Techmoan 09/20 Patreon Exclusive Video Oddcast
It's the September 2020 Patreon exclusive behind the scenes chat (Video Version).
Warning: This one might be a bit heavy-going in places. There are chapters to enable skipping a section if you find it gets too dull.
Here's a link to the Oddity Archive video I mentioned at the end (which will likely make very little sense in isolation). https://youtu.be/Ep9F0EZqTho
Also find attached a picture of the Yamaha Karaoke cartridge contents also mentioned in the last few minutes of this update. If you're familiar with Japanese music, let me know if any tracks catch your eye.
Comments (168)
FINALLY! Someone else who shares my view on surveys!!!
I know I'm very late to the party here, but I am so impressed with these oddcasts. Seriously, this one in particular could be a TED talk for online content creators.
Oh absolutely, far from a term of endearment, like Mick or Paddy for us!
Hey Mat, someone may have said it already, we definitely say Brit here in Ireland!
I wasn’t aware. Probably a local thing to me but it always seems a bit reductive. Similar to Jap or Yank.
Fair enough. I understand.. Still interested in that Uher tape thing though. Owning a brand new reel-to-reel sounds quite appealing.. Thanks for the tip there anyway :0
Yes I think they’ve still got some in stock - well it looks like it. I think my last reply wasn’t worded very well. What I was trying to say (badly) was that I’ve abandoned my plans for discussing comments in the patreon updates as a lot of people seemed against the idea, so it’s probably best just to keep the unusual ones to myself rather than talking about them. I don’t want to upset anyone.
To be perfectly honest, I'd really rather not be in your (YouTube creator) shoes. And it seems even worse if you're a woman. I've often wondered how you guys deal with all this... It's a real shame, since it should be about the content. If you like it, you watch it. If you don't, don't watch it either. Why all the abuse and weirdness... I do feel for you here. And perhaps you should talk to someone about stuff like this.....
There are ups and downs, just like anything. However I’m trying to concentrate on the positives at the moment, so I’ll be avoiding any comment discussions.
About the part where you don't have an outlet for talking about the comments, do you get as much flak for doing the puppet sketches? You don't get to talk about the actual crazies directly but you can still caricature them. Probably a bit too much effort on your part though to have a venting place.
I’ve had to retire the puppets because of COPPA - however they’re not ideal for some of the more nuanced issues. However I’ll talk more about this next update.
Sometimes I'll load up a couple of YouTube videos to watch by opening new tabs, and will occasionally accidentally click on the tab before I'm ready to watch the video, which auto-plays it, forcing me to pause it. If many others also do this, that could contribute to what looks like people "dropping out" in the first five seconds.
The first track on the Korg “A Song For You” card is titled “Alone Again”. I wonder if it’s actually “Alone Again Or” by the psychedelic rock group Love. It was released in 1967, so the same kind of era as the other songs listed. Anyway, it’s one of my favourite songs, so I’d be very interested in hearing it if that’s what it is!
I’m still waiting on the shipment - but when it arrives I’ll try to remember to do a demo in an update for you.
Your thoughts on comments is one of my favorite draws to your channel 1. Reviews 2. Puppets 3. Comments Reactions
Ah I see you've discovered the frustrating behaviour of the still frame store in the ATEM. They all do that, even the pro rackmount ones. Silly! edit: Speaking of cameras, would you want to go to a camcorder style? I'd recommend something like the Sony HXR-NX80. 4K. Phase detect autofocus. 1" sensor probably very similar in a lot of ways to the RX10, but you get professional audio inputs and a few other usability features. Not sure if the screen gives you the particular flexibility you need. I use the very similar Sony Z90, it's a great little workhorse.
That orange (or is it red) phone on your desk is a nice bit of old tech. I love an old rotary phone. Find them pleasing pieces of desk “art”. Thank you for another great video.
My vote for a t-shirt is a picture of the Tefifon with the logo at the top, the unit in the middle and the slogan "It's like 8-Track for Vinyl"
I do like theTefi logos - particularly the one with the tracks on it. I’ve had a desire to use it on things, but I suspect someone somewhere owns the rights to it. The last thing I need is a way for a cash-strapped IP holder to take on a one-man company in the courts.
I was just watching your old video on the Panasonic RS-296US and your intro was so good 🙂
Most of the intros are a nightmare to shoot. There are facts and figures to get right and hopefully grab the viewers attention. Sometimes I’ve shot those intro minutes all day without getting one I’m happy with. It’s often difficult to convey enthusiasm when you’d said something fifty times. Of course a year down the line, I’ve forgotten all that and they just look normal to me. Maybe this one was a bit easier.
Mat, I really enjoy the videos especially the oddcasts. I'll continue to support you and the channel while I can - I really enjoy the vids, if others leave hateful comments on videos then they are such lowlife I really wouldn't get worked up over them. Hope you're keeping well. Stay safe :-) PS The Hitclip cartridge system seems to have missed a S off of the name!! lol
Hey Mat - enjoyed this as per all your vids. I don't think you should totally ignore comments, either. There's a guy on YouTube with a channel called 'Abroad in Japan' that regularly does whole videos addressing comments and he really lampoons the really abusive/stupid ones. There really are a lot of utter fuckwits about. As to the person/people offended by "taking God's name in vain" - there's a bunch of different things I could say to that. The most polite would probably be "you need to get out more". Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the cassette 'resurgence' in the next one, since I've recently re-acquired a deck and have been enjoying taping again for the first time in nigh-on 20 years....
As a new Patreon creator entering his second month, thank you for the sage wisdom to not get too intense about the “exit surveys.” I’ve actually had only a few drop off and 99.9% was “my financial situation changed.” That is totally understandable! One person said, “They were having trouble accessing the content.” I went and looked and they were paying, but through some glitch they actually weren’t signed up for ANY tier! I felt so bad, I emailed them personally. They were super nice and appreciative, but I know as this thing grows, people are going to use those exit surveys to say MEAN things! 😂 I’m all for constructive criticism, but I think you just saved me from future Internet “self-harm.” I’m having so much fun creating on Patreon and I am legitimately interested in building a community and growing what I do with the audience! I’ll just be careful if someone fills out “Other.” I came to your Patreon as a fan of your YouTube and wanting to support your content! Now I am getting the great content and also your helpful insight on being a creator in this space!
I’d recommend following your own way - but sometimes there are things you don’t want to know otherwise you end up second guessing yourself and forgetting to have fun.
Matt , You talking about commenters is comedy gold. Don't bottle it up. Loved this vid. Sorry that one "Aussie Opinion" bampot. Probably just a bogan :) .We don't all have f-ed up opinions.
The opinions seem really mixed on this - I can see plenty of ‘Ignore the comments’ type comments under this video, so perhaps I’ll just have to get that ulcer instead.
Looking at the Carts and I am a certified Japanofile, I am not familar with any of these songs but I here are my almost entirely useless notes of the songs: in HKS-P05 "Besuto Hito BOX" 007 and 040 are done by HOUND DOG who did the first and my favorite intro to popular Anime series Naruto "R*O*C*K*S" didn't know they had a much of anything aside from that into song. 014 and 039 are by Chage and Aska whom I've heard of but not sure where. On the next one HKS-P11 something "igoro BOX Vol.1" 005 innocent world by Mr. Children, again I have heard of this band but I am not sure where. 040 is done by THE BOOM, which I am familar with having had lived in Okinawa their Island Song "Shima Uta" about Okinawa is to this day an increibly popular song. 048 is by J-Rock mega name X-Japan not my favorite music but I'm sure someone will inform me of the importance of "Rusty Nail" Wish I could read more thanks for you wonderful videos, keep doing what you're doing!
Thanks for your input on this. It seems from what I’ve read so far that the titles across these cards are a step below the Korg system - a bit second tier. I’ll add the ones you mentioned onto my audition list.
I enjoyed the thought behind some of your YouTube metrics and rationale for some production decisions you've explored. Your point about needing an outlet for discussing off-the-wall comments brought a new perspective for what creators have to deal with, too. Hope you and the missus are remaining healthy, Mat. Cheers
You have completely changed my mind on the comment videos. I know that feeling well of being spoken to but not being allowed to speak back and you are absolutely correct that it does create an unhealthy headspace. I used to think of comment videos as online bullying but now I see the nuance. Huh. Going to have a long think on this one!
Regarding the audio lag during editing, you may want to check if your editing program has a setting to adjust for latency during playback. I know Adobe Premiere has this; not sure about the Apple programs these days, but they *should* have it somewhere. It basically would eliminate the lag for you without pushing the actual render out of sync.
I'm still editing in iMovie - it's an amateur package so there's hardly any settings of any sort.
I love these videos, find them really interesting. There's a radio guy here in the US that you'd love, name is Phil Hendrie and does comedy -- and he once said something that stuck with me, that people that call talk radio aren't the same people that listen to talk radio. I think that's true in the world of YouTube as well. You know your audience better than anyone else, but I just thought that little saying can be helpful and be applied to all media. Also in America the British accent is probably the most desirable accent one can have. The ladies dig it and Americans just assume someone with a British accent knows what they're talking about and is intelligent - it just comes from movies where so many people playing professors (or evil geniuses) have a British accent. I have never met someone that doesn't like the British or the accent - at least your style of British accent, if it's the more hooligan accent, I could see that getting annoying. But the French, I can see a lot of people disliking the accent as it's seen as effeminate and annoying when a guy is using it.
Hey, May ! Looking forward on the cassette resurgence thing. I went back to cassette sometime ago, after watching a few of your videos on the topic. Hope you get better soon, cheers.
Also, as a marketing person who deals with email/content engagement for a living at my office job, I'm also just generally curious what percentage of your viewers identify as female. I imagine there are very few of us, but maybe I am wrong!
Well first off, many thanks for signing up - it’s very much appreciated. Second, well I don’t know if I get these kind of stats on Patreon (I’ve never looked) but on youtube it shows that in 2020 the views are approx 5% female - but watch time slightly altered at 4% female. So yes it’s overwhelmingly male. However I suspect that the percentage is a couple of points higher on Patreon just from recognising names over the years.
I just recently became a Patron after seeing almost every single one of your videos on YouTube, and I had NO idea you did these long podcast type discussions... I love them! I have been listening to this back catalog of Patreon posts while I work and sometimes even in the evenings while I embroider. Gotta say, I think your voice is relaxing. Have a great day, Mat. :)
Mat. I for one enjoy hearing about the crazy comments. Perhaps you can make it a regular Patreon Exclusive content?
I hoped - but now I’m not sure it would be welcomed. It seems to be a trigger for a lot of people. My alternative plan is to just go mad like Dave from accounts.
Dude missed your muppet video on how to properly leave a YouTube comment...
Cock!!! I posted my comment in the audio section but it was intended for the video version... oh well, copy and paste will do... so here goes............ Regarding comments or no comments or ignore them.... I think you are right. I believe that many content creators, record, upload and forget and moving on. Just creating new content and moving on. Dont read, or reply to any comments. Some followers want to interact but over time will be frustrated and start ranting. Same wiith "commenters". they post a comment/question and then just moving on... ignoring, dont reply. So we are going into an avalanche of creators and their audience ignoring each other and equally getting more and more frustrated. I think you are right in replying and being patient. I am sure its a flippin uphill battle, but its the way that all channels should act or we are doomed for social media hell forever
Unfortunately from the feedback it seems that I’d still be upsetting quite a few people by mentioning them in a patreon video. ‘Ignore them’ still seems to be the preferred response. I won’t be ignoring them - but I’ll also most likely have to keep my interactions with them a personal thing and not comment on the comments in a video.
Thanks for the update, it’s always nice hearing the behind the scenes from you. I don’t have anything constructive to say, so I upped my donation instead. Yay? (We love you but you know that already!) Cheers.
There’s no need to do that - but of course...many thanks - it’s extremely generous of you.
I know what you mean on the comments. I try to ignore them. And I understand that most of those negative comments are by a very small percentage of crazy people or just young immature people trying to make a scene or get attention. That being said, I have been called a racist by a few dozen people in my last video for saying my electrician looked like Morgan Freeman. I'm still at a loss as to how that was in any way racist, but I guess we've reached a point over here in the USA where we have people looking for racism in anything and everything, and by golly when they look that hard, they're going to find it!
You just said what everyone else was thinking, David. That electrician DOES look like Morgan Freeman.
For what it's worth, if you did a semi-regular video called "Matt reads his YouTube comments", I'd watch it, even if it was Patreon-exclusive!
BTW, love the bright safety orange phone in the background. Got a thing for technology of any type that goes outside the grey/black/metal crayon box a bit. (Didn't someone once refer to this color as Irwin Allen Orange?)
That's the Patreon Hotline. In between making Pomplamoose videos, Jack Conte calls Mat each time he gets a new patron.
I would say the only time I drop out of a video is when something comes up during the viewing or, to be honest, when the credits start rolling and I want to skip ahead to the next one. I'm very thankful for your channel and the videos you post. Took me too long to become a Patron, and very happy I finally did.
You have to see the negative comments in relations to total views. If all the people who actually liked the videos would comment, the negative comments would disappear in all the positive ones. The problem is the people who likes the videos often NOT comments... No need to give those negative guys any thoughts ...
Accents are funny, I'm a bit of a language nerd and I have no trouble listening to your accent, Mat, for an hour at a time. Any longer and I need either a cup of tea or a pint, because by then we're settling in. Greetings from Australia, by way of Canada.
Regarding the shouty ranty capitals chap... I find it amusing that even though he hates your "CRAP CHANNEL", he's obviously watched enough of it, and seen enough about you to know you're diabetic!
I think it’s probably my doctor.
Hi Matt, she got back to me. We're not married or anything, so I just asked for names by artists I know. Here are the additions and addendums P05-019 is not Someday by Tatsuro Yamashita. Please disregard my earlier comment -orange 002 is Turn It Into Love by Wink (Ai Ga Tomaranai) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcvnmwrsJn8 (80's classic) -pink 037 is Hello My Friend by Yumi Matsutoya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6dmZhdCYs0 -Orange 012 I Can't Stop the Loneliness by Anri (Kanashimi Ga Tomaranai) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk4cdomiR90 (this one is, as the youths say, a banger) -Orange 038 is Manatsu No Yoru no Yume by Yumi Matsutoya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuaoTQBFWOg cya around
Paul, many thanks for going to the time and trouble to put this list together. Thank your partner too. Before last week I’d never heard of Anri - seems like she was a big deal - good tunes too.
Regarding comments, I really enjoyed your take on the comments. Frankly, you could probably make some entertaining navel gazing content by going back to old videos, and "reviewing" the comments. Two birds with one stone. You could remind people about a previous video, and get some YouTube engagement points of people who would now deliberately post entertaining stuff in your comments. And you could get it off your chest, instead of not telling us about crazy nutter Dave who jumped on the bus.
I love the voices you give for the commenters! I recon a Patreon video compilation of the funniest / weird / most bonkers comments every now and then would be funny. Give u a chance to vent it out also.
Yes to more discussion about cameras. Especially if you find (or don’t) a replacement for that Sony MK3. It may be possible to get the mic jack fixed on your one relatively cheaply: on some models it’s just a little accessory board to swap out. Ewen
I wouldn’t know where to get that job done - I’d never considered a repair. Interesting.
T-shirt slogan ideas: "Don't mention the comments" and "Keep the beard"
It's not a beard, it's a beard and mustache!
The speech thing kind of reminds me of Scott Adams' bout of spasmodic dysphonia. I'm not a doctor so this is not a diagnosis or anything.
Hi Matt! -- I love your Hawaiian shirts! I have a large number of them myself. --- Concerning a trip to Hawai'i: You can take a direct 8-hour flight from Heathrow to Seattle, then change to a 6-hour direct flight from Seattle to Hawai'i. -- Or, fly as my sisters fly: Take an 8-hour flight from Heathrow to Seattle, and stay overnight to rest up, stretch your legs, and get a bite to eat. Then, the next morning, take the 6-hour flight to Hawai'i. -- Be sure to stay a week or two in Hawai'i to make the trip "There and back again" worth it. -- NOTE: If I can't get a direct flight from the West Coast of the U.S. into Frankfurt or Heathrow, I will take a 5-hour flight across the US, then immediately board another 6/7-hour flight to my destination. It's brutal, and I only recommend it if you love to fly or are flying for the holidays. Otherwise, fly London-Seattle, then stay over a night, and take the Seattle-Kailua flight the next day. -- But yes, once the pandemic is over, please visit Hawai'i. Especially the Big Island. It is an amazing, beautiful place. -- Aloha!
Regarding the guy who was offended due to language, mainly ignore them. I haven't noticed any "bad" language from you as far back as I can remember. Anyone who unsubscribes due to one or two bad words in a 10-15 minute video is also going to be quite offended by 90% of people just by being out in public. And some people just like to complain. Also, I enjoy these montly ramblings, since they give some insight into your thought process behind a video being made (or sometimes not being made).
upvote on the t-shirt
HKS-P11 track 048 Rusty Nail by X JAPAN should be an interesting one, as the group is considered the Godfathers of the Visual Kei band, as well as being a (generally) heavy mental band that can easily go toe to toe with a lot of the western groups. The group also launched the career of Yoshiki who is a relatively well known Japanese rockstar/socialite, who also mainly lives in Los Angeles. I was honestly a bit surprised to see them on this list.
Well thanks again for the info - I’ll add that one on the list.
Been thinking about your viewership analysis. Not being a YouTuber, I know next to nothing about these things. But as it happens, I recently stumbled upon an algorithm explainer by Veritasium: https://youtu.be/fHsa9DqmId8 It's likely you've already seen it, and it is also already a year old so I don't know how much has changed with the algorithms since then. But, in short, he mentions the need to be both 'clickbaity' (within reason), while still maintaining the quality expected by his core audience (the subscribers). Although I was one of those who preferred the omnibus version of the "Tapes on a plane" video, the numbers speak for themselves. So with those numbers in mind, along with what Veritasium says, perhaps one strategy could be to not only produce your famous "cheese sandwiches", but every other month or so also do a more clickbaity "PB&J" to lure new subscribers in... 🤔 And your regular long-form videos would still be the "BLTs"! 😁
I can see how the clickbait type stuff really does work - but when I think about using any of the techniques, it just gives me the heebie-jeebies. I don't think I'd be able to look myself in the mirror again. But I can appreciate why others might do it - but then again I'm not in a desperate situation, so I'm happy to keep ticking over.
I recognize some songs on the list - I can't stop the loneliness (The song title is in Japanese), it's the same artist that sings Cat's eye (Anri) - Wink - Turn it into love: It's just a Japanese version of Kylie Minogue's. - Tatsuro Yamashita - Someday: He is a very well-known Japanese singer. Bands that i recognize the name but not the songs are X-Japan and Dream Come True.
If you'd be so kind as to let me know the number and the card you spotted the most recognisable ones on, I'll add them on the audition list.
On the drop-off of viewers early on, I'd like to add another potential circumstance as you are interested in the tendency. I tend to watch most of my YT videos on my TV these days. I find that on the native LG client it is quite unclear which video is actually highlighted when pressing play, resulting in my often (very often) beginning to watch the wrong video. It takes me a few seconds to: 1st, realise my error and 2nd, to hit back to return to the pervious screen. Maybe I'm not the only suffering this issue? Also on the 'Brit' issue. I'm born and bred in Blighty, and amongst my social circle this is very much the normal descriptor of UK nationals when our nationality comes up in conversation. Of course it may be just a middle-aged, middle-class London thing, but to me it's quicker than saying 'British' or 'citizen of the UK' or 'English', when it may not actually be the case. I accept your experience, but as you brought it up I thought you may be interested. [Boring side note: the person responsible for first making me aware of this diminutive was Stuart Hall, when he was commentating on 'It's a Knockout' all those years ago.]
Yes there really is nothing in any of it - that's really the conclusion I came to last time and hoped to clear up this time. There are no correlations to any of the suppositions.
I think we people say "ignore the comments" because we know the quality of your videos and the research, money and work you put into creating a quality product. We don't want you to be hurt or feel overwhelmed by negativity churned out by trolls or the uninformed (to describe them politely). Basically, we don't want you to end up like Dave from Accounts - driven mad or towards depression by idiots who are unappreciative of what you do. I agree though - it may seem as though we are saying "don't mention the comments". For my part, I think I understand you better now. I am not offended or upset by your words and if you want to read us the daft ones once a month, that would be fun. That shoulder by the way - if you can't lift it beyond the horizontal, get it checked. It's maybe what the doctors call a frozen shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis) and it's not fatal. :-) Cheers, S.
It seems to fit into the category of a frozen shoulder. It wouldn't be the first time I've got the cold shoulder.
Thank you for the candid explanation, Matt. I think now more of us "Non-tubers" understand the way a "real-tuber" reads and analysis stats and comments. That's way out of my realm of understanding. Stay sane and healthy!
I don't think I'm good at understanding what any of them mean - the stats tend to raise more questions than they answer. It's like trying to find a pattern in a load of random numbers.
About the 5 seconds drop in views: Especially when I "send" the video from my laptop to the Smart-TV (so my misses can watch as well) I need to start it twice. Once on the laptop and then click on the "Watch on TV" icon. I usually do that when your intro is on within the first 5 seconds. Maybe others do exactly the same.
It seems to be a very common way to do things judging by the feedback. I therefore feel youtube should only start counting view time after five seconds to avoid this anomaly.
Matt says “Thanks for watching” 1:06:16 😀
I always enjoy your rambly Patreon updates Mat! I especially liked the part about comments. I'll admit I've been tempted to be one of those "ignore the comments" guys, but only because I've worried you're taking them too personally. I know I would. But now I know you're just enjoying the craziness that exists in this world. Keep up the good work, and glad you're having fun with it!
I'm always worried I'm going to feature in one of these videos one day.
Feature? There’s a whole Chris Crowther episode being put together...
Unfortunately I can't read Japanese, but I'm dating someone who can, so I'll ask her for some of the names of the songs! The only song I recognize, since the title is in English, is Tatsuro Yamashita's Someday. (P05-019) He's called the "Freddy Mercury of Japan." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbM3aAE-OmE
Thanks - I’ll add it on the shortlist.
wow nice beard!
it's not a beard it's a beard and mustache
Matt, great video. Here is your yellow tape experiment. https://youtu.be/SkP9DKnOgn0 Les Nessman on "WKRP in Cincinnati" with his yellow tape office walls.
Exactly what I thought of when Mat mentioned it.
https://youtu.be/SkP9DKnOgn0
WRT British accent, I've heard from several non-native English speakers (including my wife) here in Canada that they find it harder to understand British accents
That Techwood logo is peachy-keen and I'd buy it as a black tee shirt.
If I set about ‘designing one’ would that be a logo towards one side over an imaginary breast pocket - or across the middle?
Great video Mat. I think you should hold on to the nuttiest comments as they arrive and have a regular top 10 countdown of them in your Patreon videos. Apologies if someone's already suggested this: true to the artform, I haven't bothered to read any other comments yet.
RetroManCave did that in his Christmas special last year. Hearing him dunk on some of the most egregious comments of 2019 was hilarious. Especially with his posh accent and deadpan delivery.
``Skip to the main deal at 34:20!'' Lol, kidding. I get what you are saying about comments and advice to ignore same. I know when (if?) I've done it it's because we're trying to cheer you up ... and yes, I caught the "cheer up" message, too. So message received. As always, it's your channel and you should do things however you want to do. I'd like to think your Patreonizers know you well enough to know where you are coming from (YT comments are a different universe, of course). Very interesting to see some of the stats you see. I knew watching all the way to the end was important and now that I've see the charts, I'll be certain to let the videos play all the way to the end (yours and the other creators I follow). Less and less of a Google fan as time goes by. These shows are great. I like the behind the scenes stuff. Look forward to the camera talk even if it isn't actually relevant to my life. :-)
I've thought a lot about the American inferiority complex towards England and English accents, as it's come up in my line of work. I do think there's something subconscious at work, there: English people usually have a stronger command of the language (broad stereotypes, but I do think it's largely true), and in many cases seem better educated (even when they're not). Part of that is because, if you haven't met many people from overseas, the people you most immediately think of with accents are Richard Attenborough, the Harry Potter cast, and the royal family. In other words, people perceived to be smarter, richer, better behaved, and surrounded by a domineering history. Obviously this has nothing to do with reality, but I think the less worldly among us Americans feel a bit intimidated by England in general, even though our countries are (in my experience) 98% the same. We Americans can be a ludicrously oversensitive lot.
😁 the rotaty orange 🍊 phone
Fully working?
Me? Never. Oh the phone...no idea. Probably, but no way to find out in the UK - it’s all German connections (I forget the name of them).
What’s the story with that orange phone in the background 🙂🙂🙂
I just liked the look of it - and I felt the ‘set’ needed a splash of colour.
Oddity Archive is a great channel. The funny thing is that Ben's humour (and his delivery) is surprisingly British in some ways. Between that, and some of the truly baffling ephemera he digs up, he's well worth a watch.
Great vid. You are still my favorite brit youtuber :) (Sorry, just had to, but I am german) Seems like you do handle comments just right. Greetings from the Wirral, where I am spending my holiday.
I’m sorry to hear about your holiday ;-) At least you had decent weather today though.
Your beard, your choice! Also, NEVER feed the trolls. Never.
I grew up in Los Angeles(Post President Regan shutting down the nuthouses) and when ever I encounter a crazy person, the best advise is to completely ignore them. Engaging with them only makes things worse. While I might talk about these encounters with friends, I wouldn’t want to publicly shame them I mean they’re sick. It just seems wrong and I sort of have the same feeling about crazy comments I see online. That being said, I love your take on them and I think venting a bit about them on Patreon videos is a good outlet. Sort of like telling a friend. Anyhoo, I’ll go back to almost never commenting. Love ya
Great video Mat, keep up the good work. Your piece on the 'idiots', its all a balance, if its not dragging you down then by all means share it with us - if it is dragging you down then 'delete at source' !
Also. Yes please for a kenwoodian t-shirt
No, the length is fine, no need to split them in future. Yes, interested in camera talk. As someone who may have said 'ignore horrible comments' in the past, sometimes you've seemed upset or perturbed when mentioning some of the crazier ones and I have felt offended on your behalf - as if someone's been rude to a personal friend. But so long as you're not worried by them, then I won't take sympathetic umbridge. btw, re that Australian sweary one, I wonder if you had mentioned in that particular video about being a diabetic? It's just that you don't often mention it, so I wonder how he knew - could he be a regular viewer? On a completely unrelated note, when I rewatched the Korg video (your videos are always worth watching more than once!) and at the very end of the advert where they show the Korg logo, they pronounce 'Korg' as if it has 3 syllables - Koragu . I know nothing of Japanese, but I wonder how a 3 syllable word got transliterated into a single syllable Western word. I don't expect an answer, I just find it curious. Someone once told me that in Japan, the car brand Mazda is pronounced as Mat-so-da, so maybe Japanese think Westerners aren't good with polysyllabic words. They could well be right! Have a good week, Mat and thanks for another informative and entertaining video.
Somebody mentioned (I think it was on Patreon) how the Japanese language has a very defined way of allowing certain words to be pronounced - so have to add on bits to make them fit this template. I’m of course inaccurately paraphrasing here, so hopefully someone will wade in and fill in the details. When Japan wakes up (in a few minutes) we might get an answer.
People can be pretty pedantic in my experience but now I know why the BBC stopped Points of View. Replying to viewers who don't know how to change channel instead of complaining about the language in a Shakespeare production. You can't please everyone and you can drive yourself nuts trying Mat. Cassette come back ? It's all a myth. You can buy brilliant cassette decks made in Japan and often restored for little money these days.
I think that was half the fun of points of view though - just laughing at the bizarre blinkered perspective some people have. Without nutters the world would be a lot less interesting.
I'm one of the "ignore em" crowd. My thoughts were that I was hoping you weren't getting upset by them and going to just "jack it in". Glad to hear you enjoy the nutters though. Still love the rambles. Keep going and please ignore me.
Consider me as one the people interested in the Kenwood-like-font Techmoan t-shirt.
In my experience from my little dose of Internet fame, ignore the people who think you're brilliant, and the people who think you're rubbish. It's somewhere in the middle. But yeah, lots of nutters in the comments that I found hard to deal with at the start, but I've managed to ignore it as the rantings of people who might have been under the influence or have had a bad day.
More comments are always fun and look forwards to a bit of camera talk ☺️
I love hearing about the statistics Matt, I also have some videos on YouTube but couldn't keep up with it, the statistics are so interesting though. Thanks for the fab content always 👍
Your bit about the nutter comments reminded me of your bit with the Moans about the color of your lounge furniture. For a bit of frivolity, shave half the beard, diagonally --- but also ignore this comment.
Personally, I would love to hear more of your favorite nutter comments. The part where you said "shift key is broken" got me pretty good.
Well; now I feel terrible... I think I was the first commenter to say "Nice beard!" Had I but known the far-reaching consequences of my actions.... lol! I also made a comment about your paisley shirt, and I was very interested by your answer there and in this video about the moiré issue with patterned shirts. In fact, it inspired me to design a t-shirt to intentionally cause moiré effects when worn on YouTube. It feature an eel mascot named "Morrie the Moiré Moray". I had a ton of fun with it - thank you for giving me the idea!
Well glad I could help. I’m fine with anyone saying whatever they want about the beard or lack of same - I just thought it was odd when people were telling me to keep it or shave it off. Like I’m the kind of person to get a poll to decide what I should do with my facial hair. It wasn’t about impressing anyone.
I love to hear you complain about the crazy comments. Almost every time I've literally laughed out loud to your video, you where doing your impression of a rude commenter. Keep up your valuable work of calling out insanely rude behavior on internet comments. It's good to know there is one more sane person out there (meaning you).
I’m so glad you didn’t say ‘Just ignore them’ - it’s like ignoring a goldmine of lunacy.
I would like to by kenwood styled Techmoan t-shirt!
I’ll see what I can get sorted.
I have an older Yamaha keyboard that accepts music carts to play along with. I only have one Beatles cart for it. I wonder if these are the same carts. Oh, and ignore this comment.
Will do.
Maybe a German Trans Woman should dub your videos from now on. ;)
By the way, your office gag with the taped square on the floor made me think of this old Swedish comedy classic: https://youtu.be/qNNEJb1F_og (with subtitles) Hope you'll enjoy. 🤓
That’s the first time I’ve seen this - gave me a good chuckle.
Your videos are always enjoyable, Mat. Thanks again! Oh and I had a good laugh at the crazy comments. I remember getting the first piece of hate mail regarding a piece of software I wrote and put on the internet, and that's when I thought to myself "I guess this means I made it, right?"
I’m glad you understand the sentiment. Perhaps it’s not something that’s easy for many to comprehend how you’d feel unless it’s happened to them. You’ve got to laugh.
Interesting as always to have your perspective on things. I think people who tell you not to read comments are trying to be kind and help you avoid what they see as a potential negative effect on you. But you can obviously handle it and If sharing the mad ones helps, share away!
To use something similar to the work analogy you made in the video, suppose I come home and say “Wow, that Joe guy is such a little tin-pot dictator, always wants to tell everyone what to do!”, there are two ways my other half could reply. One is to say “Yeah, you mentioned the way he went on at Sandra last week! What did he do now?” and the other is “Here's what I'd do with Joe, I'd tell HR he's a real problem in the workplace.” The first is being a listening ear, and the second is offering undesired and unsolicited advice (even though it does come from a place of caring and wanting to help). Alas, too many people fall into the latter category, thinking there is a problem and it's their job to fix it, rather than being there to be supportive. It's the same thing with “don't read the comments” folks. They've projected themselves into the situation and are telling you what they'd do, but that's not what you wanted. As you say, you just want to say “Would you believe that? Who'd have thought…?” I've learned to tell my other half before I start a story that I'm not looking for advice on this. One time recently I told a story and was really happy with the validating response I got. Saying thanks afterwards for getting something very supportive, the reply I got was “The thanks are nice, but really I just said exactly what you told me to say at the start.” As you note, it is ironic somewhat for someone to write a comment saying “don't read comments”. But like YouTube comments, I think the key thing is that sometimes unsolicited “help” is still helpful, often it's not, and some of it can be headed off by a bit of prep work so folks know you know.
I was about to write something similar to this, but I decided to read the comments first (imagine that) and found your post which was better than what I could have written. To add to your solution, I think this could be translated to "framing" for Mat. Example: Prefacing the comment review section of the Oddcast as "Comment Curiosities" so we know that its just a bit of fun/venting and that we can just come along for the ride. I personally enjoy this section of the Oddcast to hear about fan mail and especially interesting follow-ups. Lastly, I know I have been that "fix it" guy in the comments before (and maybe now?) so it’s good to hear Mat's perspective of the situation so I can try to be more thoughtful going forward.
Couldn't help but search for "The Australian Opinion" on YouTube. First search hit is the EEVblog channel! I'm not even joking. Hope there's not any animosity going on between the two of you. 😁
Dave was kind enough to appear in one of my videos a while ago. I don’t tend to follow what he’s doing as most of it isn’t in my wheelhouse, but he’s never been anything less than helpful to me.
Contact your GP about your arm! (Sounds like a rotor cuff problem … ). They do emote consultations and hardly anyone goes to the surgeries any more - they have extra cleaning and social distancing measures in place. So … go!
I might get around to it one day. I’ve yet to have a positive outcome of any interaction with a doctor - stuff just gets worse rather than fixed.
My wife thinks your beard is fantastic, so as long as Mrs. Techmoan agrees, you are good. :)
I’m not sure she’s noticed it yet.
I'm by no means an expert on late 80s Japanese music, but from HKS-P01, both Chage&Aska and THE BLUE HEARTS are pretty famous bands. Especially nr. 47, リンダ リンダ (Linda Linda) was a huge hit at the time, and would be recognized by most Japanese people today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP8Z-uXkzGo
OK - we’ll that’s number 47 on HKS-P01 on the list. Thanks
I will gladly listen to your thoughts on anything. I believe all of us here would happily buy you a pint and listen.
Matt, regarding why there is a severe drop off after a few minutes or even seconds. Some of that may be people like me who watch a second or two of a video, on my phone, so that it goes into the history section on the YouTube app on my TV. Especially early access videos.
Forgot to add that I love these rambling videos.
Hi, Matt. I’m a fan obviously but every month I watch your vlogs an the theme it’s always tending on the negative. You focus too much on the few guys that don’t like you, or are not kind to you. F*** those guys. Don’t waste your time on them. We are here. Every month. Willingly giving you money so you can make whatever you want. We trust you. I bet there is a lot more like us in the world. Why don’t you double down on Patreon? So you can depend less on ads and having to satisfy the gods of the algorithm. Tell your viewers. I think the reaction would surprise you. Anyway, just trying to give you a different perspective. Have a virtual hug from Brazil!
Agreed. I would easily double my contribution if it meant he could complete more videos because he doesn't have to worry about pleasing the YouTube God's so much. I particularly like the stuff he does that maybe it things i get the biggest plays like that digital audio VHS a couple of months ago
Definitely ignore all the Patreon comments concerning mentioning YouTube comments. Oh ... wait...
Enjoyed your comparison of “weird” comments to the jobs featured in TV programs. Guess you’re not a big Frederick Wiseman fan...
So interesting about the first few seconds. I've had to start your videos. Stop them and then play them on my Roku device on my TV. So there might be some of that going on. Great video. :)
It’s as good as reason as anything I can think of.
About that slower days. AFAIR you are using blood sugar monitoring device, and sleep monitoring device. Any correlations?
That’s the problem - it’s totally random. Irrespective of the time I go to bed or what I ate or drank the night before. Some days I just wake up stupid.
Breaking my own rule on commenting before the video is over but this was a long one so I might forget. Anyway, "the Brits" is used in Ireland as a derogatory term for British people. Most famously in the saying "the Brits are at it again" when shall we say, Irish people find the British government slightly vexing. See http://arethebritsatitagain.com/ for details. Anyway, public service over, hope I haven't insulted you by accident, apologies if I have. Back to watching the video.
In Australia, we use "Brit" when we're being polite. The rest of the time we usually call the English "Poms".
Isn't the first five seconds of your video your title sequence?
Yes that's true. "Oh not this guy" - Click
Unless you’re in a major city/downtown area which might have legit bodegas, Americans generally call those corner store shops “convenience stores” or “drug stores”
I think we might do as well - I've never really thought about it before.
If i recall correctly, another popular Youtuber showed their audience retention time graph and it looked almost identical to yours so I don’t believe it’s an accent thing. I think it’s just something that comes with the platform. Do take care of yourself though Matt, these negative voices are in the minority.
Yep - definitely not to do with accents - I’m just explaining the pieces I put together last time that made me investigate this as an option - that ultimately proved this was barking up the wrong tree. All part of the process of questioning and experimenting - some experiments prove you wrong and some back up the hypothesis. All are valuable though - it’s just as useful to be proved wrong as proved right.
Matt, please take care of yourself. I'm not a doctor in the least but losing the ability to construct sentences doesn't sound like something that shouldn't at least be investigated further.
Your videos are never heavy going Mat. I find them very enjoyable and informative.
You might change your mind by the end of this - there's a lot of talking. But thanks for the positivity. I need it.