YouTube's Thumbnail Infinity War!!!!

I only know one thing, anything you produce I'm in. I've actually made woodblock prints. I'm down Fran. Rock on!

Daniel Worth

I think the antidote to burnout is to be yourself, because in an unpredictable system the only clue is you. Keep it up!

Sorry I missed the message last time, work has been crazy busy. I hope this boost helps boost sustainability.

KF5TQN

Sadly, I dont have the time I would like to watch your content (or youtube in general) as in deep as I used to. But you know what? I would love you to keep making the content that YOU want without dealing with all this youtube algorithm crap; so here I am, glad to be a new patron for this awesome channel.

No matter what happens, you will get through this. You did it with the eviction and move so there's the proof. Do what you want, that's what I want to see. Could you sell your soul a few times a year and make three or four EXTREME videos with lots of flaming sparkle cats while wearing a sequined evening gown while doing a makeup tutorial? That might assuage hoi polloi. And to think I was going to have the audacity to suggest trying to do a video about the carillon at the Church of the Holy Trinity at Rittenhouse Sq. Did you ever listen to the Joni Mitchell album "Miles of Aisles"? Do you remember the part where the audience is screaming out their requests and some wise sould yells out "Play what you want!"? That's what this reminds me of. Keep on doing what you do.

That is an epic icon! I never use the notifications. My first stop is always my subscription page so I can see the people I like. Much better than the recommendations.

Jessica McIntosh

So I live in the UK and support 5 Patreons for a total of $26 a month. This is because either I have built up some sort of rapor with the Patreons and their channels (Franlab / BigClive), they are linked to my hobbies, or they are niche channels linked to memories of growing up. I have 23 other YouTube channels that I just subscribe to. I occasionally subscribe to new YouTube channels and drop others. Some of these channels only have a couple of thousand subscribers and few views for each video. I have no interest in other channels / videos that YouTube may wish to push my way. If I am interested in a certain topic I will search for it. The output from each channel varies from a video every couple of months to every few days. Video length can be an hour or two to 5 to 10 mins. Unfortunately I cannot watch every video when it is released but do so over time. I am happy to support Patreons whether they produce a video every week or every month. It is the topic /quality of the videos and not the quantity. I also appreciate that I may not be fully interested in every video but everyone's different and there will be others who will. So on top of the suggestions given by others I would consider getting input from subscribers on the content they would like to see more of, perhaps more niche items to purchase like the t-shirts, and don't worry about having a constant output of regular videos. I am pretty sure that one day Google is going to blow it with YouTube due to all the changes they make or a substantial competitor will arrive on the scene.

John Russell

Nice thumbnail on this one. :P (my data point if you care: (a) I always use my "Subscriptions" list (or patreon), not the home page. (b) The things that make me skip a video are (i) not interested in the topic. (ii) runtime is too long. (iii) egregiously opaque clickbait in which the title is clearly vague, misleading, or says nothing. (c) I often put videos in my "Watch Later" list, and then watch them later (sometimes weeks or months). Will YT count that as a clickthrough to boost recommendations??)

Honestly, I'm watching you for the EE content, however I am enjoying the silk screening and other content. I see art based stuff as a bonus, of course this is me and everything is subjective. That's part of the problem sometimes, everyone's taste is different. One subscriber will whinge about the lack of blinky LED footage while another will want something else, to try and pander to everyone would drive you insane. You have to use your judgement and make a decision of which path you follow and who you please/upset. I cant give much advice as I am not a youtuber, I hate video editing and have no interest in producing content or have any clue how to run a channel. What can we do as loyal subscribers to help you? If youtube wont suggest your videos how can we as a lump of people help promote your channel outside that platform? Can we do some kind of drive on social media talking and linking to your videos in a strategic way?

I love your videos and no algorithm will ever keep me from watching them :)

Mr. BA

Pretty much all the EE and maker channels do sponsored videos these days. EEVblog and BigClive are rare exceptions, but their situations are pretty unique. I'm not saying that sort of thing would be a good match for FranLab, but that just seems to be the trend. On a bright note, you're pretty close to the 100K subscriber mark, so maybe breaking that barrier might put FranLab in better standing with the algorithm. As for the DSKY t-shirt video, I was pretty sceptical, and it took a few days before I could set aside the time to watch it, but I was really surprised with how interesting the whole process was to watch. It was a real master class in screen printing. Maybe not everyone has the attention span for that sort of video, but I'm glad I watched it, and I think it's a shame others can't appreciate the effort that went into the video.

UpLateGeek

I can't really remember why I stopped logging into Youtube to view videos but I honestly can say I have not done so in over 10 years. Yes I have a legacy youtube channel from back when it really was about amateurs putting out content for everyone to enjoy. Now big business is in the Youtube space and sure production quality goes up but content quality has plummeted. I don't know how to square this circle all I know it is not sustainable.

veritanuda

What that says to me is that niche content needs both its own notification system (eg, blog with video embeds that people can subscribe to, all the social media for ease of resharing), *and* its own source of funding. Historically that funding was one of (a) the government (eg, BBC in the UK), (b) a rich patreon/sponsor, (c) some sort of non-profit (with its own outside fundraising), or (d) some sort of side/day job. It seems like the days of the “small” YouTube channel funded via YouTube is over, basically because YouTube is advertising funded and advertisers are treating it like TV advertising and looking only at big audiences. Ewen

Ewen McNeill

YouTube is now basically advertising funded “free to air” television. With all the “go big or go home” problems that causes. The one potential saving grace is that it *also* has a Community Access TV sideline set of channels, which gets no money or love, but is also available without paying a distribution fee. Ewen

Ewen McNeill

I sense a collaboration with Minute Physics is in order! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYsp7OIMFAs

EEVblog

Hi ya Fran! I do not have any advice, but I do want to share my support! I will stay till the end!

Is it feasible for the EE channels to do some sort of cross-promotion for exposure? I didn't find FranLab due to YouTube's algorithms... it was from Dave's and Clive's videos regarding the FranLab eviction.

Howard Simons

I agree, the Frantone brand has street cred, it should be possible to build on that somehow... Perhaps some industry people can chime in here?

EEVblog

Here in San Diego I have found multi-talented non-degreed experts and crafts folks working in (and running) local makerspaces and craft spaces. For many of them it's a part-time gig for supplemental income, with at most 20% of them being full-time. Some are students, some are retired, some are homemakers and empty-nesters, but they all tend to be multi-skilled hobbyists lacking an off switch and simply caring to share. But that's just the job *I'd* want - there are others: Another job I've seen filled by similar folks is that of "electronics lab manager" for tech companies. Many are technicians of one kind or another who became generalists. I'm begging my current employer to hire both a lab manager and at least one general "renaissance" lab tech who has skills ranging from circuit troubleshooting and SMT soldering to bending sheet metal. In San Diego, a good electronics lab tech easily earns $30/hour. Finally, you'd be amazed at the opportunities for non-degreed folks in education, specifically community colleges and various non-college "adult education" programs. Experts who can teach the uninitiated are rare birds indeed, and getting students to learn is the only thing that matters. In many districts, it is also possible to become a substitute teacher without a degree: Just pass a few exams. The list goes on! These are just the ones with which I'm personally familiar. Let me know if these lines of thought are at all interesting, and I'll see if I can find more.

BobC

I have seen Clive in one of his live videos. I thought he just takes in things, tears them apart, draws schematics, explain how it works and throws the remains in the bin. With Dave Jones he puts quite a few on the back shelf behind teardown the desk. I hope you can conserve the money until things get better without having to downsize.

MrMobodies

If that turns out true about in yer face colourful tiles ontop of the results that'll be a big slap in the face for me as I pay for Youtube Premium and only to see certain channels, not give me an epileptic fit of crap that I didn't subscribe too. They already have fixed navigation bars and other stuff 's everywhere stuck there in yer face that I have depend on a bookmark killers and that fixed header fixer extensions to automatically hide them as I scroll.

MrMobodies

Sorry you’re feeling so much stress. I’ll watch no matter the subject matter. Speaking of which, is that brown box with the handle behind you a knitting machine? I’ll watch that too.

If it is a losing situation, and you can't please everybody, then please yourself. Do what YOU want. Who knows just might work. Can't be any worse. I love everything you do!

William Alsing

I wouldn't downsize. In your line of work, you need multiple streams of income. I know you have a sewing business as well. What other streams might be available to you? I know Frantone is on hold and I mostly agree with that. Guitar pedals are a tough business since the market is saturated and the costs are high. I'm thinking that there might be a way to license the Frantone brand. The brand Frantone has legs. Whether you believe it or not, you are a legend in the pedal business. You'd need some assistance to build out the Frantone brand as a license and you'd have to accept that not everything with the brand might be what you'd want it to be. That's part of giving up some control. I don't know the entrepreneur groups in and around Philly so I'm sadly, not able to get you any contacts. If this does sound interesting, I'd start with searching out the entrepreneur networks in your area. That, in itself, could be an interesting video.

It's starting to look like another video site needs to be created that caters to folks like you that don't have mega-subscribers. A happy home for the smaller, more niche folks.

Bob Holt

HoPe the fran's lab survives

Santa Sir Glenn Dr Heald

You should see my lab yours is clean & tidy compared to mine

God 420