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Tech: some power over YouTube

02 Sep 20 - 05:55 PM (#4070525)
Subject: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: leeneia

If you are like me, you are spending time watching YouTubes during the quarantine. I enjoy it that the videos are short, varied, and (at the cost of 9.99 a month) free of commercials.

I discovered recently that if you run your mouse on the far right edge of the thumbnails (past the photo and past the title) three dots appear, and one if you click on them, choices appear. The only choice I click on is "not interested." Three more clicks on obvious responses finish the process. To me, it's worth it, because YouTube seems to be collecting this data, and if I find a kind of video objectionable, all others of its ilk soon stop appearing.

I found that I had grown quite passive, letting YouTube put anything at all on my screen. Now that I've found the three dots, I'm more discriminating. I ask myself, "What right have they to bring this dreck into my house?"   

Here are some things I bar:

videos which invade a child's privacy - an ill or maladjusted one

videos which promote superstition

voyeuristic videos "Woman collapses when she learns of death of son and daughter"

"most dangerous auditions on America's Got Talent"

videos which activate my fear of heights

uninteresting videos which show up over and over. Kind of like the "Balls! said the queen" thread on the Mudcat.


02 Sep 20 - 07:01 PM (#4070536)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Nick

You describe a YouTube world that is nothing like mine. I pay nothing for it and choose what I watch
3 seconds of ads at the beginning and press skip

I choose what I want to watch


02 Sep 20 - 08:06 PM (#4070539)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Joe Offer

I find if I watch playlists of music videos, I'll see several videos before an ad comes up. I start with a song I'm studying here at Mudcat, and just let it run. Most of the time, the songs that follow are also very good.
And now that I have a decent Internet signal, the video quality is usually excellent.
-Joe-


02 Sep 20 - 11:30 PM (#4070556)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Stilly River Sage

Some of those playlists can go for a very long time and if you land on a well-selected one, a couple of hours or more of listening. I have ad blockers, so that may be why I don't see the ads on YouTube.


03 Sep 20 - 03:57 AM (#4070575)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Bonzo3legs

Many youtube gig videos are available in 1080p now although the quality for general watching is far below that. 4k Video Downloader £14, will download best quality in various formats, I find mkv best for our tv.


03 Sep 20 - 11:05 AM (#4070608)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: GUEST,Mysha

Hi Leeneia,

Thanks for that. I too am doing more Youtubeing than usual, and I was getting really annoyed by these suggestions that are clearly only served up because I'd seen the start of an earlier tube by the same person. Though seeing such bits had taught me to never again click on anything by those particular authors, it appeared there was no way to get rid of such unwanted suggestions.

But now! If I see ever see such suggestions again: Watch the power of the dots! ...

So, is there a good song about the battle between the viewer and the seller?

Bye
Mysha


03 Sep 20 - 11:38 AM (#4070625)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: GUEST,Peter Laban

I use an adblocker and have never seen an ad on youtube (or anywhere else). They're free too.


03 Sep 20 - 01:32 PM (#4070635)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: GUEST,Rob Mad Jock Wright

There is lots of music on you tube for free.
The band that runs the Twa Tams in Perth post lots on including their streaming get of the Sunday Social which is the Covid version of an open mic.
Also worth a listen is Youtu.be/1zYh1T2PYUo.
Again free other things pop up in a similar vein by following the link.


03 Sep 20 - 08:17 PM (#4070672)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: GUEST,Lou

I have odblocker+ and never saw ads on Utube. Until a couple of weeks ag when they started up... I detest ads, and often close the windows when they start. I can be an impatient bloke!

I THINK THEY ARE TRYING TO ANNOY US INTO BUYING A SUBCSCRPTION! oops, caps.

My only online media subscription is for Amazon Music Unlimited. I can find anything I want there, and find it quite worthwhile.


04 Sep 20 - 02:04 AM (#4070691)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: BobL

Do advertisers not realise that annoying ads are more likely to lose them sales?


04 Sep 20 - 02:15 AM (#4070692)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Dave Hanson

Adblocker Plus, it's free and it works.

Dave H


04 Sep 20 - 06:38 PM (#4070784)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: GUEST,.gargoyle

Like Nick...I never have problems with ads.

Mudcat is awfull (always has been) for embedding cookies.


Just like the "the good ole days of parking your hard drive after every internet session"....remove your your cookies and history after every connection. THEN...Disconnect.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

If Joe were to teach this to his nunns ...Joe would have no job....and 100% pleasure.


07 Sep 20 - 03:16 AM (#4071037)
Subject: RE: Tech: some power over YouTube
From: Mr Red

I ticked the "don't choose for me" button. It sort of worked.

Though it still chooses what it thinks, with an obviously more recently watched filter. Once several years ago I watched a single video on a really novel ICE engine configuration, and ever since it pushes the "Ford V8 invention" video at me. Despite a more recent interest in electric propulsion.

But then I do like to play with their algorithms, which let's face it, are driven by any and all your surfing history. Even if you search via other search engines like I do, every clever website is using JScript which is a free Goggle product - each time it is accessed, Goggle knows a bit more about you. Watch the sites load and look for waiting for google.apis flash up (or down on FireFox, bottom LH corner).

Mozilla maintain they are independent, but given the symbiosis with Chrome, you can be sure there are internals to make anything Goggle related easier to load and parse. And collect.