I’ve come to a decision on YouTubers

That's a fair take, not how I see it, but fair none the less. 

YouTubers make videos that I get to enjoy for free. If my clicking on a like button, and leaving a comment helps them get noticed by the algorithm, I think it's a fair exchange for the entertainment. 

Well said!

Yeah, I'm not paying for their content, so why should I feel like I should get some kind of recognition for clicking a like or leaving a comment. Even a couple thousand subscribers is a lot of work to respond to for those guys. You Tube algorithm demands already suck up a contributor's time in other ways -- to me a you tuber's job would be kind of miserable. 

completely agree with what you said, why ask if you are not goind to read them 😂😂. but like @KristianG said they put an effort to make the video that we enjoyed for free, so there is no harm to do our little part as well. so my question is which youtuber did you unsubscribe?😂

It’s all about the algorithm. They need subscribers, likes, comments, etc., for YouTube to continue to push their videos. Running a YouTube channel is time consuming and often does’t pay all that well. Believing you’re entitled to a personal response from every comment seems a bit silly.

I thought I might get these sorts of responses and I am in no doubt that it takes a lot of effort to put these channels together, and I do appreciate that. I’m not asking for personal one to one conversations either.

Why are some YouTubers true to their word in asking for, and taking notice of comments but some aren’t? That’s what probably is the frustration for me. It don’t take much to hit an emoji.

Maybe it’s just an old school view of mine. Ignore me!

The bigger youtube watch channels are most likely run as businesses so that “heart” response on a subscriber’s comment was probably clicked on by some bored staffer who’s either getting barely paid or ’working for the experience’. 

To me, in these cases subscribers demanding ’personal’ engagement  from a YouTuber (obviously not talking about @Scooter but the more stalker-ish ‘fans’) feels the same as a customer dropping a  little money in the tip jar at the local sandwich shop getting pissed when the workers don’t put on a big song and dance of gratitude.  Tipping is just part of the business transaction and it’s not like I’m going out of my way to do a personal favor, so no need to make it awkward for the receiving party.  🙃

Yeah, I feel you. 

However, before you criticize, have you walked the proverbial mile in their shoes?

Do you know everything their days entail?

Small channels usually have a day job that consumes 8+ hours a day. They might have families or other obligations that make it difficult to respond even so minimally to even the handful of messages they do get. 

Larger channels may not (or may) have that day job, but now they have another one; thinking up interesting content, editing the videos, re-shooting, etc. They still have families & friends they want to keep up with.

Considering we get their content for free, a like, comment, or subscription are literally the least we can do for them. 

A like of or reply to my comment is cherished by me. It means my comment was insightful enough to cut through the mundane replies along the lines of "Great job" or the arguments between viewers that break out sometimes. 

I have never expected a like of or a reply and have never held it against them because I didn't get one. 

Maybe scream at YT to add a mass like button for comments to channel creator tools instead of criticizing those of whom you know nothing of their circumstances. 

You are owed nothing. Enjoy this golden age of free entertainment while it lasts.

Very good point. I know some large account YouTubers would at least reply for the day or hours after the post. I think in reality a lot of them push for comments and likes for the algorithms and no so much for community building.

i agree with this comment… but you still haven’t replied to mine?! What marker did you use for the coloring the dam strap!! 😠 … 😁

Comments are a key metric for engagement, and are very important for algorithmic success on YouTube. So, whether a YouTuber enjoys comments or not, they still have to encourage channel engagement. Leaving a like and a quick comment on a video you enjoyed is very much like leaving a tip for a good cup of coffee from a friendly server.

You seem to want it both ways. You want to watch a review that someone has taken the time to make and which is free for you to view. You also want more: acknowledgement of your saying 'thanks'. Be grateful for the makers of these videos that allow you so much content for nothing and don't expect a big dollop of cream on top. Instead, offer an unqualified 'thanks'.

YouTube is about money. Views get advertising which they share with content creators. Comment like and subscribe is for appreciation of their content and costs you nothing. They really don't care if you don't but know a lot will. Personal protest only hurts you.

I don't mind if they ask me for a like at the end of the video, but most ask at the beginning which I find annoying. And can I please gently strike the like button rather than smashing it...

When youtubers ask for comments, this can be just a "please help my channel" beg, sometimes thinly disguised; I hardly ever add to the noise.  There is also the "I don't have the answer for this, do you?" where that engagement revolves around some lack of knowledge that is easily googleable.  Although comment-bait, this is a bit better because it allows viewers to engage and express themselves on a subject they care about. If I care I take the bait. But not all these questions are googable, and if you know an answer to one of those you can really contribute to the viewing experience.

Regarding liking comments... First, they may have solicited your comment, that does not mean they will like it. Other than that, I don't expect to be recognized when it's a large channel. That acknowledgment might be curteous, but it's probably not very personal. When a channel is very small that would be different, they should cherish their active viewers.

But I have...

<p>Lol, you're right! </p><p>Mustard.</p><p>I've started craving hot dogs recently. Weird.</p> https://www.watchcrunch.com/wruw/2022-06-12#comment-95422

No freaking way!! seriously ? I might do ketchup if I want red color on my strap!! 😆

I can tell you from personal experience that your request is almost impossible for many YouTubers.

(I have a medium size following/subscriber base for my "real" job - not watches aka "Grail Timepieces" - with between 20-50k followers on different platforms)

For many YouTubers social media is ONLY the "marketing" division of their business...it doesn't include product creation, R&D, customer service, accounting, sales, etc. and most YouTubers are a 1-man-band that do it all themselves.  On top of that, MOST of them have other full-time jobs and YT is a side hustle.

Sure, there are absolutely large YT channels that have an entire team behind them, but most do not.

It's not that they don't want to interact with everyone...it's that they can't!

I know this isn't exactly the same, but here are the analytics from a Twitter account last month that has 25k followers (not that large in the grand scheme of things):

This is only Twitter...it doesn't include FB, YouTube, IG, TikTok, and email!

It's just simply impossible to respond to everyone who interacts with you.

So, I (and other creators) have to choose how their time is best spent.  I think most creators are more likely to respond to comments that add value to the discussion.

Ex. If I see two comments and one says "Nice!" and the other one says "Great video, thanks for filming!  I noticed that the last 2 videos you filmed you were ______.  Do you feel like _____...?" I'm obviously more likely to respond to the second one because it adds value and more time and effort went into it.

Timing can also be a big factor in who responds.  If you leave a comment within the first 30 mins after the video goes live you're exponentially more likely to get a response.  However, if I wake up and check my social media to see that I have 150+ notifications I just can't get to all of them...not because I don't want to, and not because I don't appreciate people for leaving them but because I'd spend my entire day doing that.  So, I scroll through quickly and respond to the ones that jump out.

Also, if you regularly like/comment someone's content then they may (over time) start to recognize you as a "regular" which is more likely to get a response out of them.

Now, I have no idea what your comment was and who didn't respond to it, I'm just stating that it can be impossible to reply to everyone.

With that said, I am a creator for my real job and more of a content consumer for my hobby (watches) and it's nice when the large accounts respond to me...I absolutely get a thrill out of it.  But, if you expect a response from an account that as a significant size following you could be setting yourself up for disappointment.

I hope this provides a different perspective that may help some people understand what it looks like from a creators perspective.

What's the logo good sir? I agree don't ask if you your self will ignore most comments. I saw where one reviewer ignore all but the ones that complimented them and stroked thier ego and bypassed the ones who added to the content about the watch. 

I don't get that. What's the point of a <3 that everyone gets? Why go through all that tedium? I'm tickled by actual interaction in the form of a substantive comment, but I won't expect that in the midst of hundreds of posts. I'm not particularly good about leaving a like, but I try to if the video particularly caught my fancy, or the channel is small and could use the boost. Other than that, good enough that they made, and I watched. Why get all hot and bothered?

It’s the football team in the UK I’ve supported all my life 

I can see both sides of the argument. You gotta play the YouTube game (which is always changing), and it's true, when a 10min video on average takes 20+ hours to produce, you don't do it for the ad money and the last thing you wanna do is anything watch-related the day it drops. 

On the other hand, personally if I leave someone a comment and get crickets, I'm unlikely to do it again.

So I take every possible moment (waiting for a coffee, the bathroom, dentist office) to reply. My reply might not be as long as some of your wonderful comments, but I do think it's worth something.

Don't get me started on the hateful, sometimes racist comments...

I’m sorry you feel this way my friend!

i try to reply to everyone but it is hard IF it isn’t your actual job! Finding time to make shows during the week is hard enough!!! 
time has to be dedicated to reply to those who take time out of there also busy lives! 
But I must admit sometimes I miss comments!!!!:(

Consider how many hours it took them to make the content then how long you spent pondering a good comment. 

I bet if you were to spend the same amount of time hopping around commenting(let’s say 6h) as they did producing that content, you would probably get the engagement you're looking for. 

We Are so happy that we can release some steam online 😉😉😉, but I think no one is the same, some reply some don't. Could you reply to 1k comments, and for example if u have, 100+ vids. That's nearly full shift at work. 👍