The technical (read boring) answer to that is that it is a Video search engine. You may watch videos on it across the spectrum of industries, business domains, geographies and what not.
But my answer to this is it is a “content well”. In itself, like most other social platforms, it is empty, a black hole. We all put “water of content” in it and a lot others drink that water daily.
34 billion a month i.e. more than a Billion visits happen on this “content well” EVERYDAY.
On the Valentine’s day of 2005, 3 friends – Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim decided to launch this platform.
Jawed Karim uploaded the first video on Youtube. The video was titled “Me at the Zoo”, where Jawed can be seen visiting a Zoo.
Youtube was sold to Google for a massive US$1.65 billion on November, 2006.
Today, 500 HOURS of content is uploaded on Youtube EVERY MINUTE while 694,000 HOURS of content is watched by viewers EVERY MINUTE.
Staggering, right?
By the way, I uploaded by first ever video on Youtube, back on 11th June, 2007. I was a software engineer with Infosys Technologies and got on stage to dance on the tunes of Backstreet Boys:
So dear friends, this old block is pretty old on Youtube as well.
What is Youtube Algorithm?
Have you ever wondered why the mix of videos on the homepage of Youtube for each user is different?
Infact, your own homepage videos will always be different. This has a lot to do with the time you open Youtube, device you open it from, even location.
Do a test, if possible.
Open Youtube with the help of someone with your ID at the same time but from two different locations.
You will find Youtube showing you different videos at the top.
But why would that happen?
Is Youtube listing content randomly?
Of course not.
Any search engine, including Youtube, knows you, your behavior, your stickiness (time spent on Youtube) and 940384932 more aspects about you, than you know about yourself.
Youtube understands, what kind of content:
- you prefer to watch at what time and for how long
- pushes you away from Youtube and not come back for sometime
- and content creator who are a super-fan of and watch most of his/her videos
- you generally watch and what similar kind of content it can serve you at the time you prefer
- you react to or comment on. Infact, what kind of content you interact or fight over on the internet. For Youtube, it counts as an engagement.
- you are sharing. That is the biggest signal for Youtube about the content. It is like refer and earn model for mainstream businesses (its just you dont earn anything but you are bringing new traffic to Youtube).
- you are searching for and with what frequency.
- it can suggest you, which you do not watch as of now, but may in the future.
- you flag or report or tell Youtube that “you are not interested”. These is a direct communication from You to the Youtube algorithm on what it needs to take care of the next time. And that “next time” starts from the next very recommendation or even the upcoming videos that you are going to browse.
Let’s make it even simpler to understand.
Imagine a marketplace model business such as Flipkart in India or Amazon Globally. Now, think as if such a marketplace does not sell any goods of its own but allows vendors and merchants to login to a backend and upload their products with description, features, pricing, pictures and a lot more info.
Amazon recommends you products based on your shopping patterns.
From a distance, Youtube works exactly the same.
As goods are for amazon, videos are for Youtube; merchants are for Amazon, Content creators are for Youtube.
Although, Amazon does not go the extents of product pushing as Youtube does in content pushing but the reason for that is not the platform but the user intent.
But you get the gist, and that is what matters at the moment.
Who is a Youtube Content Creator?
I won’t say, anybody and everybody.
Not everybody can be a content creator.
Just like not everybody can be a doctor, an accountant, an engineer, a businessman, an actor, a cricketer, a rickshaw-puller or any other professional.
Infact, content creation is very difficult.
Even becoming a doctor is difficult, you may say. To become a doctor or a content creator, it would require a lot of effort and that is right. But at this point in time, you do know how to become a doctor. What books to read, what exams and curriculam to go through and so on.
But for content creation or becoming a content creator (a good one, I mean), there are no academics around it. No books as such, no exams to give, no degrees to have.
That is why, from that context, becoming a full-time professional content creator, is difficult.
Ok, well who can be a content creator then?
You can be a content creator if you:
- are okay to get onto a risky career path. With high risk, of course, come high returns but these returns take time too.
- are taking it as a business and not a quick money-making opportunity. As a business takes time and investment to flourish, content creation does too.
- are passionate towards a skill or an industry domain. Although, a lot of content creators pivot over a period of time but the passion aspect needs to stay alive.
- are a person of execution and not just planning.
In conclusion, if you can do 100 videos on the topic you love, you want to know more about of, you want to research upon and if you can do these videos in the next 20 days, and publish them. Then, yes, you can be a Youtuber or a Youtube content creator or content creator, whatever you call it.
Chao!
