In this informal round‑table recorded in San Francisco, four participants (identified as A, B, C, and D) reflect on the evolution of YouTube from a simple video‑sharing site to a large distribution network. They argue that YouTube was never designed for community; its community emerged accidentally and is now constrained by the platform’s business model and limited interaction tools (comments, video replies). The speakers discuss their recent meetings with YouTube employees and a member’s role on the YouTube Community Council, noting that while some staff care about community, the platform’s context hampers genuine connection. They propose building a new, deliberately community‑first platform where video is just one tool, emphasizing respect for members and a sustainable, profitable model that does not treat users as “cattle.” The conversation is conversational, critical of YouTube’s current approach, and optimistic about the possibility of a purpose‑built community platform.
Chapters
We're here in San Francisco. There's quite a— this has been quite a momentous weekend.
Can I say that?
It's been a momentous weekend. We have here 4 of us who have been engaged in lots of conversations for quite a while.
For the last few months, I've been talking with Tom and Ken and Perry, who are all kind of part of the, you know, of my original conversations a year ago today when I went to London for the, uh, for the whole WeTube thing that turned into the E-Nation. But it's all been as a desire to, I don't know, take this whole idea of community and connection, take it to another level.
We're not talking about being upset with YouTube as if YouTube wasn't this great world-changing kind of a situation.
I think of YouTube as a video sharing site. First one, it started the whole thing. After people started sharing videos, a community developed around it. I don't think YouTube is the greatest place for community, but I think it's the greatest place for sharing videos.
And that's the thing, is that YouTube was never designed for community. It was designed just for that, for sharing the videos. And, you know, the community was, was accidental. We went there, we met each other, we formed these relationships. But they never had the tools to encourage that. We kind of nailed it together out of what few tools were there, but rather than encourage that, they— and the direction that they've gone into being more of a network and being more of a distribution, yet another distribution for the existing, for Universal, for NBC, CBS, NFL, and another distribution channel is not needed. What's needed is a place that's built from the ground up What we're doing is upside down of YouTube. YouTube was video sharing and accidental community. We're talking about deliberate community and connections, and video sharing is just one tool.
There are things that can happen between people in a place like what we're imagining that can't really happen in a context like YouTube's context. There's too much else that has to go on on YouTube now that prevents people from connecting in ways that we imagine that they can.
The community arrived accidentally. On the basis of just one or two very—
fundamental—
perfunctory tools. The comment. We'll fling in commenting, we'll fling in video replies because these things facilitate something, but they don't necessarily facilitate community. But what we're talking about is something where the tools are built from the ground up to facilitate the kind of community that we all want to see. And that's the important thing about what we've been talking about.
You know, I'm a member of the Community Council, which really, for me, is a very serious responsibility. And I've been really honored to be a member of the Community Council. And I've seen that the people at YouTube— that there are people at YouTube who care deeply about community, who care deeply about—
And we met a bunch of them this weekend.
Absolutely.
We had a lot of conversations with employees of YouTube really passionately making the case as, you know, and we did as well, about what's happening, but they care a lot.
They care a lot. They do care. And I don't think it's a matter of whether or not people care. I think it's a matter of context, you know? What you can get done within a context like the one that YouTube has developed into and the business model that has grown around that context is one that lends itself to another kind of a place than the kind of place that we're envisioning.
YouTube does not believe their current philosophy is is that the community aspect is not profitable. And I have vlogged about that. I think community is very valuable and can be profitable, and not by, by taking advantage of the, the members or treating them like cattle, but by respecting them. And I think we're going to prove that.
Who understands it better than us?
You have to understand what is going on.
Not us, the four of us. I mean us.
Yeah, us.
Us.
You, you and everybody else.
Us.
We are the people who understand what is going on and what it is that we want. And when you hear our ideas, because you will hear our ideas at some point, not in this video probably, but at some point you're going to hear our ideas and you're going to go, "Oh yeah, that's what it's about, that's how we do it." I still think that it's pretty awkward to share videos with your friends and different types of friends in a convenient manner.
