Was getting bored so checked on my latest obsession @YouTube sailing channels.
It is a very broad genre, but I'm more into boat building, vlogs, DIY.
I'm less into lifestyle cruising, partying, T&A.

Normally I don't subscribe to Big established channel but seek out smaller channels. Big channels tend to become their own cults (sort off, not literally), plus theirs no emotional connect with viewers.
Smaller channels are desperate for growth or are simply more humble.

So they really engage with viewers. It's nice I like them. Most small sailing channels I've subscribed to stay small. Some slowly fade away or move on, after all you can only sail so much and it is a expensive hobby.

Of course some small channels I've subscribed when they were small have really grown big. Few have stayed humble but most have followed expected script.
I don't blame them all that much if you have thousands of subscribers it is not possible to remain in touch with them all.

But still whole affair leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.

Some are still small but are growing they'll become successful in future, so it is nice to know them when they were less well known.

But I was not that picky in past, I subscribed to biggest like la vagabonde (when they were still on monohull) and SV Delos (when they actually used to sail to unusual places).
But I got bored with them. Reasons were many, la vagabonde lost it's charm Delos became mostly T&A.

I liked La Vagabonde when they were crossing Atlantic and later Pacific. Contrary to popular belief plenty of sailing material was already present on @YouTube. But much of it was crappily edited or bootlegged TV shows.
People weren't really interested in them.

Another thing @YouTube used to promote smaller videos so long videos rarely got chance. Dreaded @YouTube algorithm was also less of a thing so dummies could very easily game it.

Side note every successful YouTube channel engages with click farm. They'll all deny it but each and every one of them does it.
It's like pro cycling everyone cheats, if you won't, you will not be pro cycler for long. @YouTube has incentivesed such dishonest behaviour.

But now back to the main topic.
@YouTube changed and started being less insurgent platform, cheap and quiet good editing software became ubiquitous, video watching shifted from PC to tablets & smartphone, online advertising became important and creators got small share of it.

Social media as we know it really developed, high quality camera became cheaper and smaller. People started really get into online platforms for shopping, information and entertainment.

So when La Vagabonde & SV Delos started regularly posting videos. Many things were in place to make them successful. They simply had 1st mover advantage, THEY WEREN'T THAT SPECIAL
we expect amateur tackiness from @YouTube creators, so people tend to really forgiving about content

So I don't read too much into their success. Now of course we have hundreds of sailing channels many with @Patreon account some without (Sailing Frenchman is the biggest non patreon account I know)

Sailing channels on @YouTube are bit like football teams. We arbitrarily decide who's our favorite and who isn't. Everyone feels their opinions and views are special and that their choices are better.
I've grown out of that phase but still my prejudices still decided a lot.

I have a strong prejudice against sailing channels with babies and children. I only tolerate family sailing channels if children are adults and don't become obnoxious. I have strong bias against strong australian accent, bleached blondes irritate me beyond words.

I dislike, intensely sometimes, dopey british accent, but I'm equally infuriated by posh british accent. I dislike cold weather sailing. Old couples are no go, day sailors vlogging about their adventures seems kind of pointless. Sailing in Bahamas, Mediterranean, Baltic...

... is not my thing. I hate catamaran sailing, I can't stand sailing in southeast asia. Channels mostly pimping their girlfriends are again no go.
Australian coastal cruising seems like waste of time to make @YouTube videos about.
Endlessly fixing boat is hopeless thing.

Yet and I should say yet again, I subscribe to pretty much all such channels.
Like football teams, my choices are correct, I have good reasons to do what I'm doing but other are ignorant and wrong.
See even I do it, everyone does it.

But we are really getting sidetracked here, I'm rambling I'm talking about myself (basically whole point of this thread)

Another reason for this thread is that I want to hit 2000 tweets. Which I'll do with this one.