Howdy Friends. Yesterday’s video might have been a little confusing and I wanted to explain what’s going on to the community. And perhaps get some feedback.

Yes, I’m physically and mentally tired of the constant travel. Not that I want to stop, but I do need to make it more sustainable and enjoyable. And rushing, rushing, rushing is not the way to do it.

But there is another tired going on that does affect you, and that’s what I want to chat about today.

I have been making YouTube videos for almost five years now.  487 videos to be exact. I had hoped to be more established a long, long time ago … but YouTube is a very tough nut to crack. I have tried so many niches, with the latest being nomadic life and slow travel. Which kinda makes sense as that’s the life I lead.

But even so, the YouTube Gods have yet to nod in my direction. Every video feels like a battle to get the attention of “the algorithm” and frankly I’m tired of playing their game. You honestly wouldn’t believe the things we creators have to do in order to compete. And yea, it’s very much a competition.

Whelp … I’m stepping out of that arena.

Of course I’m still going to make videos, it’s become such a large part of who I am, and I love it dearly. But the endless fight for YouTube’s attention and rewards? Nope, no more.

I’m still going to create videos about my weird nomadic life. But I’m going to start making them for you and me. Not what YouTube expects. Here, I’ll give you an example: retention editing.

You may not realize it, but YouTube rewards us creators based on watch time. Whatever we can do to increase that gets YouTube more ad revenue. Pay attention next time you watch a popular creator’s video. There will be transitions between clips every 3-5 seconds. Sound design, music, titles … everything is meant to keep your attention and not let you drift away. We actually have tools to monitor and tweak how we put videos together to make sure we’re keeping you engaged constantly.

That’s retention editing … and I’m going to stop doing that.

Instead, I’m just going to be real. What I see and experience is what we’ll see and experience. I want to share my life, not be a celebrity because of it. I want friends, not fans. And to be completely transparent, I want to be able to share all of myself and not just the parts that increase watch time.

So yea, making YouTube a full-time paying job is off the table for me. I’d rather be known for helping others and having a great bunch of friends along for the ride. So when you see more … oh how shall we say “raw” videos coming out from me … that’s the reason. Spending 8 hours polishing a single video for YouTube’s happiness? I’d rather spend that time with you.

OK … I’m going to go chill on a hot beach for a bit. More tomorrow!

~ Rick

PS: I tried to proofread this, but my ‘G’ key is stuck on my keyboard. So if you see a weird word, just add a guh sound to it. LOL!