
In my book, one week means seven days, zero hours, zero minutes, and zero seconds.
But according to YouTube Creator āSupportāāand I use air quotes here because their so-called support consists of condescending āI got youā auto-replies and FAQ links that donāt address or resolve the problem at handāone week means seven days plus up to twenty-four hours. Seriously.
I found this out when I went to upload a new video yesterday. Itās yet another instance of YouTube rubbing salt in the wound. But Iām the bad guy when I cuss like a sailor at the bots and bot-like humans.
Maybeājust maybeāif YouTube did a better job communicating effectively I wouldnāt need to cuss to make my fucking point.
Nowhere in the various emails and FAQs does it define one week.
A platform that has disabled my channel in secondsārepeatedly, for weeks on endānow claims it can take āhoursā to reenable? Sorry, but Iām calling bullshit.
Itās moments like these that make me wonder how long YouTube, Google, and parent company Alphabet can keep getting away with treating creators as problem children instead of as business partners.
YouTube takes a generous 45% cut of AdSense revenue and a 30% share of all other earnings on the platform. Youād think theyād invest in a better support team and prioritize fixing long-standing bugs and issuesāinstead of focusing on new features āinspiredā by Instagram and TikTok. Features few creators asked for or will likely use.
Meanwhile, Substack takes only 10% of paid subscriptions, and Iāve never had to reach out to their support team. Not once. I think itās because Team Substack is dedicated to making the platform better for everyone.
History doesnāt look kindly on businesses that forget who they serve.
A WELL-DESERVED RANT
Apologies for the rant, but this isnāt just about one frustrating experience with one frustrating platform by one frustrated content creator.
Itās about a company that consistently disables channels for bogus alleged violations triggered by stupid-but-powerful bots that canāt tell the difference between a man in his birthday suit and a man in his swimsuit.
To these botsāand the bureaucrats behind themāboth are guilty of being āsexually gratifyingā and therefore in violation of āCommunity Guidelines.ā Never mind the countless videos featuring womenās breasts and butts that somehow go unchecked.
Itās as if the AI was trained to have āthe male gaze.ā
Meanwhile, my work? Itās all about āgay-zingā at males.
The unnecessary censorshipāand the accompanying strikesācost creators like me (and countless others) time, money, and energy.
YouTube Creator āSupportā and Team YouTube might respondāif you hashtag them enough on Xitterābut their vague platitudes rarely address any problems. Mostly they just link to subjective policies Iām already far too familiar with.
Frankly, YouTube has gone from being one of my favorite platforms to one I canāt wait to rely on less. Behind the scenes, itās a nightmare.
ALPHABET = MO' PROBLEMS THAN LETTERS
Based on my experiences, I'm not surprised the Department of Justice called for Alphabet-owned Google to sell off Chrome for its unfair business practices.
Maybe this will be the firstāof manyācorrections for a corporate and tech behemoth thatās clearly lost its way. And forgot why its services became popular in the first place.
Iām far from alone in my frustration. More creators are calling out YouTubeās problems with bots, bullies, and bureaucracyāand demanding real change.
Weāre mad as hell and weāre not going to take it anymore.
MOVING FORWARD + MOVING ON?
Until I can make ends meet without relying on the platform to cover some of my basic living expenses, Iām moving forward with a plan that I share in my āreturn to YouTubeā video:
After yet another forced ābreakā thanks to YouTubeās ever-vigilant bot police, Iām glad to be back. With you at least. The bots? Not so much.
A quick note and reminder: Due to the platform's overzealous "Community Guidelines," Iāll be keeping things more ad- and family-friendly here on YouTube.
If youāre looking for spiceāand everything niceāhead over to my Substackā¦.
A big shoutout to my amazing patrons and subscribers! Your support means the world to me. I literally couldnāt keep doing this without you."
Let me emphasize that last part: THANK YOU, PATRONS AND SUBSCRIBERS!
I appreciate every single one of you for supporting me and my workānot just here on Substack, but also on CollidePress.com, on Ko-Fi, and, yes, even on YouTube.
AND THE BAND PLAYED ONā¦
To fellow creators whoāve also had enough: Keep speaking up.
Keep calling out the bad policies and the broken systems.
Change might happen if enough of us demand it.
To YouTube, Google, and Alphabet, listen the fuck up: Creators are the backbone of your platform. Without us, thereās no content, no ads, and no audience.
Itās time the tech giant remembers who drives its billions in annual revenue and starts treating creators as true business partnersānot just participants in YouTubeās Partner Program. It canāt always be all about YouTube.
For now, Iām sticking to my plan: building my creative future here on Substack, a platform that respects the work I do, the community we're building, and the value we collectively bring to any platform lucky enough to have us.
If youāre not already a paid subscriber and are tired of YouTubeās nonsense too, please consider subscribing.
Iām here, queer, and creating and curating content for the rest of us, dear.
Thanks for reading!
Clint
NEWS + VIEWS
Statement On The Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu And Others (International Criminal Court)
Bluesky User Count Hits 20 Million: What To Know (USA Today)
Follow Collide Press = On Bluesky
ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 22
BIRTHDAYS
1913 = Benjamin Britten = English pianist, composer, and conductor š
1921 = Rodney Dangerfield = American comedian and actor
1924 = Geraldine Page = American actor and singer
1940 = Terry Gilliam = American-English actor and filmmaker
1943 = Billie Jean King = American tennis player š
1958 = Jamie Lee Curtis = American actor
1965 = Mads Mikkelsen = Danish actor
1967 = Mark Ruffalo = American actor
1980 = Shawn Fanning = American businessman and Napster founder
1984 = Scarlett Johansson = American actor
CELEBRATIONS
Movember (November 1-30)
EVENTS
1955 = RCA Records pays Sun Records $35,000 for Elvis Presley's contract.
1963 = John F. Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Hours later, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the 36th POTUS.
1967 = Aretha Franklin releases āChain Of Foolsā as a single.
1980 = Mae West dies in Los Angeles at the age of 88.
1995 = Toy Story, the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery, is released in theaters.
PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY
āComposing is like driving down a foggy road toward a house. Slowly you see more details of the house-the color of the slates and bricks, the shape of the windows. The notes are the bricks and the mortar of the house.ā
Benjamin Britten
NEW + FEATURED
MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Bluesky + Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop
+ Storefront + Threadless + YouTube
I so agree with you-especially about Youtube. Facebook is also nuts. So...I'll try to not write a novel...I'm a nudist and I belong to several nudist groups on Facebook. You can generally post photos but genitals of both sexes (and they consider women's breasts genitals?? whole other rant) must be covered. You can usually show all the ass you want. On Youtube you can find videos with full frontal male nudity! I've kind of made it a hobby to find them. Be creative with your search, but even by typing in "nude men" you can find videos showing the dreaded penis! They are almost always "artsy" videos, but hey, I'll take 'em! Why their bot would reject your videos is a mystery, and a stupid one. On another note, I'm a professional artist. Tying in with my love of being naked, last near I painted a 3/4 full frontal nude self-portrait. It's in your face (and 24x36 inches big-the canvas, that is). I am fed up with artists being able to make and show nude women but not men. In some of my art groups, feamale nudes seem to be ok for exhibition, but not male. I've entered it in shows in which a female nude is present but my work is rejected. Just so you know..I'm a respected, award winning artist with works in international collections, so it ain't an incompetent painting. Yes, a penis is there in my portrait, but I've seen in person the painting "L'Origine du monde" hanging in the MusƩe d'Orsay, Paris, which shows a woman's vagina with her legs spread eagled, showing it all. It's by Gusave Courbet circa 1866. No head, or arms, just the vag with legs wide open (and no shaving or trimming back then). It is universally called a masterpiece! I'll soon be trying my portrait in anothern show. We'll see what happens. The venue may reject it for fear of children being turned gay by seeing my dick. What a shame! If you want to see it my website is www.tomsmithfineart.com under the "Studio" tab.
Clint, thanks so much for the beautiful celebratory vintage montage. We appreciate your hanging in there as we are behind you 1000%. Undoubtedly you remain, as always, ā- the best. ā- Bruce