Why the schedule?
Added 2018-10-21 04:29:25 +0000 UTCThere are two ways to grow an online channel that never fail:
1. Sheer Volume
2. Consistency
Now, content and quality come in much lower, maybe not even 3 and 4 in terms of "growth." Quality and content help with retention, engagement, reputation, and dive pass-throughs like Patreon and products. So we are definitely not abandoning quality or content.
But if we want to keep Primer it absolutely must grow. There is a reason no other online firearms shows go into this sort of detail or production; it is expensive and labor intensive.
We're caught in a mad dash. Primer must grow enough to bring in full time help or I will, sadly, eventually burn out. I COULD slow the show down but we will stop growing. Even at the two week rotation we are not picking up a lot of new people. I honestly do not believe a monthly Primer would bring in enough support to keep me doing the work.
So the solid rules as they stand are:
1. Keep deadlines. Consistency breeds growth.
2. Keep quality high.
3. Keep promises.
For those of you concerned that we could be doing other things to reduce load: We are it just takes time to implement. Squibs will ease on the overhead as we can cover guns that we just cannot seem to shoot right now, without going to the mat to find them. Neutral powers guns will start to show as challenges grow in finding the last bits of our list.
However, both still require heavy research and translation, and Squibs especially will require travel. Which means I have to struggle to pull ahead enough to write several scripts and then go to the Museum and film several bits at once. Long run: more efficient but requires an up front burst of effort.
This is the same issue with leaving WWI. Yes, random walking will make finding pieces and ammo easier and bring in new viewers, hopefully a lot. BUT setting up for another war will require lots of expensive reading material, hundreds of hours of reading to setup contextual and direct histories, and on top of that I'll need to source and sort archival material with added copyright risks. So again, possibly easier in the long term, divided over 50 episodes... but the immediate cost is high.
So, what can you really do to clear this log jam? Honestly: tell your friends. Tell strangers online. Heck make memes. Are you buying an old gun from one of the big auction/reseller sites? Maybe ask them to support the show. Make Primer a part of the conversation so people know there is value to be found. More viewers means more chances at earning support or selling merchandise to fund the show. Funding buys shortcuts on time.
By example: If we could full time Mae, even by the skin of our teeth, I would shave 20 hours out of my week easy. More as she got momentum.
All of that aside, for those of you concerned about my health, I thank you. Yes I am regularly exhausted, yes I'm averaging 70 hours a week, yes it is a bit too much. But this whole project has been a Hail Mary play from the start. Can a lone lunatic beg, borrow, and eventually earn enough with cold, hard firearms history to make a go of a real, in-depth series?
I guess we'll find out together.
Comments
Just a thought. Have you thought of taking your current format and delivering it in 3 or 4 episodes? Thematically consistent with the work you've already done, but delivered as a set of episodes, such as: 50-1 history, 50-2 mechanicals, 50-3 Mae, etc each 15-30 minutes long. For the same content you could get 3-4x the views out of just your existing audience, and have more time to generate the content while potentially releasing videos more often?
2018-10-22 19:34:45 +0000 UTCI wpuld rather keep them together but the labor is... extreme. Breaking up columns has really helped with production.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-22 18:14:48 +0000 UTCI second this suggestion.
Peter A
2018-10-22 14:50:37 +0000 UTCOr perhaps, instead of doing individual episodes for every single iteration of a weapon, you could merge all the variants of a weapon together in a big episode. That would keep your playlists more tidy as well.
KL
2018-10-22 08:04:14 +0000 UTCI have a suggestion to a slight altering to your schedule. Instead of going fortnightly, why not release your videos on the 1st and 16th of every month? That will give you one, sometimes two, days that you could have to yourself, or it could lighten your daily workload by a bit of time - and honestly, while I do enjoy having something to look forward to every second Tuesday, just going by the 1st and 16th would be pretty much as good. Just my two cent.
Robin Schneidermann
2018-10-22 07:21:46 +0000 UTCI need to tweak the current one. Sometimes budgeting feels like trying to stand firm at the edge of the beach!
C&Rsenal
2018-10-22 04:27:47 +0000 UTCHave you considered setting another (higher) goal to indicate that there's still more you want to do, like being able to pay Mae full time as well, other than just the current goal that looks like its your last one, but we (your current supporters) all know its not because you want to be able to continue to grow the channel.
Joseph S.
2018-10-21 22:01:15 +0000 UTCSadly the museums are, rightfully, concerned with bringing funds IN. So in order to be worth their sponsorship we would have to earn them more than we take up. But that shofts us from direct fundraising to indirect fundraising. A better partneship would be with say Collectors in TX, a commercial reseller. Unfortunately they rejected working together.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 21:28:22 +0000 UTCHave you considered attempting to see if financial aid can be had from Cody, Smithsonian, Springfield, and other domestic and foreign repositories of knowledge? You're doing legit research that they could probably all benefit from. The nature of your show with its feel for "this design spurred the evolution of these many other designs" has had me thinking that you're well on the way to being able to create a electronic "family tree" of designs or features. Seems that they might be willing to pay for the work of someone who knows how the threads connect. If it can be done without relinquishing your soul. . .
Erik
2018-10-21 20:21:53 +0000 UTCWe would have to stop the show for two months if I just decided to switch to WWII, just because of the switch over in material/archives. The rest is already in various stages of use though!
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:51:08 +0000 UTCWe live on thousands of whims.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:49:42 +0000 UTCThat last suggestion is something I have seriously considered. The trouble is the only way to do it is to get 3 episodes ahead at this point. I mean I could just randomly leave the public with a month-long gap but I suspect that won't go over well. It's something that likely will come as we pull ahead though.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:49:09 +0000 UTCThe work is the reward! Just gotta make sure we survive it!
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:47:52 +0000 UTCrofl. We haven't stopped doing it! I'm just letting the supporters know what and why.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:47:30 +0000 UTCNo need to increase funds! Just gotta target getting fresh eyes each month!
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:46:55 +0000 UTCActually we've been considering a commercial shotgun series as they are common in the market but so poorly discussed in books.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:46:21 +0000 UTCI hope so!
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:45:42 +0000 UTCApparently there is a certain percentage of people out there who still want to hear it all.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:45:01 +0000 UTCWe're currently trying to push through a glut and, hopefully, level the schedule off.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:44:33 +0000 UTCThank you for the support
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:43:36 +0000 UTCI'll show you on the doll where the audience touched me.
C&Rsenal
2018-10-21 17:42:57 +0000 UTCOthias: If you want to keep on with this business, quit whining and DO IT! Hesitation will reap little but the sympathy of other whiners. Just jump right in to the WW2 series with both feet! Do each gun with discretion. You have already laid the groundwork for the series by doing WW1 . The second war will just be a development of the first series. Offer more T-shirts designed and produced by your fans. Silk screening is not that hard! Have little contests for T-shirt designs and choose the ones you like ! Indie and Ian McCollum will have to follow you or they will look like wussies. Get Iraqivetteran to host a few shows with you or on their own, but as part of C&Rsenal.
2018-10-21 17:22:53 +0000 UTCYou are not wrong. I've watched channels die, and inconsistency is what does them in. That said, do think about other ways to generate revenue. The Patreon-only stuff is a good way of doing that, but there are others.
Steven Vanosdall
2018-10-21 15:12:25 +0000 UTCWhy buy the cow if you get the milk for free ? All your content is on YouTube for free. You are giving the milk for free, make them buy the cow. Ian at FW for example plugs videos only available on Patreon. How about putting up material on Patreon a month before it appears on YouTube and let YouTube viewers know that they can "see it now" (on Patreon) or wait a month to see it on YouTube.
2018-10-21 13:41:18 +0000 UTCStay strong, if there is any justice in this world you will get a huge reward for all the hard impotant work you are doing for firarms history. God bless you and the team for all your hard work.
Jeppe Christensen
2018-10-21 12:46:07 +0000 UTCHey, quit whining, suck it up and just do it. We've got your back man. I hope Mark don't read this.
gary g. davis
2018-10-21 12:44:02 +0000 UTCYeah WWII will take a lot of time, money, and effort. I also think a shout out to other websites by members here could be a help for funding or information. You may need some heavy support from fellow channels (H45, FW, MAC, etc). For now to help out, I am increasing my Patreon to $5 dollars for the next year. It is not much, but if all $1 members here bumped to $5 I think it will help...
2018-10-21 11:01:49 +0000 UTCYou could continue to feature weapons from post WWI in line with the 100 years ago theme. Where did firearm development go after the great war, but before the next one. Where did all the surplus go? Perhaps episodes featuring the sporterized versions. Feature civilians arms from the interwar period. The series can go on, without the unobtainiam guns. Just follow the march of time, which will eventually lead into the WW2 firearms.
Ron Johnson
2018-10-21 08:29:39 +0000 UTCThere is nothing that comes close to the quality and content of your show. Your on the right track.
John Stucchi
2018-10-21 05:20:10 +0000 UTCI appreciate what you do and what you’ve done. I became a patron immediately upon viewing my first episode.... don’t remember which one that was, it wasn’t the first. I’ve watched them all, and several more than once. I share every Facebook post, I forward YouTube episodes to various friends. Hopefully some have caught the bug. Just want you to know you’re appreciated.
Harold Snyder
2018-10-21 05:18:34 +0000 UTCDon't let it grind you down and try not to turn it up to eleven very often.
Frank E McGillivray
2018-10-21 05:04:11 +0000 UTCAs a patron member and loyal fan all I can say is you are doing a great job and I'm here to assure you that it is not a thankless task. Thank you! I appreciate your dedication and level of excellence and that goes for the whole crew. The team you have assembled is one to be proud of.
Louis W. Reuter II
2018-10-21 04:38:33 +0000 UTCStay strong. I'm here when you're ready to talk
RitalinGamer
2018-10-21 04:32:15 +0000 UTC
