Dealing with massive responses on YouTube

[gryphern]

So, I've gotten featured by a bunch of stuff before with my YouTube videos, ranging from MAKE Magazine's Blog to IndyMogul's sister-site ThreadBanger. I could handle the 80-100 messages that would generate via comments, email, and video responses.

But when I got featured on YouTube's homepage, it maxed out my website bandwidth, generated 500 text comments, a horde of video responses, and a frightening number of personal messages I haven't counted yet.

I noticed that when I left it alone for half an hour, spammers and trolls were more likely to be active when they saw other spammers and trolls. But attending to it every ten minutes would be impossible to do every day.

So, if I keep on the track I am on, I'm going to start getting overloaded just by the response from my subscribers when I post videos.

What do I do?! Does anyone have any good strategies? I don't want to produce fewer videos, or lock my comments to block spammers. What does everyone else do to manage large amounts of online traffic? Are there any good web services that have flexible bandwidth, so if I get inundated with hits for three days I don't have to rehost all of my extra materials. I need a service that won't charge me disgusting amounts of money for brief bandwidth spikes.

[rick3000]

Unfortunately, I have never faced this situation. But if your going to get charged for going over your bandwidth, remove your website from your youtube page. Then just ignore the PM's until your mailbox is maxed out and you can go through it later, after the video is featured. You could also block all comments. If you don't want to do anything like this, then your just going to have to deal with it.

And on your webpage boost your price to $10 and put those dragon wings front and center, maybe you could make a few hundred $$$ off of this.

[Kaygee]

If things really do get too much for you to handle, you can always turn off the comments. Not the best solution but its better than being swamped.

[sfx man]

http://www.youtube.com/partners check this out. cash in on it

[TacticalNinja]

What Id be doing, is you have the decision to make, are the comments good or the views good?

Its really a balance, I know for a fact that 'fred' although we all hate him. (some of us do anyhow)

doesn't read ANY of his posts. You just go with what you have and ignor the comments and posts, don't show your webpage on your channel unless you want a lot of visitors. comments are good, you get into the Most Disscused list and get the privilage of staying there for 48 hours I believe. You want to be there, so DONT BLOCK COMMENTS.

You fans (AKA Subscribers should know how to contact you if they realy need to) SMP Films (another MASSIVE youtube user loves to read his comments since 1/2 of it isnt spam but he just cant read them all, so try that.

Besides 3/4s of the most likely are gonna be like 4 words long, like 'gay' or 'dumb' 'awsome' since people just say whatever they feel like right? Maybe it was really good, but they arn't gonna care.

So to sum it up, ignor the comments, read some and let them spam away. Get on the most disccused and don't bother arguing with people unless your sure you will get a BIG discusion going since 'good and negative' energy =Fight!=comment/views=AWSOME!

[gryphern]

Seriously good ideas and things to think about. I got approved for the first part of the partnership program so now I gotta set up an Adsense account.

My Youtube stuff currently pays my utility bill, so I can put more cash into makin' videos and covering the cost of costume commissions people order from me! But the partner thing might also cover the cost of flexible webhosting and allow for smoother sales.

The idea of how to handle comments is still daunting. I'm considering the ideas. But if I don't get featured by stuff too often then I don't have to worry about it? Until it forces me to make a decision I'll use denial as a crutch!