TL:DR – Support the Youtube content creator’s channel you enjoy watching so they can sustain their production cost
What do you do when you encounter ads on Youtube? Most people would skip the ads as soon as possible. Most of the time, I will let the ads run (normally, they are 1-2 ads before the video starts). I do it because I want to support the content creators which I watch often and I hope that with this small gesture from me, they are able to continue to make content which I enjoy.
For those that have not tried it, good content creation is really hard work. It takes quite some effort to conceptualise, shoot and edit the videos that we watch. I watch Youtube content for entertainment, for learning new skills as well as for idea generations. But have you wondered how your favourite content creators make a living? The simplest form would be through Youtube ads. There are other monetising models, but me being the cheapo that I am, would normally not buy stuff (especially when I have to end up looking for a place to store them)
How does Youtube pay the content creators? Everytime an ad plays before your chosen video starts, part of the fees Youtube collects is provided to the content creator. For short ads (less than 30 seconds), you would probably have to watch the entirety of the ad (to qualify payment to the content creator). For ads that are longer, you would have to watch till after the 30 seconds mark before you skip so the content creator is eligible for the ad revenue.
But you may ask, why am I interested to “contribute” to content creators (that I like watching) in this way? Simple reason is that, if there is no revenue or source of income that can be derived from making good content, so many of these favourite channels would give up as it is not sustainable for them to continue making good (and commercially not viable) content. By watching (or letting the ads run), I don’t really lose much (I could be doing other things when the ads run) but yet I can help sustain the content creators. Content Creators need to make a living too. I see it as a Win-Win situation.
So if you feel that there are content creators that you would like to continue watching for a long time, you might want to try to support them in this way. Do not skip the ads before it runs for 30 seconds. I’m sure your goodwill will be appreciated by the content creators. But feel free to skip if there are just too many ads within one video you are trying to enjoy.
Shoutout to #Butterworks #NPCMan #WongFuProdductions #FreeCodeCamp
