When People Cheat Subscribers

Beastby

Designer, gamer, lion tamer
Hello you lovely ladies and manly gents,

How does it make you feel when you see a Youtube channel that has blatantly, obviously, no-doubt-about-it gained their subs the wrong way, ie sub4sub, buying subs and views, and any other way it might be done?

Do you shrug it off and move on?

Does it annoy you when you've worked so hard for yours and they have cheated?

Do you feel the urge to tell them that you know? :P

Do you feel bad for making the assumption in the first place?



I feel like the younger youtubers are the main ones doing it and I've started to spot forum members who do it. I feel bad for thinking it as I've always believed you should never make assumptions on people, but sometimes, I just can't help it.

I think it makes a bad name for the rest of us small youtubers who do try hard and who are genuine. I say this a lot but as I've come to know the people on this forum there are so many hardworking and dedicated youtubers that deserve a break and there's others ruining it for the rest of us.

So what's your take on it?

Have an awesome day and a happy new year!

Beastby
 
I pay very little attention to them tbh.

sub4sub etc are empty subs, so don't really mean a thing - they don't actually watch any of your content. I pay more attention to the views people are getting. Subs are people that can easily access your new content - your subs will get hit with your stuff first, but even then, it doens't mean they'll actually click.

Views and watch time are what is important
 
I dislike those who buy subs and views, but IMHO sub4sub isn't always bad, as I often do that with people who have similar interests or channels as me (we'll both check each other's channels out). I think buying subs and views is pretty hollow and wouldn't bring any satisfaction to me as I revel in making the effort to be interesting to try and gain subscribers.
 
Sub 4 Sub will not get anyone no-where and thats a fact really. Its stupid people do it, but in a way they dont really take youtube for what youtube is and want to cheat to look like they have a big fanbase, i know some have around 400 subscribers due to sub4sub, but really probably 1-100 of those is an active member and watches their content.

For that i say Views + Comments are the best thing, where your audience can engage you
 
I pay very little attention to them tbh.

sub4sub etc are empty subs, so don't really mean a thing - they don't actually watch any of your content. I pay more attention to the views people are getting. Subs are people that can easily access your new content - your subs will get hit with your stuff first, but even then, it doens't mean they'll actually click.

Views and watch time are what is important

I understand that they are empty subs but people are using them in attempt to skip the early stages. For people like us we can recognise it but for the average viewer they may choose to watch their video over yours as higher subs ultimately could mean better content. Like I said, we know that's not true, but to the average viewer...

Views are important yes, and watch time is great for Youtube stat ranking, but subs are one of the most important aspects of Youtube. A subscriber is a person who is actively letting you and others know that they like you and your content and want to see more. For others, seeing the channel from the "outside", and seeing a high sub count they will assume that this person has a following.

This will ultimately put viewers off smaller channels as they may come to assume that we're not worth their time. As people continue to cheat their sub count that bar goes higher.

I dislike those who buy subs and views, but IMHO sub4sub isn't always bad, as I often do that with people who have similar interests or channels as me (we'll both check each other's channels out). I think buying subs and views is pretty hollow and wouldn't bring any satisfaction to me as I revel in making the effort to be interesting to try and gain subscribers.

Sub4sub in terms of actively supporting one another is something we all do, but I'm talking about the disingenuine sub4subbing that goes on. The ones who only sub to each other as a way to boost their own channel.

It's just so...why....?

Sub 4 Sub will not get anyone no-where and thats a fact really. Its stupid people do it, but in a way they dont really take youtube for what youtube is and want to cheat to look like they have a big fanbase, i know some have around 400 subscribers due to sub4sub, but really probably 1-100 of those is an active member and watches their content.

For that i say Views + Comments are the best thing, where your audience can engage you

I think you hit the nail on the head when you say they aren't taking youtube for what it is. Some people are treating it like your average social network where the more friends or followers you have, the cooler you are :P
 
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I understand that they are empty subs but people are using them in attempt to skip the early stages. For people like us we can recognise it but for the average viewer they may choose to watch their video over yours as higher subs ultimately could mean better content. Like I said, we know that's not true, but to the average viewer...

Views are important yes, and watch time is great for Youtube stat ranking, but subs are one of the most important aspects of Youtube. A subscriber is a person who is actively letting you and others know that they like you and your content and want to see more. For others, seeing the channel from the "outside", and seeing a high sub count they will assume that this person has a following.

This will ultimately put viewers off smaller channels as they may come to assume that we're not worth their time. As people continue to cheat their sub count that bar goes higher.



Sub4sub in terms of actively supporting one another is something we all do, but I'm talking about the disingenuine sub4subbing that goes on. The ones who only sub to each other as a way to boost their own channel.

It's just so...why....?



I think you hit the nail on the head when you say they aren't taking youtube for what it is. Some people are treating it like your average social network where the more friends or followers you have, the cooler you are :p
Nailed it.
 
In a small sense I have done sub4sub, though it isn't always blatant. for example, I make Far cry 4 videos, I type 'far cry 4' in the search on youtube, filter for 'newest' , then I watch people's content, and after a while of supporting their channel and staying active, I would say ' hey! I just posted a vid this morning, would you mind taking a look?'

I do this less commonly as I have grown as a channel, but it is a good way to build a small following of dedicated subs to kickstart my channel. Now I get around 100 views on each video and 15-20 likes!

Hope this helped to give you a different perspective!
 
I don't think you ever do sub4sub or even shoutout series that are based on people subscribing to you. All it does is inflate your subscribers and leave you with inactive subs. All you have to do is look at someone's sub base to view ratio.
 
There was this girl I know who went around popular videos asking in the comments for 'YouTube Friends' which basically means sub for sub and her sub count went up by over a 100 and I was so close to calling her out for it.
Sub4sub is awful and I don't think it does anyone any good...
 
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