Hey Crazies.
I want to start by letting you know that I am not quitting YouTube.
I know there's been a whole string of those videos, the best of which from Tom Scott.
Godspeed, Tom.
That being said, I do need to make a few changes for this to be sustainable.
[Transition Screen Music]
This first one is the big one.
I want the channel to be viewer supported.
Up until recently, Science Asylum revenue was mostly made up of three equal slices:
Sponsors, which are branded segments that I read and embed into a video;
YouTube ads that run before, after, or sometimes in the middle of a video;
and Patreon, a platform that helps creators get financial support directly from viewers.
Sponsors are a huge source of stress for me,
not because of any specific brands I've worked with.
I've always been pretty choosy about that.
The number of sponsors I have turned away for moral or ethical reasons, it's a lot.
But I think we can all agree that sponsored segments kind of pollute the viewing experience.
It makes me miserable every time and I hate it.
So I'm going to try not to take any sponsors in 2024,
but that means a huge chunk of my revenue just disappears.
To make up for the loss, I've started freelancing again, but getting your help would be better.
If you have it to spare and feel like my work deserves it,
please consider supporting the Science Asylum through Patreon.
For as little as $1 per month,
you get access to a live Q&A we do at the end of every month.
It's a pretty good time and we'd all love some new faces in the chat.
You'll also get access to the Science Asylum Discord server,
where deeper discussions can happen.
Sustainability is key though,
so please do not overextend yourself trying to support us.
If you'd prefer, YouTube memberships are a great alternative to Patreon.
You'll still get access to the monthly live stream,
an icon next your name in the comments, and some custom emojis.
If a one time purchase is more your speed, I have an advanced physics book for sale.
Speaking of which, the price is going up at the end of January.
So if you were on the fence about buying it,
now's your chance to get it at the lower price.
Links to all of these options are in the doobly doo.
And if financial support just isn't in the cards for you right now, I completely understand.
Your continued viewership is greatly appreciated.
[Transition Screen Music]
For years, I've been failing to convince the normies to care about the topics I'm into
and I'm not interested in covering most of the stuff that they're into.
Let's face it, I'm weird.
So I'm done looking at analytics.
They shouldn't matter.
I'm going to embrace who I am and make the videos
I want to make regardless of whether or not they'll perform well.
My video on Planetary Rings is a good example of this.
I need to convince myself that below average performance does not equal bad.
I loved making this video and I thought it turned out really good.
Anyway, it's become clear to me that I have no idea what makes a banger.
And when they do happen, they're unpredictable.
Something I learned the hard way back in 2022.
I'm just so tired of worrying about whether or not my videos have a broad reach.
You're the people I want to make videos for anyway.
So again, if you can, please support my work.
[Transition Screen Music]
No more midroll YouTube ads.
The ads that run before and after the video are fine.
Those are going to stay for now.
I'm just dropping the ones that run in the middle of the video.
I've always felt sick about it,
and YouTube keeps making them more awkward and intrusive over time.
I'm done. They're going back off.
Are these changes? I'm making terrible business decisions.
Yes. I'm a terrible businessman.
If I was a good one, I would have capitalized on the viral videos I had two years ago
and hired a team to crank out content every single week.
The quality, length, and schedule would be machine level consistent.
I'd basically be Wendover Productions.
Nothing against Sam. That's just not my journey.
I don't want this to be a business. I don't want to be a manager.
I'm an educator. I want to educate.
All I want to do is teach you stuff that I think is interesting
and be able to pay my bills.
That's it. I have no bigger ambitions.
So again, again, please consider supporting my work in 2024.
And to those of you who already financially support me, thank you so much.
You're the reason I haven't quit yet.
Physics has always been a hard sell on YouTube,
and I'm kind of an acquired taste.
Let's be weird together.
And until next time, remember, it's okay to be a little crazy.