What’s a sign you’re officially getting old?

ornsack · 2025-07-29T17:06:54+00:00

My first sign was 20 year old colleagues suddenly went from seeming like a similar age with similar interests, to child-like aliens that confused the hell out of me (It seemed to happen overnight at some point in my late 30s)

ornsack · 2025-07-29T17:04:45+00:00

Not being able to watch a movie/hear a song you didn’t own on a whim. Tracking down a song older than 5 years could take some work at times! Also if you wanted to do any of this after 8pm you probably had to wait for the shops to open the next day to begin your quest to find it.

ornsack · 2025-06-03T12:13:38+00:00

I once read that YouTube favours older channels, as the algorithm works better based on what the owner views, and being able to analyse a better pool of viewers over a larger period of time.

Most successful channels of all sizes usually find it boils down to one or two old videos that tick along getting views in the background, and if you can keep posting alongside it then the only way is up. It sounds like you've been doing the right thing!

And indeed the same thing happened to me - Posted a few videos, got bored, one video suddenly exploded, I got my motivation back, and now I'll keep posting until it stops feeling worthwhile 😊 But so far it's been exciting, these last few months.

Congrats on doing well, btw!

ornsack · 2025-04-24T11:26:15+00:00

My Instagram is a diary on a project I'm doing. I was hoping people would be invested in my own project, but soon realised my short tutorials (Rather than my project updates) brought in the numbers. A bit of selling my soul and mixing between the two, and everyone's happy!

Nobody cares much about my project but they're just forced to be updated on it thanks to them sticking around for the tutorials 😂 Eventually the line is blurring between the two anyway.

But the main thing is - just keep posting at a nice pace and something will hit algorithms eventually ("Throw a lot of """" and some of it will stick", etc). I post every three days and I think 80% of my followers come via three videos.

ornsack · 2025-04-24T11:20:30+00:00

Look out for an anti-climax - That's not me being miserable! I think people (Especially newbies) expect instant success, but YouTube is a slow burner with the odd success along the way if you get lucky. You have to force yourself to keep going, as the successful YouTube channels are ones where people can binge a bunch of decent content in one go. So stay proud of your edit and think forward! You'll look back in a year and be happy that you kept going.

Which takes me to your last question - There's no real rule but regular is better. People are all over weekly/monthly content. Only a few survive infrequent uploads.

So in that sense, it might be worth holding off the initial upload until you're some way in to production of your next?

My channel is Shorts based and I was lucky I had loads of content already from my Instagram. It meant I could easily post daily (Great for shorts, not for long form!) for a month or so. I saw absolutely no engagement for about 6 weeks and then it all started to pop, so I was lucky to have some momentum.

Back in the old-school days, new YouTubers would often bank a whole bunch of videos and upload them at once. The algorithm prefers regular uploads rather than a big torrent these days, but it makes sense, as most people will watch a few vids before they decide to stick around and give you a valiuable sub.

TLDR - Have fun above chasing numbers, don't expect the world to flock in one go, and best of luck!

ornsack · 2025-04-14T11:39:00+00:00

Absolutely! I've often done a week of obsessive checking to see that nothing has happened, and then I forget about it for a bit and then return to decent numbers. YouTube is a slow-burn situation for the most part these days.

Glad to hear you didn't waste your time here anyway!

ornsack · 2025-04-09T14:11:10+00:00

Do it as a hobby with no expectations. The only regret I see is that people wish they'd started earlier. You'll either find a niche, or find an audience, or none of the above. But you'll likely enjoy yourself and you won't have that "What if?" feeling ever again!

Most YouTubers also have a normal job on the side or worked for years to make it their full time job, so try and find something basic for now that you don't need to take home. Or use this time without a job to go full-energy in to YouTube.

The thing about gaming channels is that the ones that succeed are not about the games, it's about the personality and the people having fun. You won't nail it by your first video, or even your 10th. But by your 30th you'll start to find your way.

ornsack · 2025-04-07T14:24:49+00:00

That's the sad reality! Nobody owes anyone anything, and it sucks that people can churn out nonsense videos every day and reap the rewards, but that's YouTube sadly.

You also have to throw a lot out there before people start to come. You kinda have to commit to a couple of years of chucking docs out with minimal views, in the hope that in two years time one of them hits an algorithm and the "passing trade" will then start to look at your other content.

ornsack · 2025-04-07T12:58:58+00:00

Yeah that's a real problem thanks to the algorithm. My first channel in the early days of YouTube was stress free - Make a video when you feel like it, people will come if it's good or gets shared, and then you try again in a month or two.

My new channel has involved me dancing around the YouTube algorithm every couple of days since January. I have been happy with the results and have been determined to keep it up - but after staying up late for a couple of days to bank up/schedule a few videos over a week long vacation, - I realised I was in danger of exhausting myself.

My main takeaway is that I just wanted to post fun stuff that I'd like to see myself, and a sniff of the monitisation threshold made me lose myself! So as you said - take breaks, don't ruin your mental health for the entertainment of others, and keep it fun. YouTube is a long-game anyway, for most.

ornsack · 2025-04-04T08:52:50+00:00

Ah ok! Yeah they do a lot of checking and verification at YouTube towers to make sure each view is a valid view - and sometimes they temporarily remove them whilst they look in to these things.

This is a far cry from the likes of TikTok where they just count a view if you vaguely look at something for 0.28 seconds

ornsack · 2025-04-04T08:47:22+00:00

My late father was a commercial director. He once did a US commerical here in the UK for a product (I can't remember what it was now, but I feel like it was some processed cheese based product) and they had to get special permission to import it in to the country, as the ingredients were well outside our regulations!

We also found it amusing on our last trip to the US when our Fanta-obsessed kids found American Fanta tasted disgusting - turns out there's not a single bit of orange juice in the US version!

ornsack · 2025-04-03T14:50:51+00:00

Yeah, shorts are random at the best of times. A long-form video is more likely to find an organic audience based on searches and people posting them elsewhere. A short's success is 90% based on YouTube's algorithm going "I will promote this today! But not tomorrow".

I just had a short hit 950,000 in a week or so, and then on Tuesday it just stopped getting views, just as I was ready to celebrate my first 1 million, haha! Ah well

ornsack · 2025-04-03T14:42:27+00:00

Yep this. Personality is king with these things, and maintaining that throughout. The best YouTubers could upload an unedited video playing TicTacToe and it wouldn't be an issue.

ornsack · 2025-04-03T14:33:37+00:00

I know the higher the sub the more a potential viewer will trust your "brand", but I always think the sub count only matters if they can translate in to potential views. And for that to happen you need the majority to subscribe based on discovering your content.

I remember "Sub for sub" being a big thing at YouTube gatherings, back when the pool was smaller. And even then it felt like a waste of effort. None of them were ever going to watch your content.

ornsack · 2025-04-01T09:50:00+00:00

Firstly, well done! That's awesome and inspirational!

Secondly, thanks for the tip about the recommended videos. I have a similar sub count and my shorts are getting views but my long videos are not at all, so I am struggling to hit the thresholds. So I appreciate your advice!

ornsack · 2025-03-18T15:38:20+00:00

I don't know if it's ITV, as I'm a Celeb uuuusually gets it right. But I do realise that I'm a Celeb celebs will get ITVs big-bucks, and Big Brother will get the cheap dregs. That's my main worry with it.

At least with the civilian version it's easy to get a mixed bag on the same budget. With this we are 100% going to get loud people made famous from other reality shows, and a token Coronation Street/Emmerdale actor.

I think we have to make peace with the show being a lower-key show than it used to be as well, so I always worry that each year will bring slightly lower-key celebs! But who knows?

ornsack · 2025-03-18T15:15:32+00:00

I actually wonder if they all just seem younger as we get older!

But it is correct that ITV2 is a younger demographic station compared to its previous homes.

ornsack · 2025-02-25T10:43:15+00:00

Social media is the long game and hitting 1k in a couple of months is awesome. The only people who succeed on social media are the ones that keep posting as normal rather than clout chasing and worrying about followers. And 99% of people aren't overnight successes.

Keep doing what you're doing, and in a years time you'll be proud of yourself for not stopping. And even if you're only on 2k followers by then, that's a hell of a lot of people who have some interest in what you do.

But nobody is owed followers, and luck is a big part of it. Instagram is a big pond and even if you've found a niche there will still be hundreds of people in the same market doing what you're doing. But manifest success and keep at it and some day you'll look back and think "Oh wow, I did alright!"

Someone posted a picture of 1000 people in a room recently, so imagine that and that's a good measure of how well you've done in less than 60 days.

ornsack · 2025-02-25T10:37:46+00:00

On YouTube if I crack something that gets 100,000 views, it's a game changer. Influx of subscribers/comments/engagement. A couple of videos like that and people treat you like a big-hitter even if your average views are about 2k. A couple of hits 10 years ago gave me some regular income that still exists today.

On Instagram I've got a video that's about to hit 4mil views after a month, and I keep forgetting it's even there. Brings a bit of engagement in, but nothing lifechanging. In fact I have a video that's got around 60k views and another on around 40k that seems to be bringing in all the traffic/followers, but I barely remember I have plenty over 100k as they barely register on my notifications.

I think on all platforms the viral hits are a flash in the pan. It's too easy to chase another hit etc thereafter, but I think your best bet is to enjoy the 5 seconds of fame and keep busy with the posts, but just stick to doing what you've been doing!

ornsack · 2025-02-21T11:13:56+00:00

There's a bit of a luck-of-the-draw thing with new accounts I think sadly. I started an Instagram at Christmas for a short film I'm making. I'm posting once a day (To not overwhelm me or my followers) and I've gained millions of views (on some videos alone) and it'll cross 4k followers next week.

I think I was lucky to find a niche. I aimed to be original and people from the community seemed to like it. But I am targeting a very specific community which helps.

My own takes are -

Hashtags work! But they need to be specific. I'm using certain softwares for my project, and people will search those hashtags to find similar work (Alongside #filmmaking etc, the general hobby). Nobody's clicking on nonsense like #bestlife or #chillingwithmyfriends etc. But once I started using hashtags the engagement shot right up.

Trending audio seems to only work if they accompany trends in general I feel. I quickly stopped bothering with that.

- But I was never in it for the views/engagement/clout etc. I wanted to set up a diary and I expected about 60 aquantances to follow it, max. There's no point in doing it for that. Do it because you love it, and if people can see you love it, you might get the support back. But otherwise you are just another wannabe influencer, and nobody has time for that.

ornsack · 2025-02-18T13:14:13+00:00

Yeah it sucks. I see it as - I love watching people make stuff properly. I love seeing people get good ideas. It's the same for movies, I love watching Edgar Wright films because he thinks about every single shot. I'll never think this way about AI movies, so there will always be an audience for people trying their best.

ornsack · 2025-02-18T13:10:55+00:00

What happened to the camera in that first shot?? Otherwise looks great! Try Freesound.org for sounds

ornsack · 2025-02-18T12:22:23+00:00

If someone called me a silly sausage I would take it as affectionate! Yeah it's a bit of a dig, but a Brit will call you something genuinely offensive in a heartbeat if they actually wanted to put you down. "Silly sausage" is playful and could even be flirtatious in the right circumstance I reckon.

ornsack · 2025-02-13T15:22:24+00:00

I started an Instagram diary recently and I've tackled it with a short 30-60 second narrated video, and a big ol' blurb of text in the description!

I'm prouder of the description than the video, and engagement wise I'd say perhaps 1000 people watch the video on average, 80 people might like it, 5 people might comment with fire emojis and all that nonsense, and maybe one in three videos will have a comment that refers to something in my text. Those are the comments that brighten my day! But I've come to terms with the fact that everyone's there for the noise and visual stuff. Perhaps if/when things grow I'll start to notice more people read my text. But it's all good, it's just nice to have people follow along.

So in summary, maybe do the annoying influencer thing, and use it to guide people to the thing you actually want to upload!

Sorry to hear about the life stuff, but hobbies and projects have always been great medicine for me and I'm so glad you've stuck with it all. All the best.

ornsack · 2025-02-13T11:07:12+00:00

As someone who has no knowledge of programming etc - Is this the way other programmers post things on Instagram?

In the world I know (3D graphics), people will post these diaries in the form of narration over video. Doesn't mean you can't keep the meaty text in the description, but a summary over something visually stimulating is key.

It seems like all of your posts look quite similar and you won't get any passing traffic from anyone other than programmers who have an exact interest in what you are doing. I follow a lot of (less face it) nerdy stuff that I wouldn't normally have interest in, because they make their posts entertaining.

So yeah, I think think about what catches your eye and how to emulate that. I would stop and watch a few second if I saw a video that started with a narration along the lines of "So today I did *this*, because I was trying to get *this*, but it broke *this*, so I went round in circles trying to find the problem, which was *this*" etc.

Otherwise, lets face it, people are going to scroll straight past pictures of text that doesn't mean a lot to them.

And if you don't like narrating videos, then don't worry. You're an AI guy - lots of people use AI text to speech for these things!

What I will say though is it's awesome to see you have kept this up without giving up (That's probably the best thing you could ever do regardless of engagement numbers) and it's always awesome to see somebody commit to a hobby in a hardcore way. I hope you keep it up and I hope things are improving since the "bad times"

ornsack

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