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Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Realizing what Patreon support could really mean
This evening while pursuing my usual modus operandus (research, brainstorm, plan, repeat) regarding Patreon & properly rewarding/supporting patrons, I had a mind-clearing epiphany. A lot of my kindest and strongest supporters have insisted that if I accept their direct monetary support, the biggest & most important reward they'll receive in return is that I'll be able continue on doing what I've been doing up to now, making the best content I can. I now realize this is incorrect. I'll be able to do so much more, so much better.
The key mental turning point came when I stopped to really consider how much of what I do is specifically geared towards feeding the YouTube machine itself. That led to the realization of how much more I could do that I enjoy and that so many of you enjoy if I was able to step out of the hamster wheel just some of the time. Being able to even partly decouple from the YouTube algorithm grind would drastically improve the stream of content you know of as "Jangbricks."
Though my main work products, review videos, are recorded in a semi-live format with no written script or outline, there's a pretty complex formula to it all that I have to follow to keep my videos from being excessively buried away from even the people who've actively said they want to see it. Plus, to be blunt, LEGO is quite expensive, and what I do with it has to pay for itself, otherwise I have to cut back. For perspective, consider that I recently spent over $2,000 USD on the January 1st batch of new sets alone. That's deep in or even above rent or mortgage payment territory, and it's not like I'm buying this stuff for myself. In some ways it's not even for any of you. It's for YouTube.
The volume of videos I do and the emphasis on timing, priorities, and distributions of themes is uncomfortably procedurally-driven. The majority of my subscribers want to see a lot more custom work & development of my city, but I know for a fact (from experimentation & ongoing data) that I can't lean too heavily into either of these because the majority of my viewers are non-subscribers who give far more favorable "signals" to YouTube when I cover official sets. Do you see it now?
When I get this Patreon thing figured out & launched, taking into consideration feedback from my earlier post here and a more popular follow-up on my channel's community tab, your support will not just net you the listed rewards plus the knowledge that you're helping me to keep chugging along as I have in the past. You'll be helping to ease an ominous & omnipresent load off my shoulders so I can more enjoyably share more of what you enjoy. You'll be partly freeing me from the shackles of relentless optimization and efficient extraction of value from everything I do, so I can shift back towards the actual hobby side of this hobby. You'll enable me to put a review on hold for a day or two because I got a random spark of inspiration and really want to build a new gift shop to kick off the rebuild & expansion of my zoo. You'll allow me to look at a Friends or Hidden Side or Juniors set that piques my curiosity, and instead of giving it a wide berth because I know the build videos would have 40% less watch time than average and a review wouldn't top 20k views, I can just buy it, have it built off-camera by my wife while I do other stuff, and share the completed thing in a casual way with those of you who would have wanted to see it regardless. You'll be increasing my ability to just be me and share that with you.
I really like where this could be going.
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I'm really glad to hear that you are considering this.
ReplyDeleteThat Sounds Great! Glad you listen to fans unlike many other YouTubers. I think the majority of your subscribers are with you on a mix of custom stuff, and city building coming back, and support your passion doing your own creative work on lego.
ReplyDeleteHi Jang,
ReplyDeleteyou provide great content! Thank you! Twentyfive years ago, everybody would have been used to paying for magazines, movies, news etc. I think, we must regain some of this, because creative people like you, earning their living and the resources necessary for their business as artists, journalists etc. must to be paid for their work just like everybody else.
I wish you, Jang, to have even more success, more fun, more creativity! Spend time with your family and friends without thinking of Lego.
Hi, other fans of Jang, everyone of us, who can afford it, should participate in this patreon thing.
Greetings from Germany!
Ennasus
Thank you so much for your understanding and support.
DeleteI like it! I'm totally down to support you on patreon
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it Jang! Your city overview (2013 or '14?) was the first video I ever saw of yours, and that is what got me hooked. Although I do love your reviews, I only watch about 20% of them, because for me, it's all about your city and custom stuff.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I was talking with my wife a few months ago, expressing how disappointed I've been this year in the lack of custom stuff I've seen on your channel. After the explosion of creativity we saw with the harbor and mountain, this year has felt relatively empty. So glad to hear you can now start returning to the custom stuff, and I'm glad we can be a part of that!
Keep doing what you love.
-Zach
Hi Jang,
ReplyDeleteI would Love to Support you, but I habe subscribed approximately 100+ channels. And if I would donate every channel 1$/month that would bei quite expensive.
Would it be possible to donate a few cents on a regular base?
Kind regards
Mark
This awesome, really happy that you feel that you're moving in a direction that is not just good for your viewership, but good for you, personally. Looking forward to the future!
ReplyDeleteYes! I've been wanting this for awhile...I will be delighted to become a patron of yours.
ReplyDeleteI support a number of YouTube channels and have found it to be a great thing in general, another way of developing community and relationship...connection...and no rewards are really needed, no expectations for anything more than being able to help and support something I value. :)
But, wont it be nice to really enjoy your Lego again?
ReplyDeleteI'm not failing to enjoy it now, I'm just definitely missing out on a lot of the enjoyment that's there to be had, because of the need to feed the machine in precise ways.
DeleteThere are very few people who I'd want to support on YouTube but your creative process and friendly channel have kept me I look forward to all you do, I'm so glad your thinking of letting us support you, and id love to see the new gift shop for the zoo.
ReplyDeleteThis whole policy change must feel like a huge career challenge to you.
ReplyDeleteI assume this is a large part of your income. Then, there is a reorganization, and Octan Corporation decides that you can choose between leaving the premises or keep keep the same job, but with a strongly reduced salary.
I hope you find a way around this and enjoy whatever you will do. Not a big fan of Patreon, but I would consider supporting you!
Also, Youtube is not the only video website! The change will impact creator's revenue, as well as revenue generated by the product they are using/reviewing... I am sure that you find a way, considering that you are a creative person.
That is superb! You will be more free to say, do and show with Patreon - you have THE BEST content so I will more then happy to suport your hard work!
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated!
DeleteSuper Cool! Keep going!
ReplyDeleteYes, I am very excited about a zoo because I know you have a lot of Lego animals, and it so going to be awesome! You're gonna be free, Jang:)
ReplyDeleteAnd I missed the Friends sets. I know you once commented that Friends fans probably don't want a middle aged man reviewing those sets, but a lot of the Friends reviewers have high pitched squeaky voices. Your voice is great for any kind of video.
Thank you Jang for being the person I dream to become. A guy who just loves LEGOS. I often forget about the expectations of life, dealing with racism and more by watching your videos. You truly did help me with who I am and where I am now. No matter how bad or great the near future will be, I want you to know that I will always support and respect your decisions.
ReplyDeleteI'll support you, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI can understand where you are going with this. However, like many others I think you should also consider obtaining from Lego. Your reputation is such that nobody would think you would give a good review just because it was free. It would also obviously give you early access to new sets and could make your Patreon channel even more popular
ReplyDeleteTerrible. No different than the others now. Cash grab.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a bit unfair. I hope you have actually read why he is contemplating this
Deletethat's what a entitled person who gets stuff for free while expecting to always get stuff for free, and offering nothing of significant worth in return would think like @ Anonymous (OP) if you think that, then do it yourself, and then don't complain when the cost outweighs the reward of doing what you love. sound like a good plan to me. ;)
DeleteFan support is great, but there's a thin boundry between support and locking content behind monetary means, that different people view differently.
ReplyDeleteI am not a great fan of creators locking videos away for paying viewers or even more so, higher ranks of paying viewers.
This is a very important point and I appreciate it. I want to offer supporters something extra, but I have no interest in pulling any of my normal content behind a paywall. Does that feel like a reasonable compromise or would you still be concerned?
DeleteWhat’s interesting is that I’m a casual part time viewer and I don’t watch many videos of yours. I read this blog however because I find it interesting. See I’m a bit old school. I prefer the way blog and blog content used to be really early on...raw, realer life stuff. Natural, with passion hobby integration. I’d much rather pay a monthly sub fee to watch someone be more real than watch a review show that has to be timely.
ReplyDeleteThat’s not a dig on what you do...the quality of what you do isn’t what I’m talking about. It’s great...but I just find the stuff that flows from the inside more compelling. Not sure that makes sense.
But I’m in when it happens!
Feedback received. I will definitely be on the lookout for more ways to more frequently take little breaks from high production standards and and just show & talk about things as they are at a given moment.
DeleteYou have my support. Creators should not be tied to YouTube algorithms. I'm happy to help break the bonds. I support many creators on Patreon already. I'm looking forward to adding you to the list. I don't do it for the "rewards", but simply to help fuel content I appreciate.
ReplyDeleteThank you so, so much.
DeleteI know you will do awesome. I don’t know anything about patreon.. so people like me may need to be led gently into the light away from what we normally do. Have patience with us and don’t lose contact quickly. Here is to pushing you into the next stage of Jangbricks and beyond :)
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome to change nothing and just keep watching the content on YouTube as you have before. I support that 100% and will appreciate it in the future as much as I did in the past. Patreon will be something that I will merely offer, not something I'll push or lead anyone into.
DeleteShame,...the end of jangbricks for me: I dont care about custom stuff, nor your city. Your true strength, in my opinion, lies in reviews.
ReplyDeleteI will never support anyone financially, if the goal of that support is their personal enjoyment: if you want to enjoy yourself, make sure you can fund it yourself!
Definitely never said I was going to stop reviews or even make them *not* the vast majority of what I do. Just said I'd be able to do more (than the current extraordinary little) of the custom stuff that so many fans want me to do.
DeleteHi Jang, I’m glad that I checked your site. After the last Coppa video, I did not know what to expect. Great to hear you are seriously considering Patreon. I think your videos are a big part of peoples everyday life. I know they are for me. I’m curious to see where this goes from here. Hope to see new content soon. One thing is certain, it will be worth the wait! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered doing live builds on Twitch or Mixer? That might be another avenue to explore. Personally, I would support you on patreon just because it is a worthy cause. I mainly watch your channel for the set reviews, including historic ones. I would love to see you return to a more complete coverage of all sets released by LEGO in a given year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion. Some form of streaming of builds is definitely something I'm considering in the intermediate term.
DeleteLong time viewer, first time commenter. After watching your video about how COPPA will affect you and suggestions on how to get by, the first thing I thought of was Patreon. And upon discovering this site, lo and behold I wasn't the only one who thought of it. While I can't speak for everyone, I know I personally all your videos. Your reviews are informative and enjoyable, your city content was always so much fun to watch (mostly due to envy, in a good way of course), your Bricklink and Pick a Brick / Bricks and Pieces hauls were always fun to watch (and, I'm not going to lie, I got a large handful of bread pieces after that one time you cake back with a handful of them. I don't know what to do with a handful of bread pieces!). Your creativity has inspired me to attempt small scale MOCs, even though I'm not the most creative of people. I watched these videos because you enjoyed doing them, and showing us your passion. Being able to directly financially support more of that is a no brainer, and will hopefully lead to more freedom for you to just do what you want and makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Great to hear from you and I hope to bring more positive entertainment to you & folks like you very soon. I'm presently in the thick of rebuilding my studio to help my videos to get a more confident "not for kids" rating on YouTube so we can return to normal commenting and business as usual & better still.
DeleteLooks like YouTube already had you crawling through a metaphorical duct and has now put you in a straitjacket. I applaud your decision to open up and look into Patreon. The *only* reward I expect, like so many others have said, is for you to keep being yourself. As someone who only recently went through the AFOL Renaissance, your older content has been instrumental in guiding my passion--that alone would merit a Patreon subscription!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this. Honestly just the vote of confidence is hugely valuable to me.
DeleteHey Jang,
ReplyDeleteI am a great fan of your videos and I like your city and your MOCs most.
As you are forced to change the way how you organize things it might be a good opportunity to have a ‚strategic‘ view on your options beside opening a patreon account. This could help to get more independent from some legal, algorythm or other changes on one or another platform in the future.
Personally, I have a rather sceptical view on the patreon concept. One could expect the behaviour of patrons developing in waves with great euphoria at the start and decreasing support as the time goes on (e.g. because of supporting other / new projects, personal cost cuttings, etc.). What concessions would you have to make to hold these needed supporters or to enlist new supporters and how would that affect the things you do and how you do them? Also being dependent on direct payments instead of ad revenues could mean a much higher commitment to demands of your followers. I saw myself thinking: „How much would it cost me to let Jang do this or that major change in his city?“ – A nice dream but in my opinion this should be avoided to allow you to enjoy your work and to keep it interesting for a broad audience.
So, what might this more strategic view look like? One approach could be to compare your work with other professions and to look, how they generate income. Perhaps there are some ideas, that may work for you and your ‚job profile‘ as:
- Influencer: To be honest: I have no idea of that business but somebody else in the community will have. Perhaps you could do product placement like the ‚Playmobil Tower‘ in New Jang City and gain revenues from that? ��
- Journalist: Your reviews are objective and well balanced. Some media like parents-magazines or toy-related publications, TV-shows, etc. may appreciate your opinion as a Lego professional - Maybe not on a set-basis but on a product-line-basis or for release-seasons.
- Master-builder / Artist: Many of your viewers love your city and your MOCs. There may be bulidings on demand like the recent space-ship – perhaps for custom designers like Brickmania and others, too - and selected mocs that are appropriate to sell part-lists and instructions. In addition you could publish books like Sariel using your knowledge and your experience, e.g. ‚Building a Lego city‘; ‚Designing MOCs‘, ‚Creating a LEGO train world‘, etc.
- A brand: From a business point-of-view I would look on Jangbricks and New Jang City as a brand with a range of far more than a million followers. It could be used for merchandize: 'Jangbricks' T-Shirts, ‚I love NJC‘-coffee-mugs, posters, limited editions of your mocs and many more. Giving lectures on these subjects on brick-fairs, book-readings, signing your books may be another possibility.
Just my few ideas. I hope you will find a good path to continue your great work. My best wishes for that. Perhaps this forced change can be the start of something even better!
At some point in the future, if Jang ever has the time and more importantly, the inclination, I would very much appreciate him considering a book on designing a *layout* for a mid-to-large city. NOT MOCs--but things such as tables/platforms, layout, space efficiency, how to best place roads/rail lines, how to place modulars to minimize the 'ugly' sides, etc. No Starch Press would certainly be interested, but book royalties are a whole another complex world (sigh).
DeleteHomberg, you have a few great ideas, but a lot of them will require forward investment before getting off the ground. lets assume that Jang doesn't have the capital to invest in those avenues, and combined with a drastic change in organization means less time to contemplate all of your otherwise great (novel) ideas.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI've watched all your COPPA videos and am sorry the ad revenue impact is far worse than you originally thought.
Patreon is ok with me. I have never contributed to Patreon for a YouTube channel before. There is no YouTube channel I think more highly of than yours, and I would be a supporter at Patreon.
Your preview options for Patreon membership levels seem reasonable. From those descriptions I'd choose light-bluish gray. The proposed extra benefits of higher tiers don't interest me, though "early links to new videos" is both interesting and concerning. How "early" (or "late") were you thinking?
One of the worries I'd have with Patreon would be supporters influencing, or over-influencing, what you decide to do (be that the sets you review, the custom builds you create, etc.). What I like about your channel is you, and I generally couldn't care less what others have to say in comments to your videos. I haven't minded when you've asked folks to comment on the sets they'd most like you to review next (after a large set haul), and the Mellanby District is fine, but I did want to emphasize that what makes your channel great, to me, is you. I'd be supporting you at Patreon not because I want extra benefits or want to influence you, but because I want the greatness that is your set reviews and custom builds to be able to continue. Your membership level descriptions don't seem like they'd cause problems in this regard, but I did want to raise this point as it is part of what has worried me about Patreon. It sounds like with YouTube this problem existed too, where you may have reviewed more or less of a theme (e.g. Friends) than you might have chosen to if not for the algorithm. Patreon, and the need to potentially appease individual supporters, rather than an algorithm, feels like it could be different. Whether that turns out to be better, worse, or about the same I'm not sure of yet, but I hope we get as much of, if not more of, "you" as we got before Patreon.
I've heard you talk about figuring out ways to make YouTube content that you can legitimately tag as being for adults and not for kids. Do you think this would impact how you do set reviews, or where you thinking this would impact some new type of content? One of the things I really value about your channel is how family friendly it has always been and how I can watch a set review, or a custom build, with my kids and never be worried about what you might say. While I'm all for finding ways for you to legitimately get ad revenue from content you create, I do hope the family friendly nature of your set reviews and your city is able to continue.
Another potential consideration for you is that I don't think of you simply as a great LEGO set reviewer or great LEGO builder, but as a great creator of articulate, carefully researched, and expertly delivered presentations / video recordings. When colleagues are looking for advice on how to present on a particular topic, or create an informative recording for others, I have at times referred them to your videos. There's a lot of knowledge and expertise you have developed on how to create extremely high quality recordings/presentations, and there may be an audience for you in sharing your best practices. That would certainly qualify as content targeted at adults. Whether that's something you have any interest in is another matter, but I did want to comment that a lot of the greatness I see in your videos transcends LEGOs.
Good luck, and I hope we get to continue being part of your world.
-mike
Dear Jang,
ReplyDeletei Watch your channel as a non subscriber. Me as a content viewer to pay for 'free' content has me thinking. So youtube and Coppa set a standard. They get you and a lot of youtubers in trouble because of the income. As a result the majority has to pay up to keep watching. Not blaming you of course but i think this is a strange way of chasing of fans of youtube.
I hope you are able to produce content at the high standard you want.
Nobody will have to pay to continue to watch my regular new content. Patreon support will be strictly optional and voluntary. The only content I'd put up exclusively on Patreon would be _extra_ stuff for supporters that they wanted. My plan is to resume normal, public, free to watch uploads on YouTube once I've rebuild my studio & introduced a new format that's even more difficult to classify as "for kids."
DeleteHave you considered selling surplus Lego sets/parts/minifigs on Bricklink to help create some revenue? It can be time intensive, especially if selling individual parts vs sealed sets for example, but could also be a way to help clear out stuff you don't intend to save and to fund the purchases of sets you plan on reviewing.
ReplyDeleteI know you buy on Bricklink quite a bit from watching your videos, and I've always wondered if you were a seller as well, though I assume not unless you just are quiet about it. If you did ever decide to sell on Bricklink, I would shop from you in a heartbeat. You would be a seller that buyers would have a lot of trust in. The video you posted some time ago, about a "wake up call" for Bricklink sellers, where you shared some problems/trends you were experiencing, says it all. I think I have sent a link to that video to at least 2 sellers from whom I was unhappy with my orders.
I've been very disheartened to hear how the COPPA issues have affected your channel. I've enjoyed your content for a while - especially the incredibly detailed review videos, which have helped inform my decisions for which sets I buy. I also enjoy updates on your city and other videos, but the reviews are probably the most important to me. One of the previous comments mentioned that "Your true strength, in my opinion, lies in reviews." I don't agree with anything else in that particular comment, but I do agree that the set reviews are one of your biggest strengths, partly because no one else on the internet does reviews quite like yours. They are unique, extremely informative, and enjoyable.
The Patreon concept sounds interesting. I've been thinking for a while that there should be a way to support you directly. Considering the number of sets your reviews have steered me either toward or against...it's like you deserve a cut of what I spent on the set. I'm not a Patreon user but would consider joining just to support you, so that you can continue doing what you've been doing, or at least the parts of what you've been doing that you WANT to be doing. Some of the rewards sound interesting, though I don't have much time to spend commenting or participating in live chats.
I am curious about the option of having your name listed in videos if you are a Copper supporter. Is there a cut off for how many supporters at that level you will have? That list could get pretty long, you'd need to design it in a way that it won't turn viewers off - no one likes sitting through the credits in the movies. Or at least no one did, until Marvel figured out that having 30 seconds of humorous content at the end would get folks to sit through 10 minutes of credits...you should try that!
Best of luck with everything, Jang!
ReplyDeleteOne request I would make it to ask that you keep updating your social accounts on your progress with the Patreon set-up and even your blog posts. I would hate to miss out on anything!
I would second this, but with YouTube -- I know Jang is super-busy with the studio remodel, but another short, to the camera, 3-5 minute video with a few thoughts/updates would be very nice to update YT fans/subscribers who're not aware of or don't check other feeds.
DeleteI was kinda lost after the Jan 7 'COPPAcalypse' until, more than a week later, I though of checking the blog and my hunger was sated! I knew about the YT community tab in the back of my mind, but didn't bother looking there either. I'm sure there are many other folks like me who haven't checked Jang's other feeds and are sorta anxious about "the day after."
Agreed...there was also an abundance of videos populating my feed in the days after that video, with titles like "COPPA/YT Destroyed this Youtuber's channel." I was rather concerned, and equally relieved when I thought to check this site.
DeleteI will absolutly be a Patron! - I'm from Denmark and it is very important to me, that you are able to continue your great, great work!! So count me in! :)
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to set up a donations option? A model making forum that I read and contribute too has the option to make a voluntary donation, via PayPal. If you had similar I'm sure many of us would happily contribute a small amount, regardless of patron, just as a measure of our appreciation of your work.
ReplyDeleteI will be supporting your content wherever it is available. Very happy to pay for it. Greetings from Luxembourg.
ReplyDeleteI would most definitely be a supporter on Patreon! I think this will be a very good route to go on!
ReplyDelete(first try didn't make it, trying again)
ReplyDeleteHi,
I've watched all your COPPA videos and am sorry the ad revenue impact is far worse than you originally thought.
Patreon is ok with me. I have never contributed to Patreon for a YouTube channel before. There is no YouTube channel I think more highly of than yours, and I would be a supporter at Patreon.
Your preview options for Patreon membership levels seem reasonable. From those descriptions I'd choose light-bluish gray. The proposed extra benefits of higher tiers don't interest me, though "early links to new videos" is both interesting and concerning. How "early" (or "late") were you thinking?
One of the worries I'd have with Patreon would be supporters influencing, or over-influencing, what you decide to do (be that the sets you review, the custom builds you create, etc.). What I like about your channel is you, and I generally couldn't care less what others have to say in comments to your videos. I haven't minded when you've asked folks to comment on the sets they'd most like you to review next (after a large set haul), and the Mellanby District is fine, but I did want to emphasize that what makes your channel great, to me, is you. I'd be supporting you at Patreon not because I want extra benefits or want to influence you, but because I want the greatness that is your set reviews and custom builds to be able to continue. Your membership level descriptions don't seem like they'd cause problems in this regard, but I did want to raise this point as it is part of what has worried me about Patreon. It sounds like with YouTube this problem existed too, where you may have reviewed more or less of a theme (e.g. Friends) than you might have chosen to if not for the algorithm. Patreon, and the need to potentially appease individual supporters, rather than an algorithm, feels like it could be different. Whether that turns out to be better, worse, or about the same I'm not sure of yet, but I hope we get as much of, if not more of, "you" as we got before Patreon.
I've heard you talk about figuring out ways to make YouTube content that you can legitimately tag as being for adults and not for kids. Do you think this would impact how you do set reviews, or where you thinking this would impact some new type of content? One of the things I really value about your channel is how family friendly it has always been and how I can watch a set review, or a custom build, with my kids and never be worried about what you might say. While I'm all for finding ways for you to legitimately get ad revenue from content you create, I do hope the family friendly nature of your set reviews and your city is able to continue.
Another potential consideration for you is that I don't think of you simply as a great LEGO set reviewer or great LEGO builder, but as a great creator of articulate, carefully researched, and expertly delivered presentations / video recordings. When colleagues are looking for advice on how to present on a particular topic, or create an informative recording for others, I have at times referred them to your videos. There's a lot of knowledge and expertise you have developed on how to create extremely high quality recordings/presentations, and there may be an audience for you in sharing your best practices. That would certainly qualify as content targeted at adults. Whether that's something you have any interest in is another matter, but I did want to comment that a lot of the greatness I see in your videos transcends LEGOs.
Good luck, and I hope we get to continue being part of your world.
-mike
My son and I found your channel years ago, and he has grown up watching for the reviews and the progress of the custom city, as that inspires us to build our own customs. We now have a massive lego collection, season passes to Legolands accross the US, are members of our local LUG, are registered for Brickworld, all thanks to your inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteI would be so excited for you be back to custom stuff and the city
ReplyDelete