this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 12 hours ago

I always tell my kids about survival jobs. Youtube, Twitch, being an artist are all gigs. Most of these people have another job. Even professional actors have a job than acting, same as authors.

And don't forget that sometimes websites can randomly close your account without warning and reason given. They will just say you violated their terms of use without telling you what you did.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago (2 children)

"Hey guys come catch all my new videos on my own website"

Put the old stuff on YouTube, FB, insta, tiktok, and encourage traffic to your site.

Profit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago

Pretty much, allows you to set your own content policy really, as long as you don't break laws the only risk then is for the domain name. Not sure what you would have to do for most domain registrars to drop your domain.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 21 hours ago

You trying to ask creators to create stuff? Crazy talk. That's so 2006.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago

We need to get rid of gatekeepers!

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And this is why platforms are nice yet cutting the middle man is important. There was a time before walled gardens.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

You kinda need a payment processor unless you want people to start mailing cash in the post.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Before people ruined it this was one of the ideas behind crypto

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

If nothing else it's a bit of a faff. But again you'd need someone to convert it to fiat for it to be useful in every day life, which isn't super removed from a payment processor. It's pretty much difficult to get away from a middleman somewhere.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago

The idea is it becomes the fiat

[–] [email protected] -2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

Direct bank transfers. Those are a thing.

p.s

They commented, I replied. Is it that exotheric of an idea? I can transfer money anywhere I want, to any bank account. You want to support someone, send them money directly.

There was a world before PayPal.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

That's still a payment processor; just now you've completely deanonimized both parties.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago

What is this? Mafia? If you have my account number that is it. You can send me money but you can't get anything out of it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Widely sharing your bank details isn't usually considered a great idea.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

My bank number account is a string of numbers. Besides the country and bank entity code, no other information can be obtained and no movements can be ordered on it by a non titular.

Money can be transfered in but the account can't be moved by anyone but the titular.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

You'd be happy to post it on Lemmy with any required routing information?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

If I was a creator of content, looking to have a direct way for people to support me, yes.

Are you interested in sponsoring my idiocy? Save your hard earned income; I wouldn't pay myself.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

A simple no would've done.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Good morning! I apologize for leaving this hanging yesterday.

I am aware that making account numbers is highly unadvised by banks but I do know as well special accounts exist for public facing entities and professionals where withdrawing from it requires a very long and tedious process, with several security steps and verifications.

There is a local foundation that almost plasters their windows with poster with their IBAN. Local sports clubs do the same. The opportunities for malicious actors are plentiful, yet these entities do it, safely.

I don't doubt you can point me to some security flaw or loop hole but, getting back to the where this conversation started, cutting the middle man out should be a priority.

Those same payment processors can unilaterally change their terms of service and deny creators of their income. Paypal has done it. I wonder who else.

In my country I already have a transfer subsystem where I can give you my phone number and you can use it to transfer money directly to me. All national banks are part of and own that system.

Fintechs are shady or have too many strings attached.

Nice to meet you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

The threat model for a local sports club putting a bank account on their window is completely different than a popular content creator posting it on the internet. I can't speak definitively about your country, but it's probably safe to assume they have business accounts, which are different than personal accounts, incur fees for having them open, fees for deposits, fees for transfers etc - negating the monetary benefit you see from "cutting out the middle man".

Banks typically don't like you running businesses on personal accounts and they will notice. The scenario this particular creator describes will result in lots of small irregular payments and few withdrawals from the account - that's pretty much a textbook example of usage that will trigger a KYC red flag at a bank. Now your account is being investigated and has a chance of being closed/frozen.

We've not even gotten into international transfers, malicious "fans" trying to reverse payments/reporting you for fraud etc which could end up with your account frozen, the fact you now have to build and maintain your own infrastructure for web hosting, video sharing, customer service - which will eat time, money or both (and unless you're particularly technical you're likely to need several middlemen). You'll likely also need to deal with a drop in users/income because you've now made paying you significantly more difficult for many users.

Frankly, because you think there's an easy alternative doesn't mean there is one. There's a reason these middlemen exist - because everything I've described up there is difficult, time consuming and not what these creators want to be doing. Like them or not, many creators wouldn't be creators without them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 minutes ago

I'm going to try my best to answer your concerns, point by point. This has been a really good exchange.

The threat model for a local sports club putting a bank account on their window is completely different than a popular content creator posting it on the internet. I can't speak definitively about your country, but it's probably safe to assume they have business accounts, which are different than personal accounts, incur fees for having them open, fees for deposits, fees for transfers etc - negating the monetary benefit you see from "cutting out the middle man".

Yes, there are business accounts and personal accounts.

What distinguishes most business accounts from personal ones are connected automated paying terminals and facilitated overdraft, cash advance or factoring solutions.

I risk around 90% of all banks in my country charge for monthly account maintenance fees, transfer orders and other services. Most will try to offset that expense the customer has by offering a number of "free" services, like a number of free instant transfers or a couple of free or heavily reduced price for market orders.

Receiving money in an account is not something it has to be paid for.

Banks typically don't like you running businesses on personal accounts and they will notice. The scenario this particular creator describes will result in lots of small irregular payments and few withdrawals from the account - that's pretty much a textbook example of usage that will trigger a KYC red flag at a bank. Now your account is being investigated and has a chance of being closed/frozen.

I am fiscally declared as an independent professional, as is my partner. I receive small transfers in my account for payment of invoices I issue and my partner receives even more, as she has a used book store.

Both of us use our personal accounts to run our businesses. I have considered opening a second account, just to keep VAT and other values I receive from customers partitioned, and have called my bank questioning if there would be any issues in doing so and they did not care.

Even if my account was flagged for suspitious activities, it would be a matter for police and fiscal services to investigate, not the bank.

We've not even gotten into international transfers, malicious "fans" trying to reverse payments/reporting you for fraud etc which could end up with your account frozen, [...]

All transfers are final, here. You can file a complaint but you have to go to the police first, then present that complaint to the bank and wait for legal procedures to take place. Have your evidences ready, too.

[...] the fact you now have to build and maintain your own infrastructure for web hosting, video sharing, customer service - which will eat time, money or both (and unless you're particularly technical you're likely to need several middlemen). You'll likely also need to deal with a drop in users/income because you've now made paying you significantly more difficult for many users.

You're describing a multinational. And I'm concerned with getting paid, alone. A creator should employ whatever services they see fit to forward their business, be it video editors, IT services, etc. Services from which they should be capable of detaching in favor of another, better, offer.

For some reason, Youtube came to mind as read that snippet of your text. That company should be starved tomorrow. There are several hosting services you can hire to upload and share your video - or any other, by extent - content and withold your work as yours. How many creators have had their work demonitized, for them, because what they do does not align with the platform morality yet the platform still loads adds on those videos for the people watching it?

Frankly, because you think there's an easy alternative doesn't mean there is one. There's a reason these middlemen exist - because everything I've described up there is difficult, time consuming and not what these creators want to be doing. Like them or not, many creators wouldn't be creators without them

Just because one solution exists, does not mean it has to be the one and only, and right now, the platforms that offer these services do not serve their customers better interests.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 day ago (2 children)

tl;dw? Watched the first several minutes but still not even sure what it's about.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

they're removing creators' ability to charge per creation and forcing them to charge only via monthly subscription.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 22 hours ago

It's an absolutely dick move by Patreon.

I guess Patreon figure it will make them as a platform more money, because people tend to forget about subscriptions and just let them keep going.

But it's awful for creators who release less frequently, because people will start to feel cheated when months go by and they don't get anything. And I'm sure the creators won't enjoy that pressure either.

It's like Patreon are cracking the whip, telling creators "Work faster, you have to justify your monthly subscription now!"

Assholes.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 day ago

Wow, that's sure gonna fuck a lot of creator that put out content once every few months.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Interesting, I wonder why they would do that...

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago

More stable revenue for the shareholders maybe

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They don't really seem to know for sure either. I'd heard about the Apple issue a long time ago so it's curious that's it's being brought up now.

Obligatory Fuck Apple.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

True. I should have said that there was enough information there to satisfy my interest in the matter. Which was small.