most of which I can't even find a place to buy.
I guess this is where it's hard: even if an alternative is built to better YouTube on every technical aspect, the contents are just not there.
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Tangentially, I don't believe it's possible to pressure Google to do anything by not using a Google product, as long as the majority of the users, who are not at all technical, don't care.
It's practically quite meaningless, apart from making myself feel better.
That would be a fine argument of Google did not own the long-form general topic diy online video space. Since they do and there are no alternatives they can suck it until they (if ever) improve their business practices.
The funny thing is there is an active thread right now on HN about breaking up Google (including Youtube.) Supposedly, "there isn't enough competition and there arent options."
> Google's own competitor never got off the ground, leading to them just acquiring it
They only put about 1.5 years of effort into "getting it off the ground" before acquiring YouTube in 2006. I think they just didn't want to try anymore when they knew they could buy the YouTube audience.
Of course, GV continued to exist for a few more years because Google, but still. GV always seemed half-assed.
It could've been slowed down a lot if Google made Youtube in WebM by default by now. But they didn't, and that's probably because they don't think it's ready yet. Too bad. They might've missed their chance, or they will miss it if they don't do it very soon.
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