Now what's going on with YouTube?

[minor muppetz]

Now, after a certain amount of time, YouTube automatically logs you out of your account, even if you've checked "stay logged in"... they claim it's to help keep the server from bogging down... I claim it's just another way they've found to annoy us.

I don't think that's new. I usually stay logged in, and sometimes when I go to YouTube I suddenly have to log in. It's happened to me before any recent changes. There are other websites I am a mmeber of, and in some cases I always stay logged in (though sometimes it automatically logs me off), and on others I always have to log in even if I don't log out (I used to always stay logged in at Muppet Central and Golden Age Cartoons, but in the past years I've always had to log in, and sometimes they won't let me log in even after I sign in... In these cases I just have to restart my computer).

 

[D'Snowth]

deviantART is always a bit more subtle with their changes... I just noticed them when I got internet again this week.

But is it just me, or do our galleries and deviation pages keep looking more and more cluttered and less and less organized? I got used to the last new deviation pages, even though I still missed the old ones, but these current ones aren't much of an improvement. And actually, I don't really see why they actually reverted back to the old gallery views of three thumbnails per row... I really liked the four per row, it was more snazzy... but I think the number of thumbnails we see per row at the moment is due to the fact that the "folders" menu bar to the side of the screen is a bit larger with the folder designs.

 

[Drtooth]

deviantART is always a bit more subtle with their changes... I just noticed them when I got internet again this week.

But is it just me, or do our galleries and deviation pages keep looking more and more cluttered and less and less organized? I got used to the last new deviation pages, even though I still missed the old ones, but these current ones aren't much of an improvement. And actually, I don't really see why they actually reverted back to the old gallery views of three thumbnails per row... I really liked the four per row, it was more snazzy... but I think the number of thumbnails we see per row at the moment is due to the fact that the "folders" menu bar to the side of the screen is a bit larger with the folder designs.

It was so subtle, I BARELY noticed it... and you gotta say how oblivious I must be if I crank fanarts out almost daily and DIDN'T notice it for about 5 minutes. I'm not sure I like the look of the folders, since I liked displaying 3 key works from each... but the pictures do look a might bigger, and they still show 4 key pieces if you run the mouse over it. Can't say I really really care about it or even care for it, but it's still a million times better than becoming a random Facebook-a-like.

Yeah, I get the whole everything should look the same because that's progress but I liked how various sites looked... well VARIOUS. That's the great thing about having all thse options is that they're all different from each other. Now everything's the same unified gray/brown blech just like the rest of media (TV, movies...)

 

[frogboy4]

It was so subtle, I BARELY noticed it... and you gotta say how oblivious I must be if I crank fanarts out almost daily and DIDN'T notice it for about 5 minutes. I'm not sure I like the look of the folders, since I liked displaying 3 key works from each... but the pictures do look a might bigger, and they still show 4 key pieces if you run the mouse over it. Can't say I really really care about it or even care for it, but it's still a million times better than becoming a random Facebook-a-like.

Yeah, I get the whole everything should look the same because that's progress but I liked how various sites looked... well VARIOUS. That's the great thing about having all thse options is that they're all different from each other. Now everything's the same unified gray/brown blech just like the rest of media (TV, movies...)

I think social media should be defined by its function.

There's the clean format of Facebook for those who don't want to drudge through so many customized pages. It's basically the no-nonsense place to post all of your nonsense content.

There's MySpace that by definition should be customizable. It's in the name for frog's sake. There are many kids and creative people who can't afford or can't bother with creating a personal website pr want a colorful ambassador to their website that represents them and/or their interests. I've never liked how their cluttered and wild pages made me feel, but that's the job of their art designer to improve how each page appears. Not to strip it of all distinction! Pound a nail in that coffin. MySpace is done. Now that doesn't mean some other outfit will come along to fill that creative social media void. Let's hope a good facebook alternative competitor comes along.

There's Deviant Art if an artist wants a meeting place to share their artwork with others. It's a great idea and I had one like it in multimedia school over a decade ago, but DA just doesn't pull it off. Viruses, tweakiness and difficulty of use all inhibit my interactions with it. I've waved my creative flag for having such a page, but it doesn't work for me.

YouTube was always the fantastic tool that never needed fixing. Heck, maybe just clean up the page a bit and move some stuff around so it looks a wee bit cleaner, but that's it! Their recent "improvements" are just plain odd and some of them are inspired by Apple's iphone and they're battle with Adobe Flash. (Psssst....truth is, Apple still feels wronged that Adobe opened up their creative programs for PC development a decade ago so this is actually part of a very long vendetta rather than an issue of file size or proprietary software.) Other reasons just include total stupidity. Of all the changes, they've been less annoying about it.

What would I like? Well, I'd like a Facebook page that permitted a little bit of customization on color and theme "accents". They already let you move around bits and pieces in the left hand column, but I'd like to fill up certain fields with small jpg images of my choosing. I say accents, because I still like the uniformity of the pages and layout, but I think they can still retain that while allowing some of us creative types to take our crayons to the page.

I'd also like to be able to sync up Deviant Art sorts of pages, YouTube catalogs, music media and other web presences to Facebook in a seamless way. My thinking is that eventually that will be the premium package we'll all pay for.

Yes, all this YouTube, Hulu, Facebook, MySpace, Deviant Art and the like are all still in their infancy of this Wild West phase of the internet. Right now it's the guy with the biggest gun and band of followers that takes the lead. It won't be like that forever. But it wont' be free forever either. Companies will find different ways to divine a profit from these web meeting places now that we're all hooked. With payment comes high expectations and much competition. So right now just enjoy this free stuff and don't focus too much on the crummy alterations because a whole lot of people will have their hands in your pocket by the time these things are polished.

Facebook will eventually be another brand trying to compete in a marketplace of social media vendors.

 

[Drtooth]

There's Deviant Art if an artist wants a meeting place to share their artwork with others. It's a great idea and I had one like it in multimedia school over a decade ago, but DA just doesn't pull it off. Viruses, tweakiness and difficulty of use all inhibit my interactions with it. I've waved my creative flag for having such a page, but it doesn't work for me.

My personal experience is that you only really get noticed if you do something very popular. And you'll only get noticed doing that. I once killed myself doing a Man of LaMancha/Japanese Don Quixote cartoon series, mimicking as best I could this old movie poster only to get a handful of views and one favorite... meanwhile I slap together Dr. Robotnik, and I get like several thousand views and almost a hundred favorites. Still don't have anything that cracked the 80 mark. It doesn't hurt to join clubs, if you have any fan based works. I'm a member of several. But it's all popularity. Of course, if you do weird fetish stuff, you get a million views easy.


Getting back to youtube... YAAAAY! The video clips automatically jump to 480p when you make the window bigger! Great! There's nothing like waiting a good few minutes to watch a video only to have to COMPLETELY reload the thing.

 

[D'Snowth]

Ah... more words of wisdom from Drtooth of the MightyFilm Commission...

My personal experience is that you only really get noticed if you do something very popular. And you'll only get noticed doing that. I once killed myself doing a Man of LaMancha/Japanese Don Quixote cartoon series, mimicking as best I could this old movie poster only to get a handful of views and one favorite... meanwhile I slap together Dr. Robotnik, and I get like several thousand views and almost a hundred favorites.

I said it before, but I'll say it again... just about all my watchers want is Chipmunks... and I'm pretty much out of ideas... my Chipmunk ship has sailed a while ago, I can't keep it up at this point.

It doesn't hurt to join clubs, if you have any fan based works. I'm a member of several. But it's all popularity.

As I mentioned in the other thread, while I do join groups of fandoms I regularly contribute to, I can't seem to get other work of mine featured in the appropriate groups without being a member.

Of course, if you do weird fetish stuff, you get a million views easy.

Oh lord, tell me about it... I do one pic years ago of Jeanette tied to a chair waiting for Simon to save her, and what happens? I get all kinds of requests from people with bondage fetishes wanting me to more.

Getting back to youtube... YAAAAY! The video clips automatically jump to 480p when you make the window bigger! Great! There's nothing like waiting a good few minutes to watch a video only to have to COMPLETELY reload the thing.

I can't even WATCH 480p videos with Comcast internet... half of the time, even standard 360p videos get choppy after two to five minutes of playback. It's sad that the LIBRARY has faster internet than Comcast, and the library internet actually used to be like dial-up.

 

[Drtooth]

As I mentioned in the other thread, while I do join groups of fandoms I regularly contribute to, I can't seem to get other work of mine featured in the appropriate groups without being a member.

The funny thing is, sometimes the groups actually come to you. It takes a while, though. I put up one... ONE picture of Invader Zim for Halloween, and all the sudden, one day this week, 7 groups asked for me to accept it into their galleries. Then my views and favorites shot up like CRAZY!

Oh lord, tell me about it... I do one pic years ago of Jeanette tied to a chair waiting for Simon to save her, and what happens? I get all kinds of requests from people with bondage fetishes wanting me to more.

One of my watchers wanted a commission/request gift of something... not too dirty, but still fetishy to a small extent. Of course, I forgot to turn it down, and that was a while ago. That said, I never do requests unless it's something I'd naturally do anyway.

I can't even WATCH 480p videos with Comcast internet... half of the time, even standard 360p videos get choppy after two to five minutes of playback. It's sad that the LIBRARY has faster internet than Comcast, and the library internet actually used to be like dial-up.

You KNOW they're deliberately trying to slow down your connection to get you to buy the expensive stuff. Verizon keeps threatening to make me buy FIOS. Literally... they do.

 

[D'Snowth]

The funny thing is, sometimes the groups actually come to you.

That's only happened to me once I believe... it was an invitation to, of all things, a Jeanette group. *Surprise-surprise*

You KNOW they're deliberately trying to slow down your connection to get you to buy the expensive stuff. Verizon keeps threatening to make me buy FIOS. Literally... they do.

Cable companies are evil. 'Nuff said.

Like I actually do have Comcast's "fastest" speed available for their internet? Yet navigating through sites such as dA, YouTube, MySpace, and such are a nightmare. NEVER had those problems with DSL, and I really wish I had DSL again.

 

[D'Snowth]

That said, I never do requests unless it's something I'd naturally do anyway.

I can't remember, did I actually make a request to you recently? I don't usually make requests myself (let alone take them), but I seem to recall making a small number of them recently, and I can't remember if you were actually one of them or not.

Heck, if I did, I don't even remember what I would've requested anyway.

 

[D'Snowth]

Now something really bizarre has been happening with YT recently, though I'm not sure exactly how this is working...

Lately, there's been all kinds of completely random videos popping up in my viewing history that I never even watched, ranging from Internet Explorer 9 to Katy Perry... I would assume that perhaps my account had been cracked or something, and someone was watching these videos while logged in as me, BUT, looking at the comments of some of these videos, and people saying things like "Spam" and such, perhaps this is something that's plaguing other people as well.