Not many people paid much attention to the video and related transcript that I posted to this blog yesterday, in which I suggested that 2025 might not be such a good year for Donald Trump. It only attracted eight comments.
The situation was somewhat different on YouTube. It appeared to be attracting slightly above-average traffic until about 10 in the morning when there was a sudden and very marked upturn in the number of people viewing it. About 10,000 people had viewed it by that time, which was good, but from then on it ran at more than 30,000 views an hour for a number of hours. By this morning, the total number of views has exceeded 332,000 views, and will I suspect have more than that by the time you read this. It has also attracted more than 7,000 new followers to my YouTube channel.
Although my discussion was a UK-based commentary on US politics, the vast majority of those watching this video appear to be in the USA. More than 97% of those ticking to say whether they liked or disliked the video provided a positive indication of their appraisal of it. What is more, the average viewing time was 64% of the video, with around 50% watching it to the end. Both are above average on YouTube.
Nothing that I have published on the blog or on the YouTube channel has ever attracted anything like this level of traffic before. In fact, there have never been 100,000 views of the blog in a day, ever, and those with more than 50,000 views are very few in number, so please forgive me if I do, as a result, note this surprising event.
I do not publish for the sake of attracting numbers of hits on any platform. Nor do I obsess about attracting or keeping followers. If I were, then I would not have posted about Labour in the way that I have done this year because it has most certainly cost followers on Twitter and maybe lost traffic here. But, when an event like this happens, I cannot help but say that it is quite rewarding to know that something that you have produced is appreciated by a lot of people.
When I asked on this blog earlier this year whether a YouTube channel was a good idea, the overall feedback was not enthusiastic, but I decided to take the risk. It seems that the risk is beginning to pay off.
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Richard, I very much prefer to read the transcripts, but I do recognise that youtube is a much more significant forum. Would there be any possibility of responses here to transcripts being automatically also posted on youtube?
Keep up the good work!
I don’t think that is possible
I read yesterday’s article about Trump and I thought it was very astute. Very different audiences here and on YouTube. For serious matters, I am very much a reader. I enjoy YouTube much more for entertainment purposes and I fear for the information the tech giants collect about us, particularly what they may infer in terms of political views, based on the media we consume.
You are doing a great job and your reach gives me optimism that there is appetite for change.
Thanks
The “Donald Trump Ain’t Gonna Like 2025” was an excellent video. It had appeal to Yanks because amateur “Politicos” of both the left, the middle and the right are discussing points you made around coffee shops and wine bars in every corner of the US.
Not surprised the thread only got eight comments here as you basically stated everything that could be stated. There was no room for argument and discussion because you hit the nail on the head without even swinging the hammer.
As they say in the fashion world “You Totally Shut It Down”.
Thanks!
Any views from1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC or Mar A Largo Florida?
Not known!
But I bet someone did notice
If you can bear going on to Truth Social, he usually reacts to things there, whether he’s seen them first-hand or someone has told him about them.
That would be a step too far…..
Congratulations Richard. Keep doing whatever works.
That’s good to hear, WELL DONE!
Remember that owing to Elon Musk’s new commitments to helping destroy America, a lot of people are leaving Twitter, so follower numbers may be going down there for that reason too.
Please keep the main thing as “money” though. There are millions of people out there, and with each bit of bad news, they get more receptive to the truth about where money really comes from, even if everyone here has heard it many times.
Noted
But you cannot talk money every day
Correct!
At some point you must talk about birds, water buffalo and every now and then “the price of tea in China”.
You can’t do ‘money’ without doing politics!
As a quasi-Luddite, may I ask a basic, silly question?
I watch your videos by pressing the play button on this blog. I don’t use the ‘Play on YouTube” button.
Does my viewing count towards your YouTube numbers?
If not, I’ll start using the latter method. (As an aside, I always watch to the end)
Both count, as far as I know
And to be honest, numbers really do not matter that much
Yes, the view here option on some web browsers generates data for youtube. Where youtube channels (not youtube) disable the view here option, it’s usually because it reduces their revenue income, which Richard isn’t seeking here.
@iusedtobeenglish
I jack into YouTube to watch the videos to make sure Richard’s gets the numbers and also to read the comments. The commentariat on YouTube (there are many regulars) is much more international than on the blog. I really want to know what the rest of the world thinks and how they think.
I am surpriased how respectful they are
The trolls really stand out
Yes, ‘view here’ on a web browser generates data for youtube. Because Richard doesn’t want/need to commodify his viewers views, i.e. generate income from them, you or me viewing from a web browser doesn’t cost him anything.
FYI Everything on the web is constantly surveilled (‘watched-over’) and a YouTube view is counted when a viewer intentionally initiates the video‘s playback (whether on youtu.be or firefox/wherever), so you don’t have to watch it until the very end for Richard to know a view has happened….
I do know how long on average people watch
I am given no clue who watches unless they comment
Thank you for your responses, everybody!
I asked because I wanted to make sure it didn’t affect the total number of ‘watches’ recorded. I appreciate the Prof’s work and have learned a great deal about what is – I suspect to most of the posters here – very basic stuff.
As for watching to the end, I wasn’t thinking in terms of monetising. I don’t really understand the hit-and-run viewings. Why switch off?
“I don’t agree”? How can anyone possibly formulate opinions about what’s being said unless they listen to the end?
“I already know that”? There’s always something new to learn, even about things you think you know well.
And it isn’t as if these videos are very long. Unless, of course, you have the attention span of a gnat…
Anyway- keep up the good work sir.
(Only know the basics about bitcoin too – so looking forward to that!)
I freqently watch only part of a YouTube
Most often people drop out in less than 30 seconds – they decide this is not for them
This year I have watched a lot of educationally orientated videos – to see what a person concludes
I sometimes skip to the concusion before then deciding whether to watch it all
Half the time I leave the – having learned anough
That is what people now do
Any idea why the sudden jump in views from 10am? Is it to do with US viewers’ time difference?
I think so
It was interesting that Antonia Ocasio-Cortez ( considered ‘Far-Left’ in Trumpland but actually a Social Democrat) was re-elected but many who voted for her, also voted for Tump. Supports what you have been saying I think.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/11/politics/video/aoc-donald-trump-ticket-splitting-lead-digvid
Agreed
I have read this
I find it interesting today to see headlines that Elon Musk indicates that there is a financial crisis while at the same time Bitcoin is rocketing under the expectation of Trump becoming President.
My own view is that Bitcoin is very much a tool for crooks and gamblers and I think of it as a new currency for organised crime which is now bigger than ever before.
One suspects that Musk and others are about to cash in on it even more.
Any thoughts?
I am working on a Bitcoin video
I bet it will generate 100,000 views in one day!
I consider my self intelligent but I do not have any understanding on bitcoin.
I am looking forward to this video where you breakdown what Bitcoin really is and how Bitcoin really works.
For me it would help if you could ‘Explain It Like Legos”! LOL
Let’s see
This might take more than one go
And actually, quite a lot of it will be all about questions – because there are no answers
I meant to say 100,000 views in one hour not in a day!
I doubt it!
Jim “My own view is that Bitcoin is very much a tool for crooks and gamblers and I think of it as a new currency for organised crime which is now bigger than ever before.”
It is also a valuable resource to libertarians and lefties that are terrified by the socio-political implications of CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) and how a globalist oligarchy is certain to (mis)use it.
I’m intrigued by Richard’s disclosure that he’s working on a Bitcoin article/vid. Can’t wait
Algorithms work in mysterious ways! When they do they seem to deliver an international audience. A few will stick and share.
Notice the continually refinement to you videos and the regular experimenting. Your outros have come on leaps and bounds. Detail like this can only reinforce the credibility of the content.
Thanks
Once my current work schedule relaxes (and that is in sight now) we have plans to improve further
[…] mentioned yesterday that my video on Trump's prospects in 2025 had been watched by more than 330,000 people on YouTube, […]
Congratulations! Seems I was one of the few to recommend this route. But why not use the audio for a podcast as well? I’ve noticed that many YouTube channels are doing this now, e.g. Chris Hedges.
That may happen
In time…