YouTube Is Looking for Volunteers To Improve Its Site (fortune.com) 124
The video-sharing site is looking for "heroes." YouTube is looking for a few good users who want to be "Heroes." Google's video-sharing site wants volunteers to help moderate its content by flagging inappropriate content, fielding questions in YouTube Help forums, and contributing video captions and subtitles, reports Reuters. From the report:Performing those types of tasks will help users earn points in the site's new crowdsourcing program, called "YouTube Heroes." YouTube announced the "Heroes" program in a post on the site's help channel on Wednesday that included a video showing prospective volunteers how they can participate and the perks they can earn. "You work hard to make YouTube better for everyone and, like all heroes, you deserve a place to call home," YouTube says in the video.
Yeah, that's how I want to spend my free time (Score:5, Insightful)
Making millions in value-add for Google as an unpaid volunteer.
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Bastards are too cheap to hire, train, and pay people to censor stuff.
Re:Yeah, that's how I want to spend my free time (Score:4, Informative)
I think Google tried this - the issue was the subsequent mental-health changes in those employees.
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Bastards are too cheap to hire, train, and pay people to censor stuff.
Indeed. And much better to blame someone who doesn't work for them when a suit hits over something stupid. "Look! it's the moderator's fault, not ours!"
What's the use? People are gonna do it anyway to feel empowered. Grumble Grubmle.
Re:Yeah, that's how I want to spend my free time (Score:5, Interesting)
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Re:Yeah, that's how I want to spend my free time (Score:5, Insightful)
That's going to be exactly the problem. The only people who will volunteer for something like this are people with an agenda.
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That's going to be exactly the problem. The only people who will volunteer for something like this are people with an agenda.
This. Feminists will volunteer, and flag all MRA vids. MRAs will volunteer, and flag all feminist videos. PS4 fanboys will join and flag all videos portraying XBox in a good light, XBox fanboys ...
And Goggle will be silent on all of it and just mysteriously take down or demonitize videos left and right with no explanation ever given.
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Youtube is dying. Time to leave the sinking ship, and I'm already looking for alternatives.
Suggestions welcome.
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https://vimeo.com/ [vimeo.com] Is the "backup, just in case" that a lot of YT content creators are pointing out. I've heard a couple of "No, this isn't the end of YouTube, but just in case here's my vimeo channel."
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Youtube is dying.
It's true. I saw it on the Netcraft channel.
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The same is even more true of Youtube as a whole, it's used by everyone these days.
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What leverage? All you'll get as a reward is being doxed and harassed (and don't you DARE defend yourself against it, you harassing bastard!).
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YouTube is all about making millions for Google anyway. "Hey, people! Upload your cat videos for free so we can make billions annually off ads served along with them."
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Great idea (Score:5, Insightful)
I not only get to donate my time for free to a scummy multi billion dollar company but I get to promote censorship at the same time.
YouTube slaves (Score:3)
We are a multibillion $ company and the YouTube property makes us a ton of cash.
That said... well, we would LIKE to pay people to help make our site better.... but, well, our executives won't let us... something about buying an island... anyway, thanks!
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We are a multibillion $ company and the YouTube property makes us a ton of cash.
That said... well, we would LIKE to pay people to help make our site better.... but, well, our executives won't let us... something about buying an island... anyway, thanks!
Since the time this article was posted and now, they probably have all they need. People who want self-affirmation and a sense of control / megalomania. Imagine that. Thousands fighting for a cause that isn't well defined, with no way to combat their decisions or even explain a piece of information they're missing. This sounds like typical Google behavior. Ever tried calling their phone number? *hysterical laughing begins*
Now's the time for the alternate to come in to power.... if only someone had the
Community Moderation? (Score:1)
not quite (Score:2)
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Is that a +5 I agree or the -1 burn in hell you troll?
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On the other hand, Digg used community moderation too. I witnessed it's sudden and spectacular decline. Community moderation was part of the cause for that. It started out as individuals upvoting comments they agreed with and downvoting or reporting comments they disliked, but then it grew organised. Bands of dedicated activists, striving to make their political view dominant. The DiggPatriots were the best known and one of the better organised groups, but not the only one - they monitored upcoming stories,
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Moderation is censorship. Censorship is groupthink.
That's right. And what can you put on to youtube that offends no one? And if you are offended, it is easier to find people to give you support than if you are not offended.
I think Youtube is too tame as it is. The nature of Internet is that it is always my own choice to click and view content, I don't want other people with more moderate ideas to limit my experience.
Wikipedia Editors (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds like wikipedia editors, camping out on a particular topic and not allowing any view counter to their own. I assume some limitations will be there, but seems potential for abuse, because the system is already abused.
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Right now it's merely an alt-Left enabler site.
Since I'd never heard of that, I searched for it. All I got was:
The page "Alt-left" does not exist. You can ask for it to be created, but consider checking the search results below to see whether the topic is already covered.
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Sounds like wikipedia editors, camping out on a particular topic and not allowing any view counter to their own. I assume some limitations will be there, but seems potential for abuse, because the system is already abused.
Add Humans, abuse and maniacal control will ensue. Just as a relative monitoring method, watch how much stuff gets improperly moderated when the full moon is near. No joke. Ask anyone who works in a hospital/ER. :)
crowdsourcing moderation.... (Score:1)
What could possibly go wrong....... I for one look forward to seeing how quickly this degenerates into a hand full of warring fiefdoms.
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On reading TFA my first thought was like fuck that, if I want to work for nothing I'll do it for the kids' school or old soldiers or something.
But you're right, there are rewards other than money, and one of them is teh lulz.
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It's not even lulz, it's that some people are so desperate to cling on to ANY bit of power whatsoever that they'll push for the title. Look at wikipedia, the people that are... I don't even know the phrase, but the ones that sit on pages and deny any updates that aren't their own, or any update that makes their information look wrong.
People will spend 20 hours a day earning points just so they can get the "hero" title and get whatever mod power that grants, and they will base their entire lives around it. B
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In that case, the lulz come from tormenting them. Not that I'd ever do that...
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Flagging Inappropriate Content? (Score:1)
Oh good, unpaid volunteers deciding what's allowed and not allowed on the site. I'm sure they'll follow the guidelines, right? RIGHT?
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Why limit it to nation states? Anyone who wants to push their viewpoint and squelch opposing ones will jump onto this chance to silence the opposition.
The " (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:The perks are crap (Score:2)
Pay someone? (Score:1)
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There are many people who live to stick their noses in other people's business. Why waste money by paying them?
The Uber of Online Videos (Score:5, Funny)
I'm looking for volunteers to fluff my pillow and scratch my balls.
It's an unpaid position, but think how good it will look on your resume.
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Yes, I've made an app.
Re:The Uber of Online Videos (Score:4, Funny)
My cat will scratch your balls for you, but her claws are pretty sharp.
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Your concept of pussy is not what the rest of us had in mind
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Go on, say it again (Score:2)
The video-sharing site is looking for "heroes." YouTube is looking for a few good users who want to be "Heroes."
Why not say it a third time, just to really hammer home the point that the editors are totally half-arsing the job they're paid to do?
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Hey, it worked for Bonnie Tyler.
[counts the digits] Umm, ask your dad.
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They can just ask some Slashdot Heroes to check their work.
Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
"YouTube Is Looking for Volunteers To Improve Its Site"
Fuck you pay me
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This is going to be abused (Score:5, Insightful)
If you think that YouTube getting "free" aid is a problem, think again. Ponder for a moment who would willingly become a "free" moderator. Well? Right. Someone who has a reason to do so. The perks? Peanuts.
The ability to dictate what is and isn't "appropriate"? Bingo.
I predict that before the PR-note is out that the first moderators have taken the helm, we'll already have a juicy edit war on our hands. Some controversial video poster will be flagged "inappropriate" by his or her opponents, only to get an immediate response by the other side for their controversial figure. In the end, it will depend on who can field more armchair revolutionaries and opinion dictators.
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I don't think Youtube even wants those political videos, really. They cost disproportionately more to police, and advertisers are put off by them - because they don't want their advert to play right before a man starts screaming at the camera about how liberals/conservatives are destroying America.
What youtube wants are videos with insane hit counts but no serious content. Music videos are good, they get repeat views. Gaming channels are great - high view counts, no politics, and very clear demographics to
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Gaming channels will get hit by a truck by that, given the fact now any company can pay half dozen people to just go and flag any negative review and take it off the air.
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Then what does YouTube want? LOLcat videos? I don't need YouTube for that, you can't throw a dead cat over your shoulder without hitting a LOLcat page. Music Videos? Last time I checked most of them cost them more money than they eventually make due to deals with various rights holders. People playing song covers? I thought you wanted to REDUCE the policing overhead. Same goes for people posting snippets and cuts from their favorite shows. Ok, then how about people making movie and game reviews? Just wait '
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That's ok. Your weird ass accent makes turning on the automatic subtitles so hilarious, we don't really listen to what you say, we only care about your lolcat-ish subtitles.
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who can field more armchair revolutionaries and opinion dictators.
So will it be Vladimir Putin or George Soros deciding what's "inappropriate" for American YouTube viewers? Stay tuned to find out!!
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No thanks, I would much prefer a different show.
TRANSLATION (Score:2)
"YouTube Is Looking for Volunteers To Improve Its Site"
TRANSLATION:
"YouTube Is Looking for Suckers To Work For Free"
And so begun, the flag war has. (Score:2)
Whose army is bigger?
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Organisation matters as much as size.
waiting patiently ... (Score:5, Funny)
For a similar offer from Slashdot. Moderating is so yesterday, I want to be a Slashdot Hero !
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Standing in the rain
With his head held low
Couldn't get any mod points
Couldn't post too slow
Heard the roar of the trolls
He could picture the scene
Set his threshold to -1
And they filled his screen
Etc...
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Well, brace for corporate washing youtube off any negative reviews as well.
Give me delete permission... (Score:2)
Fuck you google. (Score:2)
Pay me then Maybe. But I'll guess you'll get a lot of those Marxist SJWs to ban everything that triggers them for free.
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That's the problem and Google knows that there will be enough sane people signing up just to combat the SJW nutjobs. In the end, they get the work done for free by inciting conflict.
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Yup. Assholes.
Don't know why so many people willing to do this (Score:1)
What's in a name (Score:2)
Early tests seemed to indicate the program's original name of "Youtube Snitches" was not very enticing.
"Heroes?" (Score:2)
They're more what you call "whiny little bitches."
Comment (Score:1)
Youtube Heroes sounds like a twelfth-generation console video game, where you get to play the moderator on an "Unregulated Internet website for sharing illegal videos," where you have axe battles with trolls and whatever chumps actually comment on youtube. Bonus points for witty remarks about "37 people love Voldemort!!1" and minus points for the generic grinding with "
[generic ascii art here]
-----> Click here to expand to read more..."
Better idea (Score:1)
Delete all present You tube content, and start over.
False Content? (Score:1)
But, can you flag as "inappropriate" content that claims proven falsehoods as fact? .... Thinking of the channel for an anti-nuclear whack job that claims that California is a wasteland because the I-131 from Fukushima killed everyone.