• JshKlsn@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    137
    ·
    1 year ago

    I literally have like 1TB of video stored on YouTube and privatized. Google is making $0 from my videos, but they still have to store them and have them available if I want to watch it (it’s all of my Twitch VODs). Meanwhile websites like Streamable perma-delete my 5MB video after it gets 0 views in 2 milliseconds.

    YouTube is a behemoth that will not be replaced.

    • Andrzej@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      33
      ·
      1 year ago

      I mean you’re right that YouTube isn’t going anywhere, but they’re going to either delete that data or start charging you for it at some point

      • JshKlsn@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        46
        ·
        1 year ago

        I’m shocked they haven’t already. A good 95% of YouTube could be deleted and no one would notice, and would save Google millions and millions of dollars.

        • Takatakatakatakatak@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          15
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          If they did that, I wouldn’t be able to find a fix for the fuel line getting kinked in my BG86 leaf blower. You know that video with 48 views that exactly solves the problem I am having? Same applies across basically every niche device or mechanical issue and is one of the primary reasons I find myself on youtube.

          • JshKlsn@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            9
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Fair point! However, your argument is almost more reason for Google to do it.

            You find yourself on YouTube for those niche videos, which means you’re the kind of customer YouTube would benefit from getting rid of. A few dozen views from you per year to find niche videos, is not paying them anything, and is wasting a ton of storage. They want people who spend hours upon hours on YouTube per day, essentially replacing TV. Those who spend hours and hours on YouTube, are also generally watching popular videos, or videos that YouTube is recommending, which means a ton of ad views, or even YouTube Premium subscriptions.

            I would absolutely be crushed if YouTube deleted all those random niche videos because I just used one last week to fix my car. Some random ass video showing a potential ground wire issue. I am not saying I want Google to do it, I don’t, but I am definitely shocked they aren’t.

          • AlexWIWA@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            1 year ago

            I pay for premium because I rely on those videos way more than I’m comfortable with.

            Finding how to fix a screen issue in my niche 2014 laptop in 2022 was a wild experience.

        • thawed_caveman@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          11
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Sometimes i feel bad for YouTube. Video hosting is the worst of both worlds (heaviest storage and highest bandwidth) and there’s a LOT of video on YouTube, most of it worthless.

          • JshKlsn@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            9
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            and they keep the original file as well as their converted file. So every video you upload is stored at least twice. Technically more, because popular videos are stored on multiple servers to ensure fast load times no matter where you live. It’s crazy. I would love to see a behind the scenes your of YouTube, and a live stat counter page. It would seem fake.

        • BearJCC@lemmy.sdf.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          1 year ago

          They are starting to delete the data associated to Google accounts that have not signed in in several years. This includes their YouTube videos. I have started downloading the videos from creators that have passed that I still wish to watch.

    • Misconduct@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I wouldn’t count on that and I’d definitely recommend backups. I had a channel full of videos just disappear and I never found out what happened. I just went to check something one day and it was gone. The videos are all gone. Nobody could help I eventually just had to suck it up. From what I read at the time it happens here and there but not to people big enough for there to ever be a stink about it. Someone said it happens if you don’t log on for long enough but I logged in every few months at least for various reasons so I dunno.

      • JshKlsn@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        1 year ago

        Oh I don’t. I just move them there because Twitch deletes them after a few days. I don’t care about them, it’s just an easy 1 click button to save them on YouTube.

        In fact I stopped relying on Google services when they banned the Terraria developers Google account and the only way he got it back was by canceling the Stadia release of Terraria.

        Since that day, I switched to ProtonMail with a custom domain, immich.app, proton calendar, and more.

        Realized that unless I have to power to potentially cost Google millions of dollars, Google won’t even look my way.

        • Holzkohlen@feddit.de
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          That’s right. You are simply in better hands if you actually pay for a service. If google offers you something for free, they do not really owe you anything, you are not entitled to that service.

          • PolarisFx@lemmy.fmhy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            I priced it out recently and protonmail is more expensive than paying for Google business email and extra space. I thought about switching but I can’t think of a way it will significantly make my life better. I’d rather pay some money so hopefully I’m not the product anymore.

    • Cybersteel@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yep I have a scheduled task that uploads terabytes worth of empty/noise videos up on to YouTube to take up their hosting space as a final hurrah/middle finger to those corporate fat cats/silicon valley pundits.

    • BCsven@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Someone mentioned youtube was sending notices to people with private videos, about removing them or making public