@XXLRay
Thank you for your critique. Allow me to justify (perhaps poorly) why the branding is the way it is. When I say that "From the Mind of Klink is a 'Creators First' network," I genuinely mean that, even though we don't nearly have enough shows or content to justify that claim. The idea is that our channel is there as a hub for many different content creators and we give them freedom to create their shows/ideas how they want.
The perfect example of this is with our show 'Experience.' If you were to look at the 2014 content, you'll see a drastic difference to what the show is now. In 2014 I had and idea (from the mind of Klink as it were) about a show where we went to conventions to experience what they were like. What ended up happening was that the content was simply montage footage. I then passed off the show to a content creator (and friend) named Indy, who then steered the show into it's current and more popular direction. While I may have had the idea (as with a number of shows we've got planned), it was the content creator themselves who made their show the way they wanted.
Think of it like a poor-mans Maker, Machinima, Geek & Sundry or any other major 'Multichannel Network' (MCN). While we earn no ad revenue nor take sponsorships (and never will; we have ideas on how we can earn money but that's still a few years away), what we can provide and offer for the moment are our services. A number of our content creators double up duties and help out others when needed. For instance, I am the creator of my show 'iNTERACT' but I also work as a camera man and editor for 'Experience.' Our creator of an up-and-coming Let's Play show does duties as the audio engineer/field recorder for 'Experience'.
Here's another idea or example where we plan to take the Mind of Klink. Let's say you were to have some content on our channel (a wood working show for instance). We would provide the assets, art, music, branding, basically everything you need so you can concentrate soley on recording and editing your show. We'll provide PR across our social media accounts and give your show the promotion it needs. Unlike most MCNs who make a clear seperation between channels, with each channel having their own subscriber base (for better or worse), all content creators on our channel/network share the same subscriber base. We're not locked into one particular genre or style of show; we make and promote content for all demographics.
Furthermore, if you show finds success and you want to take it to your own channel to monetise, or if you've been offered a good contract on a competing network, you're absolutely able to do so. Everything we've created for your show, we'll give to you as you are the creator (and thus owner). All we own are the rights/license to continue to host your show on our channel for achival purposes; as a means to show where you made your start and how we supported you.
It's the biggest reason why my channel branding is the way it is. It was never designed to be the primary focus; to have a set style, genre or particular kind of content. People should come to our channel for the shows and creators themselves - for 'Experience', for 'iNTERACT' etc. It was designed as a hub to showcase talented and creative individuals; a seal of quality if you will.
Of course, we're still building our audience. We don't nearly have enough subscribers or viewers to make that big of an impact, nor do we have enough content released on a regular schedule to showcase in our channel header. We're working hard to build up each show (a lot is still in pre-production due to everyone involved working full time and doing this on the side) and hopefully we can build a sizable audience based on the quality of our content and not the 'clickbait' nature of certain video titles.
I'm not knocking your suggestion of 'exciting video titles.' Your advice on that is absolutely rock solid, however, I don't want the 'Mind of Klink' to be just like every other channel/network. Allow me to use a gaming analogy here. You don't beat World of Warcraft by making 'World of Warcraft' (Age of Conan, Wildstar etc). You don't make a Call of Duty or Halo killer by making your game exactly like Call of Duty or Halo. You don't beat trends by following the trends. You beat trends by showing people there's a better alternative and that's exactly what we're aiming to do with our channel/network.
Sorry for the massive wall of text. I never really get an opportunity to explain what it is we do and why we do it. Once more, thank you very much for your advice and critique and don't worry, I'll definitely apply some of what you've suggested to our channel. I also hope I've cleared up what we're trying to accomplish for our channel/network.
@staci leeann
Don't worry about the funky URL. Everyone needs to start somewhere and besides, your link in your signature is working so people here can reach your channel easily.
Your channel header is simple, as is your avatar. It works for your channel since it's all about you. Whether intentional or not, I like the colour scheme/theme/idea based on your avatar and channel header; it's almost got a 'sepia' tone to it. You should think about treating your thumbnails with the same 'sepia' tone look to give that added consistency to your brand.
In future, definitely consider using the custom 'Home' page layout for your channel. It'll allow you to use the 'Channel Trailer' space to promote your latest videos and give your potential viewers an idea of what to expect from your content.
Content wise what you need most is better audio. You're relying on your on-camera microphone which, while servicable, is of a significantly lower quality than a dedicated microphone. Currently you're positioned in exactly the same way in both your videos which means a shotgun microphone would work best. It can sit on top of the camera and point directly at your mouth, giving you much cleaner audio while reducing the background noise you've currently got (cars driving and the air-conditioner mostly). Of course this is entirely dependent on your budget.
It's not a bad start. Work on what I've suggested and keep making content. Persistence will pay off. Best of luck to you!
@ScienceIsFun
Of course it's still going. Chances are it will probably never end. What's the thread limit anyway?
The two main points you need to work on are your thumbnails and your audio. For thumbnails, there's no real way to distinguish that the content belongs to your channel. Adding in that 'W' from your logo/channel header in one of the corners will suffice. For audio, if you haven't already, consider investing in either a shotgun microphone for your camera or a wireless lavalier/lapel microphone. Currently your vocals are quite hollow with a bit of room noise/echo coming through, which suggests to me you're using the on-camera microphone. A shotgun or lavalier/lapel microphone will give you clearer, cleaner audio and knock out the room noise better than your curent setup.
Everything else you've got is phenomenal. Your branding is solid and your content is exceptional. I can see why you've gained so many subscribers and views in just 2 months. Work on the audio, give some consistency to your thumbnails and keep on making content. You're doing a fine job as it is so keep it up!
@iMSaiyan
It's good to see how far you've improved in such a short amount of time. Even though you've improved quite a bit your vocal audio needs to be turned down just a touch. You're still peaking your microphone which is causing a bit of distortion. Other than that, content wise you're on the right track so keep it up!
There is consistency to your thumbnails and overall branding which is great. Yes, you don't have a 'logo' or centralised visual element but (for the recent 6 videos at least) you are using your colour scheme consistently throughout (yellow, orange and blue). Despite that, you should still apply the cartoon image of yourself in your thumbnails (bottom right corner perhaps) for that added consistency.
Overall it's not a bad start. Your primary concern should be your audio so sort that out and work on the thumbnails later. Again, it's great to see how far you've come in just 3 weeks so keep on making videos and don't give up! Best of luck to you!
@BennermanPR
Never too tired, my friend. That's why the thread is here! I'm also glad you've taken some of the advice I've given to other channels and recognise what you need to do to improve your channel.
I do like your channel header and the colours you've used. White, Blue and Purple should be the core of your brand going forward so apply that to all of your visual elements. I won't comment on the thumbnails since you know what needs to be done and are most likely already working on it.
Content wise your audio quality is top notch and your videos are entertaining. There's really nothing more I can add. Again, you seem to have a pretty good grasp of what it is you need to do so I won't comment any further.
Do what you need to do to improve your channel. From what I can see with what you have so far, you definitely have potential. Don't give up, keep at it and try to stick to a regular upload schedule. Good luck and have fun!
Thanks again!
