Even though I uploaded my first video to YouTube a few years ago, I've only been actively uploading videos to YouTube for the last year or so.
I have, however, been an active YouTuber viewer for several years and I continue to watch hours of YouTube videosmost days. The funny thing is that once you become a YouTuber yourself you do start paying attention to statistics more.
Before I would just watch a video. Now I watch a video and always notice the number of subscribers that the YouTuber has and how many views that particular video has.
I regularly come across videos and think "How the hell did that video get so many views?".
I came across a video that other day that was a short clip from an old UK comedy show. Not only had the uploader uploaded illegal content, he hadn't even uploaded it correctly. He had simply held his phone up and recorded the television from a distance. Despite the audio and video quality being terrible, the video had over a million views.
It's crazy when you think that someone took two minutes to record a video of a TV show from their phone and they have managed to generate more views than hard working YouTubers who have been working hard for years.
Of course, it is important to put these kind of things into perspective and remember why you started uploading videos to YouTube in the first place.
As YouTubers we aren't just looking to upload illegal content in the hope of getting a quick buck. We are trying to grow our audience, connect with people, and improve our video production and editing skills.
Don't be too disheartened if your channel isn't growing at the rate you want or if you are growth is slowing down. Take a step back, take an objective view of your channel, and look at how you can change things up.
As long as your channel is heading in the right direction, everything will work out OK. You may not realise it, but every day you are learning new skills and improving the quality of your videos.
If you don't believe me, take a look at the first videos you ever uploaded to YouTube. Chances are you are going to cringe at how bad they are. That just highlights how far you have come so far.
Good luck.
Kevin