Fun thread, and as ever, I'm late arriving... Lots to chew over here, and too much to quote/reply to all, but this one from the OP...
Scottdimelow":iq58cp58 said:
It is hard for me to take criticism, well meaning as it is. I must try harder
Scott, you are going to *love* YouTube when you start getting more views and comments!!
Seriously, most important piece of gear for YouTubers - Rhino skin.
Must confess I had a bit of a giggle at the 'expense' of setting up to shoot video; have to agree with sammy.se - honestly, it's never been cheaper. I shot my first video on my phone, shot & edited my 2nd on my phone. Yes, yes - it shows; but it also shows it can be done, and the most important thing about starting a channel is... to start. The cost of setting up to shoot video is a fraction of say, setting up a workshop, and a tiny fraction of what I spent setting up the photographic studio in my former career ~30 years ago.
Re. earnings on YouTube, the Adsense rates are modest, but it's something - try getting a share of ad revenue from videos posted on Facebook or Instagram. Also, can I just mention that there's an NDA buried in the YouTube agreement that every YouTuber signs up to that precludes the discussion of YouTube earnings, and that your 'partnership' with YouTube can be revoked if you're caught. Yeah, as modest as they are, we wouldn't want to be without those earnings.
FWIW YouTube's monetisation changes from a year ago meant that you need 1000 subscribers and a minimum of 4000 hours of watchtime in the previous 12 months to qualify; this is just a 'minimum payment' level from youtube - any channel with less than 4000 hrs in 12 months their revenue would be so small it isn't worth YouTube's time processing the payment, and the 1000 subscriber minimum helps keep the spammers and scammers down.
I didn't monetise my channel until after the first year, and in the 12 months since then, the combined income from YouTube Adsense, affiliate links, and Patreon support is more than paying my workshop rent; wether it can be wound up to become a viable (if modest) income remains to be seen, and will be my focus for this coming year, as retirement / semi-retirement beckons. We'll see.
Scott, I've sent you a PM with some links to YouTubers I found particularly useful when I was setting up my channel. And also, since it's a shameless plug thread, can I recommend my podcast, Measuring Up (
http://www.measuringupopodcast.com) that I do with Andy Maclellan (YouTube's Gosforth Handyman) - always worth a listen.
Cheers Peter