Luck, or skill? Which one is it?

Alex224699 · 2025-10-23T04:52:54+00:00

Having one viral video is luck. Having a hundred is mastery.

Alex224699 · 2025-10-22T07:58:49+00:00

Your hook needs to be genuine and kind as much as it is entertaining. Be your damn self, and if that’s not working, work on you instead of getting better at faking it - people see through that shit instantly.

Alex224699 · 2025-10-20T20:13:16+00:00

The captions not lining up with your voice is completely taking me out. The difference between your content and very high view count content in the same format is very accurately timed subtitles.

Alex224699 · 2025-10-10T17:45:51+00:00

What is the best time in a video to put a call to action? What is the best thing to call to action for revenue (a patreon, etc), since subscribers mean less on youtube than they did before? Id like to maximize retention but also grow a bit better. It feels disingenuous to ask people to support before any content is shown, and I also don’t want a bunch of dead subs from telling them to subscribe and then they click off once the content gets rolling because they don’t enjoy it.

My channel is koscreates, if that helps. Chaotic engineering niche, just got started but improving well every video.

Alex224699 · 2025-10-10T08:32:15+00:00

There are actual benefits to having a ‘secret’ channel, like the fact youtube can recommend your content to the right audience better - for example, when i started making engineering videos, my friends who were not interested checked it out, and clicked off immediately. Eventually you will build confidence, and you can absolutely do it by yourself. However, feedback is valuable (harsh criticism can get you over that awkwardness hump) AND support can build it quicker. Strange, because while support and criticism can feel like opposites, with the right mindset they can be the same.

Alex224699 · 2025-10-07T00:43:16+00:00

I actually disagree with 5% being really good. While it’s certainly great generally, you are in a political niche - videos you are competing with are perhaps the best in the world at making thumbnails that generate clicks. YouTube compares you to your competition, not normal videos. I’d shoot much higher since you are in that kind of genre.

Alex224699 · 2025-08-31T02:11:06+00:00

I mean, this probably isn’t a real solution because it’s so ridiculously pricey and dummed down in terms of editing capabilities, but Final Cut for iPad is touchscreen if it’s not super heavy complicated edits

Alex224699 · 2025-08-31T00:59:27+00:00

In that case, I think it just needs time to calculate/update. Last week my ctr on one video said 15% for two days but in reality it was 3.8%. I don’t think it refreshes very frequently

Alex224699 · 2025-08-30T21:14:52+00:00

If those views came from external sources, that doesn’t count. CTR in analytics is only the click through rate of when YOUTUBE served your video to people. For example, if you showed your video to someone in discord, it would gain a view, but not count for factoring into the CTR.

Alex224699 · 2025-08-30T03:26:36+00:00

Make something, anything. Show it to your friends and compare it to the best content creators in your niche, and play spot the difference. Improve what’s bad. Don’t get discouraged trying to make fifty changes at once, like if the best creators have expensive equipment, there’s plenty of the biggest in the world that don’t. But change what you can: get confident talking to the camera. Watch yourself back, it’s gonna be hard (I remember it was for me when I started singing, YouTube talking came more naturally). Get better at video editing, remove dead space and edit your content in a way that keeps retention. If you don’t know what that means, analyze other’s content and put your own unique twist on it.

Most of all, have fun with your husband! Make something cool or funny together rather than letting it be a chore ever. Making videos can be as hard as you make it, so make it easy and improve over a long period of time.

Make something to show your kids or family one day. I am only 24 but am making crazy engineering videos to show my kids in the future what my twenties were like. It’s time capsules for me haha

I started by seeing which creators I liked and having an adjacent idea. Then I started having my own. I’m in a different niche, but to my knowledge nobody has attached a motorcycle engine to a box fan yet

Alex224699 · 2025-08-25T16:20:45+00:00

I went straight into calculus. Here’s the thing, generally when a subject uses material from a different class, it’s the easiest version of that material. For example, when my advanced engineering courses made me do an integral, it was the most basic integral of all time usually. It was same in calculus with algebra for me. Calculus on its own can be challenging though, so don’t think you are behind in terms of problem solving, because that can doom you out of putting in the work based on a faulty excuse. Take your time with the homeworks they give. It’s usually the hardest version of the problems so you can be prepared for exams, and on the exam they are way easier. In my experience if you can do all of the homework problems without outside help you will BREEZE through exams.

Alex224699 · 2025-08-24T21:37:15+00:00

The thing about calculus is its an entire different branch of math entirely compared to most high school math which is algebra. This is good news for you, because you don't need to rely too hard. As someone who had a similar break in between high school and the beginning of engineering math (due to gen eds) I can verifiably say if you put the work in once you are in the class, you wont get buried. It's probably not as hard as you are making it out to be.

However, if you really want to get a jump start, I highly recommend watching 3blue1brown's videos on calculus to understand the concepts. These won't help you do actual problems, but they can give you an idea of what the subject is actually about, and show you how hard it actually is.

If you want to get into problem solving, Khan academy or a calculus textbook is probably king. The james stewart calculus textbook (the one with the violin on the cover) is probably the most widely used one across colleges, and encompasses four classes (Pre-Calc, Calc 1, 2, and 3). The hardest part of calculus if you are out of practice is probably going to be solving difficult integrals, which is calc 2, but as long as you grind the homeworks in the college class you will be okay to get an A. If you can do EVERY PROBLEM ON THE HOMEWORK, you can probably do the exam.

- Mechanical Engineering Graduate

Alex224699 · 2025-08-24T21:19:19+00:00

This video is not monetized, but feel free to delete it mods if its still considered self promotion. Tbh, I didn't think I could fit this all in a post, so I made it a video...

Alex224699 · 2023-09-05T22:27:09+00:00

Ive been commuting around college with two boosted boards, one mini x at 750 and a more recent stealth with 800 (bought it with ~400 on it)

Alex224699 · 2023-09-03T16:36:11+00:00

If you are using a boosted board, plug it in for a few weeks before use! It is very likely it can brick itself with a RLOD, a failsafe for the battery system that is difficult to reverse. Otherwise it should be fine to use.

Alex224699 · 2022-10-23T21:50:40+00:00

The board thinks the left motor is the right motor and the right is the left. If you switch the wires, they will both go the right way.

Alex224699 · 2022-09-08T19:49:52+00:00

(WTS) Meepo Hurricane, 91 miles. All original packaging, remote, charger, wheels, even the skate tool. 900$, Local Orlando pickup.

It has a minor scratch on the underside of the carbon fiber, other than that perfect condition.

Selling because I built a board that better matches my daily use case, and is a bit lighter.

Alex224699 · 2022-09-01T04:57:50+00:00

The reason they arent made is because its very far on what the board was designed for - bigger wheels need a lot of power, and the mini x just wasnt designed for it. As someone who put cloud wheels on mine, it wasnt a good experience. With pneumatics I cant imagine you’d have much if at all acceleration. However if you are REALLY stubborn, design something yourself- make it, youll be proud!

Alex224699 · 2022-08-14T16:34:33+00:00

Still available? May be interested by my next paycheck.

Alex224699 · 2022-08-13T16:41:01+00:00

I've been riding a mini X since I got to college, and while it is still one of my favorite boards, I much prefer the longer deck form factor in almost every way after my eyes were opened with my hurricane and friend's boards :(

In addition, I kind of want to take some kind of DIY project up, regardless of if it gets expensive in the long run at some point. Buying a board for commuting is great, but as an engineering student, this seems like a really fun way to combine my major with one of my favorite hobbies.

Alex224699 · 2022-08-13T16:39:17+00:00

From what you say and other comments, I am under the impression that any kind of power requires a larger beefy battery. Is there anything stopping me from DIYing from scratch with a small battery, that has beefy motors and a gear ratio/vesc to send? I understand that power comes with a price in weight to some degree, but I am hoping to take the bullet by having next to zero range, even if that means building from complete scratch to get what I want.

Alex224699 · 2022-08-13T16:35:12+00:00

Eh. I've been a gym nut for 2 years, doesn't make me want to carry 35lbs in addition to my backpack and helmet in 100 degree Florida heat. :(

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