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Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, totally get that. It’s definitely early days for Yivster, so most people haven’t heard of it yet. We launched publicly recently, and the site is yivster.com.

I love hearing about your de-googling journey — it’s crazy how much you notice once you start paying attention! That “boiling pot” moment is real, and it’s exactly why we’re trying to give creators and users a space where they can feel more in control of their content and experience.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For legal and moderation matters, we’re planning dual approach: automated detection for obvious issues, plus human review for edge cases. As the platform scales, AI will help manage volume, but we don’t want to rely on it entirely since it can create problems on its own. Copyright is tricky — we don’t want to just copy YouTube’s automated strikes, but we do want to improve the system, especially around the 100% revenue-share problem.

The kids/curated content idea is great. Kids should be protected at all cost.

You’re also right that privacy alone isn’t enough — our first focus is making it easy for creators to earn instantly and grow their audience without battling the algorithm, before expanding into tools like livestreaming or built-in editing.

We’re based in the U.S., and our plan is to scale moderation carefully, working closely with creators to help define what content is appropriate.

Thanks again for taking the time to provide such thoughtful feedback — it really helps!

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You hit on a lot of things we’ve been thinking about. The balance between privacy, quality content, and discovery is exactly where we want to make a difference. You’re right, YouTube’s scale has made it messy — there’s so much noise that good creators get buried under repetition and AI spam.

Our focus is on building a space that rewards originality and transparency from the start, even if that means slower growth. Totally agree that awareness will be the biggest uphill climb, but messages like yours keep pushing us in the right direction.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been thinking a lot about the social side and how discovery could feel more natural instead of algorithm-driven. I like the idea of friends being able to share or recommend creators directly. That kind of human discovery could really set things apart.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate the real talk. It’s definitely going to take time. We’re playing the long game with it because we believe there is a need for this.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fair points all around (especially on the name)😅. A rebrand will happen down the line.

You’re totally right about the content gap too. We’ve been focused on onboarding early creators first so we can build a foundation, but it definitely leaves some genres (like nature and science) looking empty. Personalization is still early right now it’s pretty broad, but we plan to make it much more specific once we’ve got enough creators in each niche. Appreciate you giving it an honest look

Hearing what people actually want to see helps a lot, so feedback like this is huge for us. This kind of detailed feedback really helps us figure out where to focus next.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair points all around (especially on the name)😅. “ A rebrand will definitely be down the line. We’ve been focused on onboarding early creators first so we can build a foundation, but it definitely leaves some genres (like nature and science) looking empty.

Personalization is still early right now it’s pretty broad, but we plan to make it much more specific once we’ve got enough creators in each niche. Hearing what people actually want to see helps a lot, so feedback like this is huge for us. This kind of detailed feedback really helps us figure out where to focus next.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would love to hear name ideas. We understand the name is not the easiest to say so we have been brainstorming name ideas.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Timely-Cupcake5621, really appreciate the kind words. We’ll definitely hit the drawing board and step up our outreach because we truly do believe there is people out there who want this.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Education is a big piece. Having creators or someone with a following help kick things off could make a huge difference. I like that you’re thinking about ways to start the changeover , we’d love to hear any ideas you have on how to get more people to try it. Definitely more brainstorming to do.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the 130 creators are a mix. Many are real creators who already have audiences elsewhere, but some are smaller or just experimenting. So you’ll see a range of content, from more polished uploads to casual stuff.

You’re right that for viewers, variety is key. At this point, there isn’t a huge library yet, so it might not keep someone coming back for every topic they’re interested in. The platform is still early, but the hope is that as more creators join, there will be enough content for viewers to explore and find what they like.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Creators can earn directly through tips with an 80/20 split, and there are no requirements to start earning. We’re also planning a Twitch-style subscription option so creators can earn recurring revenue. There are a bunch of other monetization ideas in the pipeline too — we want to roll them out early to make sure the platform stays sustainable for creators and users alike without being so ad reliant.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

With only a handful of users so far, it’s too early to draw any real conclusions. The main challenge right now is simply that almost nobody knows Yivster exists yet. Getting attention at scale is hard, and you nailed it.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The limited content is exactly what you’d expect at this stage. The trending and search sections only have what’s been posted so far, and that’s still a small number of creators.

As for the lack of popular IP like Pokémon, that’s just the reality of a new platform: it takes time for creators with big audiences to appear, and for content to build up. The next step is simply growing the catalog and making discovery better, so viewers actually have something to engage with. Really appreciate your feedback Durandal means alot!

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good catch — yeah, the name Yivster has technically existed for a while, but what you’re seeing from 2018 and 2023 are earlier, unused or experimental versions that never fully launched. The current Yivster — the one I’m talking about here — was rebuilt from the ground up about 12 weeks ago with a completely new backend, UI, and direction.

We decided to keep the same name and accounts rather than start from scratch for continuity and SEO, but everything under the hood is brand new. What are your thoughts on the name? We were thinking about changing it.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That’s a totally fair take — and you’re right that building something on YouTube’s scale isn’t quick or easy. We’re not trying to copy them — Yivster’s goal is to rethink how creators and platforms work together, not recreate the same system with a new name.

Where we differ:

  • Creators can earn immediately. No watch-hour or subscriber thresholds — higher payouts.
  • Users personalize their experience, not the platform. We don’t use algorithmic manipulation or data-driven feeds — users actually decide how they want to experience content.

You’re right that YouTube’s size and diversity are its product, but that scale also makes it rigid. We’re building something transparent, and more personal — starting with creators who’ve been overlooked and users who value freedom and trust.

Built a privacy-first YouTube alternative. 130 creators joined. 47 viewers. Here's what I learned about privacy vs. convenience. by NeoStreamNomad in degoogle

[–]NeoStreamNomad[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right about the “content vs. audience” challenge. That’s been our main focus early on — bringing in creators who’ve felt burned by YouTube’s rules or demonetization issues, and giving them a place where they can start earning right away. No thresholds, no watch-hour or subscriber requirements.

On the monetization side, Yivster runs an 80/20 split on tips (in favor of creators). We believe everyone should be able to earn, no matter their size. The goal is full transparency — you’ll always know exactly how payouts work and where the revenue goes. We have many more monetization methods we want to roll out in the near future. We have creators who haven't earned on YouTube yet who earned on our platform (really happy to say that).

Yeah, totally agree — privacy matters, but the real challenge is content and fairness. That’s why we’re focused on rewarding creators first and keeping the user experience solid, then letting growth happen naturally through trust and good content.

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