Wildly OT - Why are youtubers desperate for subscribers?

[Michael]

Sorry this is so off topic but has to do with parrots in the sense that I am getting this on my parrot channel. I don't understand this whole subscriber obsession on youtube. I mean I certainly do appreciate having followers of my videos but I really don't understand why I get people begging me to subscribe to them when they haven't even posted a single video.

On youtube when someone subscribes to me, the message always says "Want to return the favor and subscribe to soandso." I just find this whole sub for sub thing to be silly and except for people who are regularly putting out videos, I don't see what the big deal about subscription is at all. Perhaps if people put as much effort into making good videos as begging for subscribers, more folks would come back to watch their videos and subscribe?

[Azure Hanyo]

Maybe they're lonely and want to pretend their subscribers are their friends. You wouldn't want to be responsible for murdering someone's self esteem, now would you?

[ptuga72]

maybe it's the same reason everybody and their mother want to be my friend on Facebook, they either can only feel good about themselves by having subscribers OR they are spammers? I don't even have a youtube account.

[Azure Hanyo]

maybe it's the same reason everybody and their mother want to be my friend on Facebook.

Oooh I HATE that!!! I agree, it is very annoying and I think people who spam friend requests and I guess youtube subscriber requests should get lives. (Obviously, my first post was a joke. It is very annoying.)

I also hate the facebook app craze and the "send a million friend requests to have more game friends!" thing. I admit I got into a few games for awhile and accumulated somewhere to the tune of 200 "friends" I didn't know, and then I thought...waitaminute. What the heck am I doing? I HAVE A LIFE!

[ptuga72]

Azure I know what you mean! I got really involved in 2 of the games, but after a change in the UI I stopped playing. I'd rather go visit my friends than "like" some stranger who claims to have known me in middle school. But don't get me wrong, I do love my facebook and going on parrot forums

[Azure Hanyo]

Facebook is a friend all its own... LOL

[Michael]

I've had no life today... I got like 100 comments on youtube today. Seriously, one coming in every 5 minutes. Been doing my best keeping up and responding to some of them. Apparently someone posted my video on a popular website so viewers have been flocking by the thousands. I miss my more compelling discussions with long term youtube followers and parrot forum members instead.

Since work I've practically spent every minute of my day on parrot related stuff: taking parrots to park, buying parrot food, making parrot toys, making videos, training parrots, talking on parrot forum, answering questions on youtube.... how did I get sucked into all of this.

[Azure Hanyo]

Since work I've practically spent every minute of my day on parrot related stuff: taking parrots to park, buying parrot food, making parrot toys, making videos, training parrots, talking on parrot forum, answering questions on youtube.... how did I get sucked into all of this.

I bet you didn't know that Kili is actually a master of psychokinesis!!! You don't think YOU are the one training HER, do you? She's probably rubbing her little wings together right now, cackling about how awesome her little human puppet is... And posting videos of your training on avevid, the bird version of youtube.

I'm sorry I couldn't resist.

[Giantmoa]

what did get you started with all this parrot training and blogging, etc? sorry if you already wrote this somewhere, but I've suddenly become curious...

[notscaredtodance]

sub4sub is people desperately trying to become partnered on youtube. if you have enough subscribers/comments/favorites/5stars you become a partner. but sub4sub people NEVER get that much. they usually get up to 2,000 at the most, and you need like 20,000 subs to get partnered. and partners get paid money. thatsall.