Good day all. I now have a nonprofit called BT Free for Big Tech Free. It is a digital privacy rights, advocacy and consulting nonprofit. We're currently working on our 501(c)3.

Our first platform is Peertube, set up at TubeFree.org. We have registrations open, but no upload. If you'd like to upload, we're looking for quality content on our moderated instance. We can also attempt to help folks get their own set up if folks would prefer to do that. The goal is to start actively building out system to help people move from Big Tech.

This is still a major work in progress, but I'd love to hear folks thoughts on any creators that might be receptive to copying their content to Peertube or any platforms people would be interested in having to move your content to.

I'm investigating some kind of revenue sharing or something with creators. I also want to pass on funds to developers actively working on the Fediverse.

And I have a thought to take donations, but also maybe do like some and charge monthly amounts for more resources. Or do funding drives. Other things. If anyone has suggestions I'd love to hear them.

I might even run our own BT Free community here on Pieces.social if folks would be interested in following that.

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[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 5 days ago (2 children)

At the moment, its challenging for creators to generate income from Peertube. In theory, the avenue they have is through patreons and the like, but in practice, peertube doesn't yet have the volume of users to make that work. And as a result, it's going to be hard to use any kind of "premium/paid" tier service, simply because there won't be many takers.

In my mind, right now, if you're trying to attract creators, you're going to need to reduce as many barriers as you can for them to move over. That may mean co-existing accounts on bigtech platforms and on peertube, and in terms of helping with your running costs, voluntary donations are the best way of doing it for now, until peertube gets a larger volume of users.

Either way, we spun up our own peertube instance a few weeks ago too, so welcome to the vidiverse :)

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 8 points 5 days ago (3 children)

its challenging for creators to generate income from Peertube

Most people don't start making videos to make money. In the early Tube days there was no money.
PeerTube only has 1 less avenue for monetization than YT, among dozens.

[–] 3dmvr@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago

in the early fays it was the main/only viable platform for posting videos and getting eyes in you, ppl thag blew up would become famous actual celebrities going on talk shows lol

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Most people don't start making videos to make money. In the early Tube days there was no money.

Absolutely. I'm one of them. But there's a lot of peertube instances that serve that need.

The OP was talking about creating a moderated instance, with high production quality requirements for members, with the possibility of charging for extra upload capacity etc. And that narrows the field down to people who either make their living from producing video content, or want to make their living from producing video content. That's the group I was talking about

PeerTube only has 1 less avenue for monetization than YT, among dozens.

Absolutely, but the one its missing is a major source of income for most professionals and semi professionals who make their living from video content. And folk who rely on YouTube advertising aren't just going to be able to drop YouTube for Peertube whilst keeping a consistent income stream. Which means the OP (and the OP specifically, not peertube in general) will need to make space for allowing those users to exist in a way that encourages them to move to Peertube, without cutting off the income they currently make from centralised corporate platforms.

My partner and I run a peertube instance out of our own pockets, and we make videos and host other folk making videos, without caring about their quality or experience. For us, it's about giving folk voices. But I wasn't talking about peertube in general, or folk like myself, I was addressing the OPs situation

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

When I say quality I'm not talking about like Hollywood. I'm more trying to talk about good, fun, no misinformation, NP hate speech etc. Right now I've funded this nonprofit myself. And I have so much I can put into it. I'm just trying to give folks choice as well. I talk with a lot of people and while I've been able to recommend platforms people kind of turn off if I don't ha e a direct way to help them. And lots of folks don't want to trust some random dude, but are more open when they hear it's a real business.

As for charging for storage, I don't know if we'll do that. Right now my goal is to get people involved. Hopefully donations, or sponsorships or grants can help with that. It was one avenue of thought.

[–] Sackeshi@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Most people don't start making videos to make money. In the early Tube days there was no money.

Not anymore, people have jobs which take up at least 8 hours of their day, sleep another lets round it to 8 hours, then other responsibilities. Anyone who seriously want to make quality videos on a consistent schedule wants to make money and the end goal being to turn it into their job.

PeerTube only has 1 less avenue for monetization than YT, among dozens.

People on Youtube are much more easily able to make money and make a living. Most of it actually has nothing to do with Youtube other than the fact that Youtube provides them with a base of billions of potential viewers.

AdSense which is hands down the worst of them.
Sponsors allow people to decide who they are willing to show on their videos and makes people decent money especially bigger creators. That's not going to happen on smaller platforms.
Patrion this is probably the biggest one people are able to get consistent monthly income and make Youtube their full time job.
Creator made subscription platforms. This is another big perk I pay for 2 curiosity stream and the history one.

No one is going to a platform thats "just for fun" because content quality will suffer and be less enjoyable for creators.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Not anymore, people have jobs which take up at least 8 hours of their day,

You think people didn't used to have jobs?

Anyone who seriously want to make quality videos on a consistent schedule wants to make money and the end goal being to turn it into their job.

"Quality" is subjective and doesn't necessarily require much money.

Most of it actually has nothing to do with Youtube

Thank you for elaborating on my point.

No one is going to a platform thats "just for fun"

Thousands of people already are. Myself included.

And it's not "just for fun", it's because we don't want to subject ourselves to abusive and invasive corporations.

[–] Sackeshi@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

You think people didn't used to have jobs?

Back then videos were a lot less produced and more raw style. When I first started using/watching youtube in 07 content was a lot quicker to make.

"Quality" is subjective and doesn't necessarily require much money.

The requiring money isn't about cost to produce its the time it takes. Most successful channels now have several hours of editing for each video because the average standard of videos now looks like it could be produced for TV.

Thousands of people already are. Myself included. And it's not "just for fun", it's because we don't want to subject ourselves to abusive and invasive corporations.

I agree with this on paper, but in practice the "customer base" is currently Youtube and TikTok. If I want to create a serious channel with a lot of views and a large community I'd need to spend all my free time making and editing videos and without a real chance to monetize its just not worth it.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Back then videos were a lot less produced and more raw style.

Most successful channels now have several hours of editing for each video

I'd need to spend all my free time making and editing videos

I'm noticing a recurring theme here. You seem to think every channel and video needs to be really high production quality for some reason. They don't. Look at channels like penguinz0 and SomeOrdinaryGamers. Both of them are just dudes ranting into shitty webcams with the trashiest of production value and both of them have tens of million of subscribers. And it's especially impressive considering it's easier than ever to make high quality productions.

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 10 points 5 days ago

I agree. We're in a chicken and egg problem. No creators because no viewers, no viewers because no creators. I've started Fireside Fedi to help make some kind of content. I'm setting up this NonProfit to show there's an actual business behind it. I've opened the Peertube to attempt to make that barrier to entry lower.

I have some ideas on how to help people upload to multiple places easier, but I'm no dev and need to talk to a friend I could probably interest.

Thank you for the welcome. :-)

I'm running my own auto-follow index at ptindex.btfree.org if you'd like to get added to it.

Also going to attempt to create a search index this week. I have found far too many unsavory instances on the public on. So attempting to provide value with building our own.

[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 11 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I remember someone tried to monetize Mastodon feeds like Substacks or something.

It didn't last long.

I can't imagine any way to monetize content other than individual Patreons or collective subscriptions (like Nebula, Curiosity Stream and ~~whatever Linus Tech Tips thing is called~~ Floatplane).

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Definitely a difficult task. Thinking more of a service fee for storage space or faster transcoding maybe. IDK we're still figuring it out. Also checking with an accountant about maybe being able to do a revenue share or something for content creators. All very much a work in progress though.

[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

revenue share or something for content creators

Where's the revenue coming from? The content creators paying to store their own videos?

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's just an idea at the moment. I don't know if it's feasbile, practical, or even allowed legally. Hence why I have to talk to my accountant.

But my idea is to generate income either through donations, funding drives, sponsors in the banner, etc. Or to do like a service where you can upload X amount of videos for $/month.

Then once we've hit break even, assuming we do (yes I know this is a difficult task atm), to share the additional revenue with content creators.

[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Shouldn't you have talked to them before starting the non-profit?

I do not claim to have any expertise (and defo not an accountant), but that sounds backwards to me.

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I already have some folks interested in joining. I didn't want it to be attached to me as a personal entity, so no. I don't think it's backwards. You can't ask people to come to a restaurant that doesn't exist yet.

Maybe it is. I've never run a business. So this might all flop. But I have to try at least. I personally believe the Fediverse is the next evolution of the web. And we need to help it where ever we can.

[–] underline960@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I support content creators being able to make a living in the fediverse (without enshittifying it).

So... good luck. I hope you find a healthy way to go about it.

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc, I'm always open to hearing it. :-) Hell, the good luck is still a great start. Thank you. We'll need it.

[–] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

For creators it falls down to monetization. White AdSense often isn't the sole source of income it does serve to be a starting income before merchandise and sponsorships start keeping them afloat.

[–] ozoned@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago

Yup. I'm never going to be able to give Youtubers Youtube money. But I'm asking my accountant about some kind of rev share or something. It's still a work in progress. This instance though is to help onboard those that are interested in an alternate platform that do it for their community. Hard ask, but we'll be here for the long haul, hopefully. :-D