My little rant about Networks.

[TheAustrianGuys]

Hey Guys, TeaRoller here!

So I may sound pretty Anti-Network now but that's just my actual opinion:

I already got several offers to join Networks. They always promise - sometimes even GUARANTEE - you that you'll have an insane boost regarding subs and views and, most important to some people, revenue.

So as I said I already got many offers to join "small-channel-Networks" where people are supposed to help each other out or something like that. But am I the only one who doesn't find these networks and their contracts to be good or even advantageous?

I never thought "well this could be a good deal!". And these offers usually just turn me off when I read them. Either they're in freaking horrendously bad English or they seem very shady to me.

Another point is that actually a lot of big YouTubers, not only in the US and the UK but also in Germany for instance, are against Networks these days because they started to controll their uploads and their content which is unacceptable in my opinion, but OK they signed a contract and they probably should've read it.

So that's basically it for my little rant about Networks. All I can say is that I'll stay true to myself and hope that there are not too many Networks out there which are just there for their own profit and not their members collective success.

Tell me down below how you feel about Networks and make sure to share your experiences with us

-TeaRoller

 

[Jawad Soomro]

Many people have reviewed negatively about Networks! I won't join any network and neither I'm interested

 

[PinProject]

The more and more I read about networks I am seeing the negative side of it especially for small youtube channels. It would be interesting to hear someone's side of it that has succeeded with networks as they are a small youtube channel.

 

[TheAustrianGuys]

The more and more I read about networks I am seeing the negative side of it especially for small youtube channels. It would be interesting to hear someone's side of it that has succeeded with networks as they are a small youtube channel.

Yeah would be quite interesting to see if there's actually "succerssors" because most of the time you just see and hear from the "losers" of this system ...

 

[Squeal Cat]

Yeah would be quite interesting to see if there's actually "succerssors" because most of the time you just see and hear from the "losers" of this system ...

Like all companies there are good ones and there are bad ones. Networks are easily (?) set up and Youtubers are easy to approach. When they approach you, ask yourselves the question: Why me? Why would this network wants me to join?

They are mostly for themselves, and they mostly do nothing about increasing your view and sub counts. I mean, how do they want to do that? When small, it doesn't matter much if you are partnered with a network, because you earn peanuts both ways. And I think there might be good ones, but haven't met them yet.

 

[TheDutchTexan]

They operate like YouTube. They will promote which will give them lots of revenue, and bleed what does not. Unless you are big don't even bother signing up with a MCN. They will bleed you and rarely give anything in return.

Heck, even if you are big you can do without. Many have, and I myself don't think I will join up with one ever. Adsense and YouTube work just fine for me!

The reason why small YouTubers readily join up with MCN's is because they want more views, more subscribers and more money. And those are exactly the reasons why you shouldn't join YouTube. If you have a passion for creating content join up. If you want to use YouTube as a measure of personal worth? I'd advise against it. Sure, I felt pretty awesome when I passed 1K subscribers and 100K views. But in the end it's the passion for creating and the awesome comments and interaction that make it worth while!

 

[Wreckless Eating]

You can't really fault a network for wanting to make a profit. That's why they're in business. However, many networks border on predatory when it comes to recruitment and never deliver on their promises. In the end, it's a value proposition and channels need to weigh how much they're getting in terms of services and support in exchange for what they're giving up. And think big picture. Giving up 20-30% of $10 might seem acceptable, but will you feel the same way if you're making $1000 per month or more?

 

[Tarmack]

The point of the networks ultimately is a service just like anything else. Sure, you can deposit all your money in a mattress, but Interac is much more useful. By the same token, you can organize your own sponsorships, find free music, learn how SEO works and all manner of other things yourself without anyone helping you. But when it comes to creative personalities, your time is best spent making new content, not reading wiki articles or doing phenomenal amounts of tag research. They're supposed to make your life easier in that regard.

Now, whether the network in question is actually going to hold up their end of that bargain remains to be seen. I agree with Wreckless that there are some predatory ones out there.

I will say that I have had some oddities that I've noticed in the 2 years I've been running a VN though. On more than one occasion, I've had channels spike in views by about 30-50%. I wish I could take credit for it, and I wish I knew for certain what caused it. The timing was quite literally the same day that these channels were linked, which is part of the reason that I put a wee bit of credibility behind the idea that Google prioritizes monetized channels above non-monetized ones. I doubt that it was the network itself, as much as I'd love to believe otherwise though. heh

As with any service industry company, if the value proposition isn't there, cut them loose. And for crying out loud, don't sign anything longer than 1 year. So much can change in a very short period of time and you could be out hundreds or thousands of dollars because you were impatient.

 

[The Math Sorcerer]

Honestly, I don't know enough about networks to be part of one. For example recently the "fan funding" option became available and if you were part of a network you needed to make sure your network was OK with that. I don't want to answer to anyone, following youtube rules is enough for me!

I think I will stay network free.

 

[Tarmack]

For example recently the "fan funding" option became available and if you were part of a network you needed to make sure your network was OK with that.

Cite your sources please. From the beginning of the fan funding feature addition, it simply didn't function for network claimed channels which is a YouTube side limitation. I've heard no change in that situation.