My thoughts on Yoors
HI!
My name is Mr.Garcia, I’m a copywriter and creative supervisor at a global advertising agency in Portugal and I’m a big fan of Yoors.
I’m old enough to have known a world without the internet for the masses and without “fun” social media (IRC, as well as Minitel, were in fact what’s now called Social Media way before Zuckerberg and friends even dreamed about starting their business). Even though I like to think of myself as being forward-thinking I know I bear some of the so-called boomer mentality so yes, I’ll admit it: sometimes I think that back in my day things were a lot nicer, simpler, smaller, and friendlier, even if I know for a fact that’s not really the case. Nostalgia is hard to handle I guess. But getting back to the topic at hand.
I’ve found Yoors a week ago and have been reading all I can about it and its inner workings. As an idea, I was immediately pulled by the sense of community and that positive feedback loop that Yoors delivers almost instantly by the way it pushes new members to interact and post so they can get monetized. Its openness is also a big plus in my book (although it definitely has its downside), and in my opinion, it is here that Yoors sets itself apart from any other platform. It’s not really Facebook, it’s not really Instagram, it’s not really Twitter, it’s not really YouTube and it’s not really Patreon, but it definitely seems that it wants to be some version of them all. A version without meddling ads and a version that’s a lot more concerned about user privacy and freedom of speech.
Plus, it wants to pay its members for posting on the platform, giving them ample leeway to do so. However, there are certain issues that I still can’t get over. Some have to do with using the platform as a member that wants to be able to monetize his content and get paid; other issues arise when using the platform just as a regular member that wants to view good content and share some thoughts with other people.
Here’s what I came up with.
Issues as a content creator:
Content Targeting
- Scalability
Undefined / Unclear monetization model
- Paid posts / Pools
- Boosters / Badges / Subscriptions / Profit-Sharing
User Dashboard
a) As a content creator I need to know what to expect so I can gather data and course-correct as I go. But Yoor’s ideology rubs against this need. On YouTube, I know that I’m serving a certain type of content for a certain type of user (Minecrafty fans for example), and I know that I need to achieve a certain threshold for my video to be successful. I need a good SEO, a good thumbnail, and most of all, a compelling video (this is a really simplistic way of viewing how YT works, but I think you get the point). But on Yoors I have no idea what I can do to find/reach a core audience. The openness of the platform is so vast that anything goes, and although this can be great since it allows creators to make money from different types of posts, not having to find their little niche and stick with it, it doesn’t help them in terms of knowing their audience, what their audience really wants and really likes from them. It forces creators to play the long game, and although that can be great for the platform, it can be tiresome for the creator and can lead to a fast burn-out rate.
Then there is the issue of scalability. Yoors seems to function as a very close-knit community without that many members. Most of the people I’ve encountered on the platform are either Dutch or Venezuelan with a little Spanish mixed in. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore each and every person I’ve interacted with, but it sometimes feels like cooking for your family. You expect them to be nice, polite, and eat, even if you’re not such a great cook. So you lack the scale needed to really direct the flow of your work towards an audience that is really interested in what you have to offer.
b) This leads me to the next issue that is Yoor’s uncertain monetization model. I know that the platform is always evolving, but as a content creator, once again, I want to know what to expect. One of the biggest problems YouTube, Facebook, and other platform have with their content creators is the lack of communication. Yoors doesn’t seem to have that problem since it is still small and the creators of the platform can still regularly talk to the community as one of them/us.
But as of right now, the platform seems to have a locked layer dealing with a subscription model of some sort that makes me wonder if the platform can be viable as a source of income (like say, Patreon) if they go that route. Then there’s the way we creators can earn points that can be converted into real cash and here lies another small problem that can become a big problem in the future as the platform grows.
There are too many ways to earn points, too many ways to give them to other creators, and most of it is really confusing, especially for new members. Paid posts are a great idea, but since we as creators have the problem explained above of not being able to find and retain an audience, our incentive to have paid posts is really low. Why should I put even more effort into crafting something if I don’t have any idea if it will reach anyone that’s interested? Boosters are a nice way to give back to your favorite members and posts, but I believe that badges (even if they’re not badges at all) are the way to go (and looking at YouTube’s recent change, I don’t think I’m the only one). If I really like a creator I can send him a one-time badge/coffee/tea/whatever just to boost morale; the same goes for a single post. If that post really speaks to me I should be able to give it a bump and reward its creator. Pools are also a great idea, especially since they can come from the members themselves. But the way they’re implemented can really get unfair since the rules are a bit lax (and I guess that’s the point). If I write something and claim it as hashtagPoetry I can be up against another member that also inserted the hashtag but that is showing some famous poet’s writing… Yes, the hearts will talk louder, but… I dunno.
c) Finally, as a creator I think we need a dashboard that gives us useful information. YouTube is the one to beat here (although Patreon can be a close second). The way Yoors dashboard is right now it just doesn’t cut it. Pageviews are ok but don’t give us any workable data I can use to guide my work. Plus, due to the nature of the platform, hearts and comments are also disposable since Yoors “pushes” people to engage with content if they have no particular interest in that content. As I said, this is a double-edged sword.
Possible solutions:
a) Since I don’t have access to Yoors inner workings, I believe that this is the trickiest issue to overcome. By not tracking its members Yoors cannot serve them content that they probably like. So they do the next best thing, they give their members EVERYTHING. But there seems to be no logic to the “wall”. Sometimes I see stuff that’s obviously “trending”, sometimes I see the latest post from someone I follow and sometimes I see an older post as if it has been boosted. It’s really confusing. And as a creator, I’m left with the same feeling as on YouTube where you must please the mighty algorithm to appear on the front page.
My recommendation: simplify and communicate the how’s and why’s of Yoors. Share how the system works. You guys already do a banger job at this. Just keep at it.
Another thing you can do is to give members a way to compartmentalize stuff - different types of posts, different members they follow - into categories for example. That way, even if some members will appear in different categories, we can have a more curated experience on the platform.
b) Yoors creators have to think long and hard about the direction they want to go on. As I see it, the subscription model only works if there’s a user base that’s ample enough to compensate creators to post more original work on Yoors. I would double down on the badge system and on some type of Patreon-similar system where I can finance a creator for a certain amount of points each month/week that he/she can spend however she/he wants. That way, even though they could just convert the money into real cash, they would also have the chance to spend it on some other creator they like, keeping the money loop on a closed system. Yoors could also take a percentage of these donations and pledge to use x% on less known creators (just as they do right now through the wonderful @Babita de Boer and @Henkjan de Krijger).
c) UI & UX are always good investments, but you have to crack the other issues first in order not to blow the budget on things that would need more and more fine-tuning. Personally, I would leave this one for later.
Issues as a user of the platform:
Content visibility
- How to find content
Platform direction
- What is Yoors, really?
Freedom of speech Vs The Great Inevitability
a) As a member I have trouble finding content. I don’t know if I should find it through hashtags, phrases, keywords, or a combination of everything. The way my “wall” gets filled with posts is a mystery and although sometimes it brings me wonderful content, I would like it better if I felt that it was a bit more “my wall” instead of “a wall”.
b) As I said at the start, I think Yoors can be great, but right now it is a strange mixture of every other social media platform, but it’s not really any of them to the fullest. And this openness can really hurt the platform at the same time that it can be its greatest strength.
c) This one is as old as me (almost). With the freedom Yoors gives comes responsibility and it certainly will come inappropriate content (sexual in nature, violence, racist, etc.). Although Yoors follows the EU guidelines it seems to want to be a lot more neutral when it comes to deleting or taking off certain types of posts. This can be a slippery slope and I’ve seen my fair share of sites that turned real ugly real fast, once word got out that anything goes.
Possible solutions:
a) I think this issue can be tricky due to the privacy concerns that fuel Yoors as a platform. My guess is that in order to create a more curated experience the best way would be to go the compartmentalization way I’ve explained above, giving members the option to create tags and place them on individual creators, curating their experience a bit more than what they have right now, but without doing content scrubbing and user tracking I really don’t know an easy way to implement a curated wall and content.
b) This one is easy. Yoors is the best version of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Patreon, and YouTube. Or it will be. But maybe, just maybe, dial it in a little bit more.
c) Before Yoors popularity explodes, Yoors must create some sort of moderation system and put it in place. This can be achieved by hiring members and promoting them to moderators, such as it’s done on Discord channels, Reddit and so many other forums. Creating clear community guidelines is also a good way to go since it is a way that mods can fend for themselves and justify their actions. Plus, people that join will know or will have access to the rules right from the start so…
You can also implement a fine system for bad behavior/breaking the rules that could ultimately lead to banning a member from the platform altogether. This one is a very delicate subject, but it’s an important one if Yoors wants to become what it can become.
And that’s it. Sorry for the long read but I hope you can take something useful from it. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
#yoors
#opinion
Sharing = earning
1,000,000 views = € 1,000
100,000 views = € 100
10,000 views = € 10
1,000 views = € 1
500 views = € 0.50
250 views = € 0.25
100 views = € 0.10
50 views = € 0.05
25 views = € 0.025
10 views = € 0.01
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However, I would like to explain some points from my view.. I totally agree with you that Yoors is certainly not a Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform, whatever looks like it.. In fact, it's a counterpart to all those other platforms and I think that's a very good development too.. The openness and space it offers gives me a sense of security as a member, and because we get that space, it offers a lot of opportunities and opportunities to work creatively.. It took me a long time to make full use of space and I still see opportunities to grow as a blogger every day.. Don't get me wrong please, but I think that besides your vision, you really need to give it a lot longer time to really assess if something works.. With all due respect, but you already indicate that you're sitting here for a week now, but a week in my view is really too short to make certain conclusions.. I know you mean it well so don't see it as an attack please, but I really think it takes more time. You say, and I quote that, “At Yoors, I have no idea what I can do to reach a core audience.” I think it's too quick to conclude, because with all due respect audience you have to build up and that doesn't go in a few days, but that takes a while and you have to use tools for that, like sharing on social media, getting followers, going to follow others themselves.. With all due respect, your number of followers are too small to say that you've already built it up enough.. That too takes time.. It has to do with yourself, promote the other, interaction, good recognizable content and regular posting. I'm not saying you don't, but I'm sketching an image as I see it how you can use opportunities that Yoors actually puts in your lap to build an audience both inside and outside Yoors.. It's hard work.. And that goes for scalability and members as well.. Yoors is much bigger than one thinks and has many members.. Whether they are all very active is unassessable, because it varies greatly from member to one.. However, the most active members create the most content, and you'll see most of it here on the front page.. But by typing keywords in the search bar, you'll see how much content is on Yoors here, and that's really a lot.. I think you can certainly earn an income here on Yoors, at least build up by working hard and above all having a lot of patience.. What strikes me is that people are often too much in the “now” and want to make “now” money, but one should think a bit more of a longer term.. Because in the first years (I'm about ten years ahead of it) you will have to build a profile that is so appealing to the readers, followers that it stays constant.. And that means we need to make the most of all the tools Yoors develops and we need to deploy them.. Unfortunately, I see that it is still too little application.. People need to dare to invest a little more in themselves and in the other, and then a stream will start.. You ask a question and I quote: “Why would I make more effort to make something if I have no idea if it will reach someone who is interested” When I read that, I have the following questions, namely: “To what extent do you use everything to present your total creativity?” “Are you willing to invest in yourself?” “Isn't it the most important thing that we do exactly all the effort within us to present ourselves, even if it sometimes takes us a little more time or money?” In my opinion, people are still too much and too often recall how yps can flow to us, but we should not think about and invest the yp's in ourselves and in each other to bring out the best quality content.. What do we want to see, best right?? Then we have to be willing to invest in ourselves and the other.. So that audience will see the best quality and I'm sure you'll build an audience.. Content that doesn't belong here, such as rascism, hatred, pornography, etc., are all included in the Yoors terms and house rules that are drafted and we work with a moduration system that is acting against them.. Furthermore, there may be some good and potentially useful ideas and what you're suggesting, I'm not going to review that any further, because I have no experience in advertising or internet backgrounds, but if I look at myself as a blogger and how I have here. I can say that after six years I still discover things here every day, scrape things up and despite all the changes, things that come with it, I've been focusing on my own work, who I am, what do I want to show and use all the tools Yoors offers me to expand the bit by little. And that's certainly paying off for me, because I have new multiple followers every day, get lots of comments on my blogs, also private regularly also questions or comments that are work-related.. The followers I've built are also loyal followers who have been following me for years, but I do a lot of interaction myself, because you need to maintain contact.. My secret is to stay close to yourself as much as possible, so that you can see purely who you are and what you make and that will always be appreciated and that's such a great gift.. I'd rather have constant contact with my followers all these years and that they keep appreciating what I make, rather than to win a pool of just 5 euros for example.. Of course I like that polar win, but it doesn't tell me anything more than fun..