Joshua_Blaine comments on October 2014 Bragging thread. - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Joshua_Blaine 07 October 2014 06:20PM

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Comment author: Joshua_Blaine 07 October 2014 07:07:57PM *  20 points [-]

To start off with something everyone here will be interested in, I've recently and finally finished the first part of my video version of The Useful Idea of Truth (LW post here, Youtube link here). It seems well liked, and I'm even wondering if I should've posted it to Main. To understand what finishing this project means to me may be hard, as it means a lot. I have learned a ton doing this, and am really happy with the final look. My previous video editing experience was basically putting still frames and videos in sequential order with a spoken voice overtop. I'm 18 years old. I'm 18 and inexperienced and I just made something that I consider on par with CGP Grey in production quality, and he's been making videos professionally for years. It's so great to look at one of my idols, say "I bet I could do that too," and then actually do it. There's a real-world benchmark for this skill I've never really done before, and I matched it. I'm developing as a person, learning and training new skills, and it's feeling great. Of course, at >80 hours for that 6 minute video, my production rate isn't so great, given I still have schooling and work to worry about. I'm sure I can optimize, slim down, and otherwise improve my workflow, and I'd love to just jump right into doing this full-time, cranking out LW videos every other week, but I can't. I've got a bit of a pipe dream, of course, that crowd-funding or an official sponsor could keep me going until Youtube add revenue/Subable/Patreon can support me, but I'm not confident there's room in people's budget for something like this work to become a priority for them.

Less of public interest, I have made a lot of progress with my schooling. This last spring I made an arrangement with my High school to do my Senior year somewhat differently than is standard. Thanks to advanced placement classes completed in previous years, I had only 3 credits needed to graduate, so I had the option to just do those 3 courses at my own pace, over the summer. 2 have been completed (yay me, I can self-motivate!) , and all I have left to finish is my English 12 class. 4 days ago, I buckled down and finished the 1st of the 4 papers I need to do. The reading needed for the others is getting done quickly, and I'm happy with what progress I have done already. I look forward finishing High School without having to actually go to school, and the validation of my previous feelings toward self-paced lessons is nice.

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 10 October 2014 01:10:13PM *  2 points [-]

Congratulations! I have never tried editing a video, but people I know who are good at it say it is a lot of work, even for a simple video. Well, you will have to prioritize: choose only the topics where you believe the value of the video is highest (or where you believe you will learn much more from doing this specific video than from other videos).

I'm even wondering if I should've posted it to Main

I'm conflicted. The video is awesome! The article itself, that's just two short paragraphs and two hyperlinks. Would it be possible to include the video in the article the next time? To make it more obvious that we are voting about the video, not about a link to the video.

Actually, I think this video deserves even better place than merely a link from Main, which will scroll down and disappear in a few months. Putting in on the LW front page would be probably too much. But I could imagine including it in a wiki page, and linking that wiki page specifically from the LW front page. Perhaps the wiki page should include more high-quality educational videos (I'm thinking about the "Straw Vulcan" lecture now). Something a newcomer who prefers watching videos to reading texts could easily find and see.

Opinions? Where should this video be?

I have learned a ton doing this

Would you like to share what you learned? Either in comments, or in an article. If other people could learn from you, the work on future videos could be shared. (Yeah, you would also help your competition, but you already have thousands of competitors anyway.) You could also get some interesting advice in the comments.

I've got a bit of a pipe dream, of course, that crowd-funding or an official sponsor could keep me going until Youtube add revenue/Subable/Patreon can support me, but I'm not confident there's room in people's budget for something like this work to become a priority for them.

You'll never know unless you try. (You also don't know if you will be able to do the work for a long time, or if it gets boring later.) If it's not difficult/costly, you could just make a Patreon account now and see... worst case, nothing happens; at least you get empirical data. Also, there is a chance that the future will show you an alternative good outcome, for example, if you make a few good videos, maybe you will not get enough ad/Patreon money, but someone may pay you for making a few videos for them and you may enjoy that. If the videos are out there, people can see them; just remember to include a contact in case anyone wants to pay you (make a webpage, and put a link into youtube video descriptions).

Perhaps make an estimate of how much money would you want to get for making another video like this (then multiply it at least by two to compensate for the planning fallacy, for not working on your own favorite topic, and for the few changes in the video that your customer will want later), and write it on your website, so if someone is okay with the price they can contact you immediately. (That also includes anyone who thinks that more LW topics could be converted to videos, and is willing to pay for that.)

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