Experimenting with YouTube - and Episode 70½ of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

A couple of posts ago I briefly mentioned my horror when I began episode 69 of my live video podcast, Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, and discovered Facebook had changed it's layout in such a way that not only could I not see the video (and so know whether I was streaming properly), but I couldn't see the comments either.

This made it pretty much impossible to do what I've been doing every week for the past 16 months. I had to close it down, find the button to allow me to “revert to old style” settings, and start over.

It felt like another in a long line of kicks in the sensitive parts from Facebook, especially when new introductions like this tend to have a limited “revert” time before it then becomes the standard way of doing things.

So I've now started thinking maybe I should be jumping ship and just stream the podcasts live on YouTube instead.

I already record each of the podcasts and put them up on YouTube, as it's easier to share them and embed them in this blog, but it does require me editing it first and then uploading, so it's possible I might save a bit of post-processing time too.

When I began the podcasts I looked at my followers. My YouTube channel had a shade over 300 while my Kim Ayres Photography Facebook page had well over 2,000. It seemed like a no-brainer: if you want to catch fish, go where the fish are.

However, Facebook don't like to show your posts to any more than the tiniest fraction of your followers unless you are prepared to pay them chunks of money every single time.

If you'd like to see what it's like for creators who merrily invited all their supporters to follow them to Facebook, only for Facebook to shove a paywall between them, then do read this post by The Oatmeal:

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/reaching_people_2021

So I thought it's time to try it out. 

Much of this past week has been spent watching videos on how to do it, combined with short trials a few minutes long, which I've then instantly deleted.

So on Sunday afternoon I did Episode 70½ – which I treated like a proper podcast. Continuing on from the last episode, I talked a bit about some of the other Geoff Forrest Sculptures (specifically and otter and a dragonfly) I'd recently photographed, and then gave feedback and critique on a few images.

Several of my regulars did turn up, watch, and comment, which was extraordinarily useful. And so did my daughter, Meg. Although she dedicatedly watches every recording, she's never seen one of my podcasts live as she doesn't have a Facebook account. She was really quite excited about it, which was an added bonus.

One immediate drawback is YouTube has to process the video before I can edit it, and that can take up to 24 hours. Another is that once I end the stream I can't see any of the comments that were made either, until it has finished processing.

However an extra advantage is once it has processed, you can actually read the comments made during the podcast as you watch it (if you watch it on YouTube, that is).

So it has potential. And at least I'm now beginning to feel I have an alternative in place, just in case.

So enjoy episode 70½ below, and do let me know if there are any aspects to it you prefer, or have difficulty with.

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0:00 - Starting Soon
1:57 - Welcome, greetings and comments
10:30 - Photographing Steel Otter and Dragonfly Sculptures by Geoff Forrest at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, Caerlaverock
22:45 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:00:02 - Coming up on the next podcast!
1:01:40 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to be notified of new podcasts and behind-the-scenes videos.

And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/