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…a limit to how user-hostile a tech giant can be before it really starts to hurt their bottom line… Reading that line I just realized that google lost me as a

by jws 5y ago

…a limit to how user-hostile a tech giant can be before it really starts to hurt their bottom line… Reading that line I just realized that google lost me as a YouTube viewer in the past two weeks. I used to follow a bunch of ~100k subscriber channels that produced content every couple of weeks on building things and how to build things. I'd generally watch one or two 10-30 minute videos a day. They've cranked the ads through the roof to the point that I'd see the same 6 second Liberty Mutual bit three times before the video even got through its introduction along with a couple other ads. I now realize its been days since I even went to the site. So I guess for this n=1 we've found the limit.

gxs 5y ago
I quit because I was getting 2-3 30 second ads per video, 5 minute videos that is. Ended up getting an ad blocker on my iphone and deleting the app. I now have to use youtube.com and settle for 720p, but it's far and away better than the shit ads it served. Don't get me started on the relevancy of the ads.
- ipaddr 5y ago
  You don't have to settle for 720p change the quality 720p is the default
  - gxs 5y ago
    I think on the mobile site 720p is the best you can do. On the app/desktop you can get 1080p. I, at least, have never seen that 1080p option on the mobile site.
- IX-103 5y ago
  You may have been in the heavy ads group from some sort of A/B experiment on how the number of ads they show affects engagement. YouTube runs these sorts of experiments all the time to improve "metrics". I've heard that there's even a long-running "control group" that doesn't get ads on YouTube.
danuker 5y ago
Don't forget the lack of dislike counts, which makes it harder to distinguish good tutorials from scams shilling some service. Also, why are you not using uBlock origin?
- paulryanrogers 5y ago
  YT Premium is an alternative to ad blocking that at least supports the creators whose content one watches.
- ajosh 5y ago
  Why not use both? You can support the content creator with a higher per-view rate and still block ads in other places.
eftychis 5y ago
May I suggest an ad blocker just to hammer the nail?
ForOldHack 5y ago
The account I logged into Youtube... female facebook shill sock puppet. The feminine hygiene ads are down right discusting. N <= 2, If I see 3 ads, I just close the window. There is the Scottish electrical engineer, that although his accent is really thick, its refreshing, but with the adds for cell phones/no and FHP/no.
slyzmud 5y ago
Have you tried Youtube premium? We always say companies should move out of the ad revenue model and start charging for the services instead of pushing more ads. For me, paying Youtube premium has been a great decision.
- taurath 5y ago
  Here’s the problem - if you don’t already watch a lot of YouTube the non pay version is such a bad experience that you avoid watching on it so you’d be unlikely to want to pay for it.
- losteric 5y ago
  I want to support the content creator first and foremost. That's not how premium works.
  - pkulak 5y ago
    I know the creators get at least some of it. I have no idea if it's more or less than they would get with ads. I also pay for premium, and I'm fine with Google getting some of it. After all, it's not free to host and stream millions of petabytes of data. I really enjoy YouTube without the ads. It might actually be one of the last videos streaming services I'd get rid of.
  - vosper 5y ago
    I'm pretty sure there's an LTT video where Linus says he makes the most money-per-view from Premium users. Unfortunately I can't find it.
    - Bayart 5y ago
      How does Linus make money? - 2020 Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zt57TWkTF4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zt57TWkTF4
- antoniuschan99 5y ago
  I use Premium too! Also try threatening to cancel and it will lower the price :P
srgpqt 5y ago
I started using the Vinegar iOS app to remove ads and other crap from youtube. Still surprised that Apple hasn’t pulled it from their store (afaik).
blueberrychpstx 5y ago
Oh and on mobile ios they’ve removed the ability to sort channel videos by popularity or age… Popular sort was a great way to find what a new channel was about
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
barbazoo 5y ago
You must be watching them on mobile, right? I get 0 ads on Firefox on my Mac, I'm assuming ublockorigin blocks them.
christophilus 5y ago
Odyssee is fine if you can find content on it. Otherwise, use Brave. YouTube is pretty great if you use Brave.

by jws 5y ago

gxs 5y ago

I quit because I was getting 2-3 30 second ads per video, 5 minute videos that is. Ended up getting an ad blocker on my iphone and deleting the app. I now have to use youtube.com and settle for 720p, but it's far and away better than the shit ads it served. Don't get me started on the relevancy of the ads.

ipaddr 5y ago
You don't have to settle for 720p change the quality 720p is the default
- gxs 5y ago
  I think on the mobile site 720p is the best you can do. On the app/desktop you can get 1080p. I, at least, have never seen that 1080p option on the mobile site.
IX-103 5y ago
You may have been in the heavy ads group from some sort of A/B experiment on how the number of ads they show affects engagement. YouTube runs these sorts of experiments all the time to improve "metrics". I've heard that there's even a long-running "control group" that doesn't get ads on YouTube.

danuker 5y ago

Don't forget the lack of dislike counts, which makes it harder to distinguish good tutorials from scams shilling some service. Also, why are you not using uBlock origin?

paulryanrogers 5y ago
YT Premium is an alternative to ad blocking that at least supports the creators whose content one watches.
ajosh 5y ago
Why not use both? You can support the content creator with a higher per-view rate and still block ads in other places.

eftychis 5y ago

May I suggest an ad blocker just to hammer the nail?

ForOldHack 5y ago

The account I logged into Youtube... female facebook shill sock puppet. The feminine hygiene ads are down right discusting. N <= 2, If I see 3 ads, I just close the window. There is the Scottish electrical engineer, that although his accent is really thick, its refreshing, but with the adds for cell phones/no and FHP/no.

slyzmud 5y ago

Have you tried Youtube premium? We always say companies should move out of the ad revenue model and start charging for the services instead of pushing more ads. For me, paying Youtube premium has been a great decision.

taurath 5y ago
Here’s the problem - if you don’t already watch a lot of YouTube the non pay version is such a bad experience that you avoid watching on it so you’d be unlikely to want to pay for it.
losteric 5y ago
I want to support the content creator first and foremost. That's not how premium works.
- pkulak 5y ago
  I know the creators get at least some of it. I have no idea if it's more or less than they would get with ads. I also pay for premium, and I'm fine with Google getting some of it. After all, it's not free to host and stream millions of petabytes of data. I really enjoy YouTube without the ads. It might actually be one of the last videos streaming services I'd get rid of.
- vosper 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure there's an LTT video where Linus says he makes the most money-per-view from Premium users. Unfortunately I can't find it.
  - Bayart 5y ago
    How does Linus make money? - 2020 Update: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zt57TWkTF4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zt57TWkTF4
antoniuschan99 5y ago
I use Premium too! Also try threatening to cancel and it will lower the price :P

srgpqt 5y ago

I started using the Vinegar iOS app to remove ads and other crap from youtube. Still surprised that Apple hasn’t pulled it from their store (afaik).

blueberrychpstx 5y ago

Oh and on mobile ios they’ve removed the ability to sort channel videos by popularity or age… Popular sort was a great way to find what a new channel was about

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

barbazoo 5y ago

You must be watching them on mobile, right? I get 0 ads on Firefox on my Mac, I'm assuming ublockorigin blocks them.

christophilus 5y ago

Odyssee is fine if you can find content on it. Otherwise, use Brave. YouTube is pretty great if you use Brave.