I watch a lot of quilting and crochet content online, and I'm a big supporter of the crafting community at large. My patience is usually better than most, too. That said, even I have limits, and a few of them are zero tolerance. So here are:
Ten Things That Turn Me Away from Your Content
Anger Issues: I watched one maker on Youtube who had what seemed like interesting pro-craft content, but they presented everything with so much annoyance and even rage over their craft, their supplies, where they sell, the competition, and basically everything involved in their business that after a couple videos the content proved too toxic for me to keep watching. People who are that upset are not entertaining to me; they remind me of things from my past that scarred me. If you're so enraged about what you do for a living that you can't present your content with zero anger, you should really try to do something else with your time and your life.
Assumptions: Making statements about something you claim are facts but have no substantiation and are actually your assumptions tell me you're not a research person. Alas, I am.
Copyright Dodging: (Zero tolerance) Any content that violates or skirts by the skin of its teeth copyright in any way, shape or form is not my cup of tea, thanks. Come up with something original instead of stealing from other makers, please.
Dissing the Disabled: Lots of people have problems with folks with disabilities and don't want to deal with us. I try not to be a nuisance, but I never asked to lose my hearing; it just happened. I also happen to suck at reading lips. Thus I depend on closed captioning in order to understand what's being said, and if it's not available I probably won't be able to understand you. If you people with disabilities are a pain, and avoid helping us with your content to display your displeasure, then really, what do you imagine that we think of you? Also, beware of karma. Someday you will be old and likely limited, too.
Personal Life Intrusions: If your spouse, children or pets interrupt your content more than once each and every time you put a video out there, I'm not going to keep watching. It's not charming to me. I don't make you watch my dogs and my guys, do I?
Poor Execution: No matter how great your idea is, if you present it in an incoherent, illogical or mistake-riddled fashion you're going to kill my interest in a few minutes. It can help to take the time to slowly edit your content or get some help with that.
Prejudice of Any Variety: (Zero tolerance) It doesn't matter to me what ethnicity, religion, gender or creed you are/favor/follow. Me watching you making racist or prejudiced comments, assigning blame, promoting stereotypes, and otherwise stomping whatever you hate in opposition to your situation and/or beliefs is not going to happen for longer than the thirty seconds it takes for me to realize you're a bigot. I'm also not coming back, ever.
Thinly-Disguised Selling: I don't mind one or even two sponsorship mentions, but more than that turns me away. If you're basing your content on materials that have to be purchased, and for which you were paid or given said materials, please be transparent about that. It's, you know, federal law.
Unrelated Political Content: (Zero tolerance) I can't do anything about the harm that politics has done to my country, but I am not interested in any variety, and now boycott anything that contains them. I understand you may feel passionate about your views in this category, and you're certainly entitled to that, but I am sick of people dumping this stuff on me without warning in unrelated content. If that happens even once I will never go near your byline or channel again. Let me be clear: I want nothing to do with any politics, and that's my right. I suggest you start a separate outlet for your politics and clearly identify it as such in your titles and content descriptions. Then you can be passionate about your politics with like-minded folks.
You're Doing [insert skill or craft] Wrong: I've griped about this before now, but (other than unsolicited political crap) there is no better way to lose an audience than to tell them they're all wrong and you're right about anything. I know some people think this is cute, but I don't. Whether you are actually right or not, offending people before you even offer an explanation is not going to keep their attention. Also, if you believe you are right about everything your popularity is probably going to your head. So, repeat after me: I will not judge people for how they do things. I will not believe I am right about everything. I will offer my content with a more approachable and less aggressive title, i.e. Here's another/easier/shorter way to do [craft or skill].
Image by 00luvicecream from Pixabay
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