I worked in commercial radio broadcasting for nearly 7 years. As they say in the radio business, I had a great face for radio. That’s not meant as a compliment. Translation: I’ll never make the cover of GQ Magazine (unless GQ stands for “Geek Quarterly”) and no one’s going to swipe right on me in a certain dating app. I was comfortable speaking on the radio to tens of thousands of people because they couldn’t see me. So, it was out of character for me to decide to start making YouTube videos, though I agonized over the decision for months.
Fool Me Once
Having seen many a video on YouTube, one thing is certain: There are vloggers of all shapes, sizes, ages, orientations, and levels of attractiveness, not to mention levels of talent. Regarding the latter, I’ll warn you right now…My video skills are on the same level as my aesthetic appeal. Nevertheless, I’m giving it a go. I can’t afford a snazzy new digital camera so I’m using my old Android smartphone. When you’re financially challenged you must improvise like MacGyver. Accordingly, this will result in audio and lighting issues. There will be no green screen effects, no custom music, and no fancy graphics, at least not for a while. Worst case, I make a fool of myself. It wouldn’t be the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Hey- If I’m going to be made fool of, I’d rather it be at my own hands.
The Wall
To be clear, I’m operating under no delusions. I’m not aiming to become a video star, or a major social media influencer, or have my videos go viral. My singular motivation derives from the fact that I’ve hit a wall when it comes to getting the word out about my free website blog and my subscriber-based Patreon blog. I can’t afford advertising and I’m not into Facebook or TikTok, so YouTube seemed to be the next logical step. YouTube has only been around for about 20 years. I guess I’m not exactly an early adopter.
GFM
My first YouTube video was to educate Como Audio owners about our GoFundMe campaign and what’s happening to the Internet radio and podcast service. The video was only available for a week or two and then I took it down after the campaign ended.
My second video, posted early last month, is a very basic overview of how to search for Internet radio stations and to also introduce my own Internet radio station, Wind Chime Radio.
My video for this month is about light organs. What’s a light organ? You’ll just have to tune in to find out. And in this video, you’ll notice a subtle change in my attire along with a new hairdo. Links are at the end of this article if you dare.
I’ll be uploading another video October 15th with more fun vintage fare. The above photo provides a hint to the subject matter.
Vintage Videos
Each month I’ll post a video that will focus on music, approaching it from a vintage angle…vintage audio gear, records, CDs, 8 tracks, and more…kind of like a video version of this Recommended Stations website blog. I’m going to try to keep it laid back, like a conversation between friends who are into music. I might devote some videos to horror films since that’s my second passion behind music. It’s possible I’ll broaden the subject matter even more, especially if I start to run out of music related ideas, but for now, this is my plan.
“…it was out of character for me to decide to start making YouTube videos…”
Nasty Boys
One important decision I had to make was whether to allow comments or not. It’s tricky because I’ve found some people can be quite nasty and YouTube’s filter doesn’t seem very aggressive. I don’t mind if someone disagrees with something I say, but there’s no need to get personal. Moreover, personal attacks do nothing to further one’s argument. I think constructive comments contribute a lot to the overall YouTube experience. I enjoy scrolling down and reading viewer comments as I watch a video. Accordingly, I’ve enabled the option, though not notifications if someone posts a comment. I don’t plan to monitor the comments. I openly provide my email address in my YouTube channel information so if someone has something they want to say to me they can do so. Otherwise, feel free to comment if you feel so inclined, just please be civil. We’re all friends here.
Suggestion Box
Please check out my YouTube videos, “like” them, subscribe to my channel, email me with some music related topics for future videos if you wish, and most important, spread the word. With a few exceptions like this month, I’m going to try to commit to posting 1 new video every month. One video per month might not seem like much, but it’s a lot for me with the other things I have going on in my life.
This YouTube thing is a totally new chapter for me, and frankly, it’s a little scary. But I’m hoping it’ll be fun and you’ll enjoy it. As I remarked before- worst case, I embarrass myself, we share a few laughs, and then I fade away into oblivion. If that happens then it really will be video killed the radio star.
Trivia (according to Wikipedia): The first-ever YouTube video was uploaded on April 23, 2005. “Me at the zoo” lasted 19 seconds and featured YouTube’s co-founder, Jawed Karim, at the San Diego Zoo standing in front of 2 elephants.
Trivia (according to broadbandsearch.net): YouTube has nearly 2.68 billion monthly active users; 45% of people use YouTube daily; and; Google paid $1.65 billion for YouTube 18 months after YouTube started.