YouTube Etiquette

Another summer is upon us. Many of you have had some luck getting passports, or getting out to the cottage, or even finding a private spot for some well-deserved rest. But for most of us, we have been haunted by the terms “staycation” and “Covid protocols”. I found myself lucky enough to not have to wait in line for my passport – all my paperwork was completely long before the pandemic hit us – but now it is a question of money and time. What do I do with it and how do I enjoy it?

Well, I have my computer and cellphone…

I also have a bit of a problem.

YouTube has become one of my great addictions. I know that social media is considered a very real addictive element, but I often stay away from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook when I get down to work. But YouTube…it has become an interesting noise in the background while I type, and often an interesting source of information for articles and opinions.

And as great as You Tube is, it should be providing its users with some brief rules about use and conduct. I came up with a list of what I feel can save a lot of us a great number of headaches and anxiety.

1) Please choose a decent name for yourself (“Jazzoholic” – this works; “whizzypoo” – try again). And if you are brave, you should use your own name ( I do not have that much courage).

2) Do not quote lines from the clip you have just watched (we’ve just watched, or are watching, the clip; we can hear or read it for ourselves). Why is this a problem for so many of you?

3) No more ads for porn sites in the comments section (we all know where to find porn on the Internet; if you do not know where to find it, then you have not used the Internet and will not bother with YouTube).

4) No more multiple ads for the same porn site in the comments section (see my comments above).

5) More straight-out porn on the page (a lot of online traffic has been lost to You Porn, Pornovue, RedTube, xHamster, etc. – isn’t it time to take it back?) Kind of contradicting myself with the porn idea above (and maybe spending too much time talking about porn?) Let’s move on…

6) Before leaving a comment, learn how to spell and use proper punctuation (it just looks better on the screen and it makes more sense). Privately, this is the most irritating thing on the Internet (don’t your computers come with spellcheck or at least suggested terms if you do not know the word?)

7) More information on the Diet Coke/Mentos experiments (I just like to see this).

8) Less “Lesbian” kissing (not a bad thing in itself, but it only goes so far – see number 5). And let’s be fair about this: do we have “Trans” kissing or “Gay” kissing categories up on YouTube? Think about it.

9) Any more than five negative responses to a comment is wrong; more than ten is abuse (just do the old Siskel-and-Ebert thumbs-up-or-down icon click). We know that you do not like something; move on!

10) Screw with the networks, which keep pulling clips off the site (Why do they do that, anyway? Are they upset about the free advertising and interest in their product?) They got our money, anyway. Keep fighting.

11) No more sexy still shots posed against a sexy video name leading to you and your idiot friends drunk and attempting to dance at a party (a very pitiful scene)

12) Death penalty for Rickrolling (you know what I mean). Are you never gonna give it up? Never gonna let us down?

If I have missed any of your pet peeves or other little annoyances, please comment below (and hey, where else have you had the opportunity to do such a thing?) ;)