Sibernethy
Questin' for a Jestin'
Hello chaps! I just recently passed 200 subscribers, which is amazing! Thank all of you who took an interest in this old fool named Sibernethy. 
Some of you may be trying to reach 100 or even 200 and wondering how I made it. I wanted to make this into a video at first but I think I'll just share it here instead (at least for now). Here are 10 things I learned since I started making videos as Sibernethy back in September 2015:
1: Have an honorable mission behind your channel.
Taking up a cause larger than myself was what got me started. It gave real substance and value to the work I've done thus far. It made the whole thing meaningful and gave me a morale boost when I needed it.
2: Don't chase after or argue/reason against haters.
It's like chasing crows in your farm. You're going to have some. People will dislike your videos and perhaps you as well. Stand by your guns and stick to your mission on Youtube. Focus on the people that do enjoy your work and support you. Do not try to argue with, vilify, or protest against the haters, you'll only give them more of a reason to do it. Be like Seananners: do not engage with the haters.
3: Watch your mouth.
You've heard the famous saying "anything you say can and will be used against you." This is especially true in things like politics, the movie biz, and in Youtube. Don't say anything you don't want the wrong person to repeat. I've seen that happen here on Yttalk.
4: Learn PR.
I strongly advise you to learn at least a reasonable amount of PR if you plan to build an audience. You can save yourself from so many problems later on in your Youtube career if you know how and how not to handle yourself and your relationship to other people. If you want examples of bad PR, look up what happened to the Fine Bros, Tobuscus, and Justin Bieber.
5: Don't commit to everything you're offered.
Especially if it's coming from an MCN or some business that you know nothing about. The same applies to collaborations from other Youtubers. Weigh each one carefully before you commit. I've had a few collabs that were never uploaded because I did them with people that didn't fit well with my channel, my personality, my content, and my audience.
6: Learn to say no.
I still struggle with this one but it's important to learn to say no to certain things and people. Saying no is a skill that takes some practice to get good at and feel comfortable with; it's not as easy as people think. And if you're the one being told no, if the guy doesn't want to do business with or collaborate with you, decide whether or not it's worth changing his mind, and if it isn't, accept it and move on without taking it personally or to heart. Rejection does not equate to failure.
7: Stick to an uploading schedule that you can uphold on the slowest of weeks.
Don't go out saying "I can upload a video every day" unless you're prepared and mentally ready to stick with it. I stick to (at minimum) one video per week, so it's consistent even though it's not always that frequent. I often find that the most difficult part of the uploading process is not recording or even editing, it's the stuff I do while uploading the video to Youtube (Title, description, tags, etc). It's exhausting after I just finished a video I spent hours editing.
8: Take breaks.
If you're running on empty, burnt out, or just flat out busy, take a break from Youtube once in a while. Refresh yourself and balance your life. Don't allow Youtube to become more important than your own welfare. I recently took a month's hiatus from Youtube to recuperate and sort some things out in my personal life. Just like you need breaks from work and school, you need a break from Youtube every once in a while.
9: Don't take your fans for granted.
If you're on the up and up and everything's going well, remember to show gratitude for the people and events that led to your success and advancement. I posted a video with a slideshow featuring all the Minecraft skins of the people I did collaborations with during my first year on Youtube as Sibernethy. I'm telling you, people really appreciate and respect that. It shows you care and you're not self-centered, and you'll end up building a more loyal fanbase.
10: Just remember that Youtube is not for everyone.
There are people who should and shouldn't be pursuing Youtube as a full-time thing. Society cannot function with a 100% Youtuber workforce. There are people who gain tremendous satisfaction out of digging ditches, washing dishes, plumbing, and electrical work. We NEED those people. Everyone can be a Youtuber but not everyone will nor should. My dream has and always will be to produce an animated show, and that dream will come true in due time. Many of the lessons I need to learn before taking on such a project can be found creating content for Youtube, so I'm using that to prepare myself. I used to work in sound engineering for a few years and that helped me develop a heightened appreciation for excellent quality music and sound effects. Deciding whether or not Youtube is for you may come before, during, or even after you've done it.
And for whatever reason you decide to start up a Youtube channel, make sure you enjoy it. Make sure it's fun. Make sure you get the satisfaction that you seek out of it.
This ended up being a longer post than I anticipated but I think this is important to share, especially with people that are just starting out on Youtube. If you took the time to read all this, I want to congratulate you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Some of you may be trying to reach 100 or even 200 and wondering how I made it. I wanted to make this into a video at first but I think I'll just share it here instead (at least for now). Here are 10 things I learned since I started making videos as Sibernethy back in September 2015:
1: Have an honorable mission behind your channel.
Taking up a cause larger than myself was what got me started. It gave real substance and value to the work I've done thus far. It made the whole thing meaningful and gave me a morale boost when I needed it.
2: Don't chase after or argue/reason against haters.
It's like chasing crows in your farm. You're going to have some. People will dislike your videos and perhaps you as well. Stand by your guns and stick to your mission on Youtube. Focus on the people that do enjoy your work and support you. Do not try to argue with, vilify, or protest against the haters, you'll only give them more of a reason to do it. Be like Seananners: do not engage with the haters.
3: Watch your mouth.
You've heard the famous saying "anything you say can and will be used against you." This is especially true in things like politics, the movie biz, and in Youtube. Don't say anything you don't want the wrong person to repeat. I've seen that happen here on Yttalk.
4: Learn PR.
I strongly advise you to learn at least a reasonable amount of PR if you plan to build an audience. You can save yourself from so many problems later on in your Youtube career if you know how and how not to handle yourself and your relationship to other people. If you want examples of bad PR, look up what happened to the Fine Bros, Tobuscus, and Justin Bieber.
5: Don't commit to everything you're offered.
Especially if it's coming from an MCN or some business that you know nothing about. The same applies to collaborations from other Youtubers. Weigh each one carefully before you commit. I've had a few collabs that were never uploaded because I did them with people that didn't fit well with my channel, my personality, my content, and my audience.
6: Learn to say no.
I still struggle with this one but it's important to learn to say no to certain things and people. Saying no is a skill that takes some practice to get good at and feel comfortable with; it's not as easy as people think. And if you're the one being told no, if the guy doesn't want to do business with or collaborate with you, decide whether or not it's worth changing his mind, and if it isn't, accept it and move on without taking it personally or to heart. Rejection does not equate to failure.
7: Stick to an uploading schedule that you can uphold on the slowest of weeks.
Don't go out saying "I can upload a video every day" unless you're prepared and mentally ready to stick with it. I stick to (at minimum) one video per week, so it's consistent even though it's not always that frequent. I often find that the most difficult part of the uploading process is not recording or even editing, it's the stuff I do while uploading the video to Youtube (Title, description, tags, etc). It's exhausting after I just finished a video I spent hours editing.
8: Take breaks.
If you're running on empty, burnt out, or just flat out busy, take a break from Youtube once in a while. Refresh yourself and balance your life. Don't allow Youtube to become more important than your own welfare. I recently took a month's hiatus from Youtube to recuperate and sort some things out in my personal life. Just like you need breaks from work and school, you need a break from Youtube every once in a while.
9: Don't take your fans for granted.
If you're on the up and up and everything's going well, remember to show gratitude for the people and events that led to your success and advancement. I posted a video with a slideshow featuring all the Minecraft skins of the people I did collaborations with during my first year on Youtube as Sibernethy. I'm telling you, people really appreciate and respect that. It shows you care and you're not self-centered, and you'll end up building a more loyal fanbase.
10: Just remember that Youtube is not for everyone.
There are people who should and shouldn't be pursuing Youtube as a full-time thing. Society cannot function with a 100% Youtuber workforce. There are people who gain tremendous satisfaction out of digging ditches, washing dishes, plumbing, and electrical work. We NEED those people. Everyone can be a Youtuber but not everyone will nor should. My dream has and always will be to produce an animated show, and that dream will come true in due time. Many of the lessons I need to learn before taking on such a project can be found creating content for Youtube, so I'm using that to prepare myself. I used to work in sound engineering for a few years and that helped me develop a heightened appreciation for excellent quality music and sound effects. Deciding whether or not Youtube is for you may come before, during, or even after you've done it.
And for whatever reason you decide to start up a Youtube channel, make sure you enjoy it. Make sure it's fun. Make sure you get the satisfaction that you seek out of it.
This ended up being a longer post than I anticipated but I think this is important to share, especially with people that are just starting out on Youtube. If you took the time to read all this, I want to congratulate you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
