On Thursday/Friday of last week three unrelated events collided. My youtube channel surpassed 1 million views. I knew it was coming, but I still can't wrap my brain around that number. AND my channel, which is still healthy and active, received its first copyright strike (psst, don't fu@k with the BBC). Finally, I realized I HAD to take some time to clean-up/back-up my harddrives, a job I hadn't done properly since before the holidays.
Back in July I started seriously working out the details of what I wanted from my blog and how it would work. I had seen that a video on a file-sharing service (like zippyshare) and posted to a boot forum might get 40 or 50 downloads and disappear after a few months. A similar clip on youtube might get 1,000 views and could stay on-line for years. I knew from observation that it was possible to sustain a youtube channel like I was planning. One of my inspirations was/is youtube user Leather Predator. For several years he's been uploading leather scenes trimmed from mainstream media. I also knew from observation that channels were frequently removed because of copyright violations.
Back in July I was willing to risk my channel which was nothing more than a handful of videos I had uploaded two years earlier. 400 videos, 1,200 subscribers and a million views later, I'm a little more protective. And I know why Leather Predator sets up multiple channels. So I set up my second youtube channel. Since I don't rush into anything, I needed some time to work out the details.
If your primary entry point to my videos is this blog, you're unlikely to notice any changes.
In unrelated news: if you're a collector/hoarder you know exactly why they call it a "tipping point." Your piles of crap have gotten so high they actually tip over. Digital files are less likely to tip, but if you download as much as I do, they'll pile up. I'm still in the never-ending process of trimming, deleting, sorting, moving and backing up, but I made significant progress over the weekend.
One chronic problem, I continue to spend fruitless hours obsessing over what clips to upload next. On occasion, the stars align and I create a mix for the day that I'm really proud of. More often I waste hours knotting my guts up over details that very few would notice or care about. A healthy brain might not be able to imagine the mental and emotional gymnastics I subject myself to on a daily basis.
19 years ago I became frustrated over the limitations of sharing boot pictures over usenet and embraced the limitations of sharing boot pictures on Geocities. The chief limitation was storage space. "The Temple of the Boot" could only hold about 7 galleries of 12 pictures each. So I had a rotating series of galleries, one for each day of the week. I knew that some people would miss some pictures, but as I explained at the time, "I'm a volume dealer." 19 years ago it meant that you might miss out on some pictures. Today it means that you might not like some of the videos I upload. I know I've said this before, and I hope if I say it enough I'll convince myself, but I can't upload videos that will be everybody's favorite every time.
I like them, I hope you like them. I'm having a good time at this and I plan to continue. There are going to be some set-backs. There will be days when things don't go my way. But I'm a collector, so I'm going to hunt for boot scenes. And like many collectors I enjoy showing the world what I've found.
We don't do the exact same thing, of course, but for what it's worth, I've long since decided that I'll post what I like and that's it. If others like it, great. If they don't, so what? It's free. That said, I know when I find something that will resonate with the larger masses and also know that some of what I like (e.g., flat, suede/nubuck OTK Tory Burch boots, which are GREAT) will not be widely praised. But I post those pics because I want to.
ReplyDeletePoint is, in this little corner of the world where EVERYONE has such specific tastes, you have to worry about what YOU like. If others do as well, then that's great.
I'd say 1,000,000 video hits would indicate that there are plenty of folks who are enjoying your work.
Temple of the boot.... Sweet Lord.. i just have to write a little something about that. And what it meant to me.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking mid nineties here. I had just got help by my brother-in-law with an 14400 modem. You know the ones where Gifs came Rolling down the screen at an excruciatingly slow pace.
All of a sudden i sat there with Netscape, whatever that was, in front of me. My Brother-in-law had showed me the basics. He had put AltaVista as a favourite. And told me that that was the key to finding stuff.
Ok, what in the World is this , i thought.
And then, of course, i started Spelling out Leather Boot, in altvista......
After a Little while i came to this Place... Some guy all across the Atlantic had put together some Amazing Pictures of women in Boots.
I quickly hoarded them all. And havent stopped yet.
Temple of the boot. I cant tell you what it meant to me to find out that i was the only perv out there.
Some 220 000 Pictures and 50 000 Movies/clips later i,m still hoarding.
But you started it all, Thank you Bruce. :)