YouTube Slapped Small Creators: My Written Response

The Slap Heard Around The World: YouTube Slapped Small Creators! #YouTubeslappedsmallcreators #ruralmoney

YouTube slapped small creators with this published message, “Additional Changes To The YouTube Partner Program To Better Protect Creators”.

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2017 marked a tough year for many of you, with several issues affecting our community and the revenue earned from advertising through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).

Despite those issues more creators than ever are earning a living on YouTube, with the number of channels making over six figures up over 40% year-over-year.

Rural Money [The small creators are trying to earn a living on YouTube, too.]

In 2018, a major focus for everyone at YouTube is protecting our creator ecosystem and ensuring your revenue is more stable.

Rural Money [By discriminating against small YouTube Creators.]

As Susan mentioned in December, we’re making changes to address the issues that affected our community in 2017 so we can prevent bad actors from harming the inspiring and original creators around the world who make their living on YouTube.

Rural Money [In other words, prevent the “small creators” who are “uninspiring” and “unoriginal” from…]

A big part of that effort will be strengthening our requirements for monetization so spammers, impersonators, and other bad actors can’t hurt our ecosystem or take advantage of you, while continuing to reward those who make our platform great.

Rural Money [YouTube is calling small creators “spammers, impersonators, and “bad actors” “who can’t hurt our ecosystem or take advantage of you…”Name calling is slanderous (damaging to small creators reputation) and libelous (a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation; a written defamation).]

Back in April of 2017, we set a YPP eligibility requirement of 10,000 lifetime views.

Rural Money [This is blatant false advertisement (A false advertisement can further be classified as deceptive if the advertiser deliberately misleads the consumer, as opposed to making an honest mistake) and bait and switch (They will *bait* you in with offers of really good stuff, then switch the offers around behind your back, often with the excuse of “that was just a promotion” or “you must have changed it yourself”.)]

While that threshold provided more information to determine whether a channel followed our community guidelines and policies, it’s been clear over the last few months that we need a higher standard.

Rural Money [Bait and switch—all of the small creators can’t be wrong or didn’t adhere to YouTube’s community guidelines and policies, when they were busy most of the time fending off trolls.]

Starting today we’re changing the eligibility requirement for monetization to 4,000 hours of watchtime within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers.

Rural Money [Fine, but don’t punish ALL small creators.]

We’ve arrived at these new thresholds after thorough analysis and conversations with creators like you.

Rural Money [YouTube did not talk to me. Did they talk to you? They only consulted with channels making over six figures up over 40% year-over-year.]

They will allow us to significantly improve our ability to identify creators who contribute positively to the community and help drive more ad revenue to them (and away from bad actors).

Rural Money [This paragraph sounds like a terrorizing Gestapo or KGB operation! YouTube has driven all revenue away from “bad actors” (small creators). Again, slanderous, false allegations, group discrimination.)]

These higher standards will also help us prevent potentially inappropriate videos from monetizing which can hurt revenue for everyone.

Rural Money [WTF is an inappropriate video on any channel? What are the guidelines of an “appropriate video”?]

On February 20th, 2018, we’ll also implement this threshold across existing channels on the platform, to allow for a 30 day grace period.

Rural Money [In other words, as of February 20, 2018, small creators can GO DIRECTLY TO HELL! Unquote.]

On that date, channels with fewer than 1,000 subs or 4,000 watch hours will no longer be able to earn money on YouTube.

Rural Money [YouTube INITIALLY STATED “4,000 hours of watchtime within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribers.” The paragraph above states 1,000 subs “or” 4,000 watch hours… Not only do they bait and switch, they contradict their policies on a whim.]

When they reach 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours they will be automatically re-evaluated under strict criteria to ensure they comply with our policies.

Rural Money [Again, contradicting their words.]

New channels will need to apply, and their application will be evaluated when they hit these milestones.

Though these changes will affect a significant number of channels, 99% of those affected were making less than $100 per year in the last year, with 90% earning less than $2.50 in the last month.

Rural Money [A significant number of channels are 99% of those affected! It takes time to build a channel up. But, if this is about advertisers not wanting to show their SPAMMY, CRUMMY ADS (classified as SKIPPABLE) on small creator channels, then it’s their prerogative. I have seen many large creator channels that is pure crap. Who wrote this memo? Was it one of YouTube’s bad actors? It’s too stupid for words. This is YouTube’s bottom line and remember this: “They will allow us to significantly improve our ability to identify creators who contribute positively to the community and help drive more ad revenue to them (and away from bad actors).”]

Any of the channels who no longer meet this threshold will be paid what they’ve already earned based on our AdSense policies.

Rural Money [The fact is Google/YouTube has caused financial hardship for many small creators by subjugating them to this cruel and unfair threshold. They have stopped 99% of their creators from earning supplemental income, and making a living, which has caused financial hardship, and suffering from the loss of time, effort and creativity.]

After thoughtful consideration, we believe these are necessary compromises to protect our community.

Rural Money [In other words, YouTube consider 1% of their creators are the cream of the crop and the other 99% are shit heads.]

Of course, size alone is not enough to determine whether a channel is suitable for monetization, so we’ll continue to use signals like community strikes, spam, and other abuse flags to ensure we’re protecting our creator community from bad actors.

Rural Money My channel has not received any community strikes, spam or other abuse flags, so why was it penalized? YouTube is still slandering by calling small creators “bad actors”.]

As we continue to protect our platform from abuse, we want to remind all of you to follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines, Monetization Basics & Policies, Terms of Service, and Google AdSense program policies, as violating any of these may lead to removal from the YouTube Partner Program.

While this change will tackle the potential abuse of a large but disparate group of smaller channels, we also know that the bad action of a single, large channel can also have an impact on the community and how advertisers view YouTube.

Rural Money [YouTube has punished 99% of their creators to “tackle the potential abuse of a large…” That means we are being punished for something that has not occurred. This is more GROUP DISCRIMINATION. The word “disparate” also indicate discrimination, thus YouTube is DISCRIMINATING AGAINST SMALL CREATORS.]

We’ll be working to schedule conversations with our creators in the months ahead so we can hear your thoughts and ideas and what more we can do to tackle that challenge.

Rural Money [OMG! I haven’t read anything like this since the history of Nazi Germany! More punishment? You can hear my thoughts and ideas right now because your actions may warrant a class action lawsuit.]

One of YouTube’s core values is to provide anyone the opportunity to earn money from a thriving channel, and while our policies will evolve over time, our commitment to that value remains.

Rural Money [According to your previous statement,” Back in April of 2017, we set a YPP eligibility requirement of 10,000 lifetime views.” That’s bait and switch! Therefore, you have arbitrarily removed my opportunity to earn money from my thriving channel. Of course, your policies “evolve over time” (as in bait and switch) , but you are NOT COMMITTED to your so-called value. You are discriminating against my channel and all small creators.]

Those of you who want more details around this change, or haven’t yet reached this new 4,000 hour/1,000 subscriber threshold can continue to benefit from our Creator Academy, our Help Center, and all the resources on the Creator Site to grow your channels.

Rural Money [It’s all bullshit because YouTube know that most channels are not scripted and professionally created. If I want to watch those types of videos, I can turn on the TV. In future, I will make a point to limit my watch time of large YouTube channels and skip all advertisements.

Even though 2017 was a challenging year, thanks to creators like you, it was full of the moments that make YouTube such a special place.

Rural Money [Now, YouTube is being insulting and mean to small creators by praising the large creators after destroying our opportunity to make a living and humiliating us.]

Creators large and small, established and emerging, transformed their talent and originality into videos that captivated over a billion people around the world. They made us laugh, taught us about our world and warmed our hearts.

Rural Money [You know what you just read is bullshit, right? YouTube is saying that 1% of their creators is responsible for the success of the YouTube brand. Yet, they have de-monetized, de-moralized and penalized 99% of their creators.]

We’re confident the steps we’re taking today will help protect and grow our inspiring community well into the future.

Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer and Robert Kyncl, Chief Business Officer

Curated and Edited from YouTube Blog Post Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Rural Money—My final thoughts on Additional Changes to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to Better Protect Creators

Small YouTube creators comprising of 99% have been injured because we were stopped from monetizing videos (effective February 20, 2018), which YouTube gave no prior warning or notice for community strikes, spam or other abuse flags.

These video creators thought they had the right to try to make a living on YouTube by creating a small, emerging channel.

YouTube’s new policy that I received January 16, 2018 via email is a public problem for the 99% of creators who can no longer earn ad revenues from their YouTube Partner Program policy dated April 2017.

The fact that small channels have earned some money, whether less than $100 per year in the last year, or less than $2.50 in the last month, it is a significant achievement for them (many may be living on $1 a day).

Therefore, this is a significant amount of money for people in my class of YouTube creators because it increases our monthly Google Adsense earnings.

And, when you add it all up, YouTube earned millions of dollars in revenue from our hard work.

YouTube’s negligent conduct of false advertising, bait and switch, group discrimination, false accusation, slander, and stopping us from trying to earn a living, and stopping us from earning supplemental income causes a financial hardship.

In addition to suffering from the loss of time, effort, creativity, and subjection to ridicule and humiliation such as potential “bad actors.”

YouTube is not working hard to provide creators with the opportunity to earn revenue on their platform, as they so proudly say is one of their core values.

As a group, small creators are trying to earn money from a thriving channel (some have the watch time, but don’t have the subscribers vice versa), and make a living on YouTube, after we have been given a fair chance.

We were led to believe we had this opportunity until the letter dated January 16, 2018 informed us that we had been duped.

Some small creators have demonstrated their displeasure in this new YouTube policy; so this post is my way of expressing my opinions of their contemptible behavior.

And, if Google/Adsense think I am intimidated about the possibility of them retaliating and closing my Adsense account, then think again.

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