Monday, August 23, 2010

Moving to YouChewPoop.

Seeing as keeping a blog of my opinions and articles was too much of a hassle even for me, I must be crazy to think that moving to a website with actual deadlines is a good idea.

For those who have not heard yet, I have been chosen to be a freelancer for YouChewPoop.com's writing crew. YouChewPoop.com is the official Youtube Poop community website, and from what I am told, it is home to the most prestigious of Youtube Poopers. I am honored to have this position and I vow to fully engage myself into the job.

Keeping a blog sounded like a good idea at the time. It would serve as a hub for my thoughts and feelings about what's happening with Youtube Poop. Unfortunately, when nothing inspires you, when life gets in the way, when your insanely high standards for everything you write put you down, you get my blog.

My main source of inspiration for this blog was, in fact, the YouChewPoop.com News Page, which housed some very detailed articles. To actually be a part of that crew is a privelege, seeing as what I write will be read and discussed by artists. Also, their criteria for a printable article is much different than mine. I won't have to rely on tangents and mochas to get me going anymore. Hopefully.

With that being said, I bid farewell to Shitstorm. There probably won't be any more reasons for me to have to log on to this Blogger account now. From here on, everything I print will be posted on YouChewPoop.com. Everything on this blog, however, will stay. In the hopes that some wayfarer comes across it and wonders what the Hell I am talking about.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

YTPNews1

A few people asked me what my opinions are about YTPnews1, a vlogger who gives regular updates on the Youtube Poop community and happenings concerning Youtube Poop. I told them I was impartial to him and his broadcasts and left it at that. However, he has made some very questionable points in his videos and I feel those need to be addressed.

Before I begin, I want to talk about his show in general. My job as a collaborator involves treating every Pooper equally, regardless of their beliefs, habits, and behavior. YTPnews1's shows, or Stuart K. Reilly's shows I should say, do not affect the stature of his work in my mind. His Poops are one thing, his shows are another.

Stuart's news shows have amassed him over 2,000 subscribers and made him a well known mainstream figure in Youtube Poop. Good for him. He is very good at speaking and he knows what he's talking about. I may not agree with his statements at times, but he has his reasoning for making them and they make more sense than what most other Poopers who attempt to set up a news show would say.


There are times where I feel he misuses his fame. One example being his response to the ytp4life rant, which took up his entire show. I couldn't help but feel that it was unnecessary to make a news show centered around a personal issue with someone no one knows about. If it's Youtube Poop news he's supposed to be broadcasting, what does this have to do with Youtube Poop? That episode made his news show look like a tabloid.

Creating a program based entirely off Youtube Poop is difficult, I can imagine. It would require a lot of awareness of what is going on. Stuart, being a part of the Youtube Poop Community I assume, certainly does have that. I am often surprised of the unknown Poopers he knows of and is subscribed to. Best of all, Stuart is a character. His hard southern accent and sense of humor make him a memorable spokesperson.

As I said before, I am neither a fan or an opponent of his show. It's always interesting to hear someone's input on certain subjects regarding Youtube Poop. That being said, I have come to disagree with him on more than one occasion, particularly his top ten lists. I understand he usually makes his lists out of boredom, but he has to remember he is catering to a large fanbase, so he needs to make sense.

On his most recent top ten list, the top ten overused Poop jokes, he listed several things I disagreed with. Number ten was the Sony Vegas TV simulator effect.

Here's what I'm wondering: How many of Stuart's subscribers have Vegas? I can imagine a lot of experienced Poopers have it but what about the ones who are new too Pooping and look up to this guy for advice? There are a plenty of video editors on the market, not just Vegas. Mac users use iMovie, Final Cut, and Adobe Premiere. I've never seen their interfaces but I'm sure one or two of them don't have that effect. Even so, is that the best he can think of? A TV simulutor effect? I don't mean to criticize his selection but that effect is rarely overused, at least from the many Poops I've seen. The inversion of color effect is used more often than the TV simulator effect when coupled with ear rape, but I wouldn't call that overused either.

Number eight was the MeiAids phrase "Let's shit." Not Link's "fuck" or "cock"? An old phrase from 07 and 08 that hardly anyone uses anymore? I question that decision as well, especially since not a lot of people use the original phrase like he says.

Number five was sex jokes in general. Here, Stuart tackles 95% of all sentence mixing jokes, and while I understand his reasoning, this is not the right time to call them overused. I applaud him for following that standard in his Poops though. Sex jokes are easy to create and can produce some laughs depending on the audience. Some, like SwishFilms, have made it the centerpiece of their style. I think they are overused to an extent. It's all a matter of how they are formulated. Some Poopers just throw them in and some create buildup to the punchline. Some words, specifically "cock", I deem too easy to form and end killing the joke, but SwishFilms is very good about knowing what words to use. In fact, I don't quite understand Stuart's bias against Poopers like Swish. He makes me, and plenty of other people, laugh. I can understand if it's not Stuart's cup of tea, but to call his material overused? I don't think so.

Number two was head masking. Again, I don't understand his reasoning. He admitted he didn't know what else to put here, but an uncommon skill on a list of overused tricks? This kills the merit of his list, that is if he was taking it seriously.

When Stuart finds something to talk about, he has a good idea of what to say. I believe he is ahead of his time, but he tries to hard to drag the now to where he is. He expects too much from today's Poopers. He should act more as a role model and show everyone what he likes by making Poops that enforce his ideals, rather than come down on them in his shows. Especially since his preferences of what is overused and what is not appear differ from most Poopers.

One thing I like to see on his shows are his interviews. He asks good questions and his interviewees are very insightful. I believe he should do more interviews and include some more well known Poopers in his show, like Dikekike (KroboProductions) and Deepercutt. I understand his intention is to bring lesser known Poopers into the light, but I believe his audience would like to see a big name interviewed as well. He managed to get Electricthecheese, I believe he can get almost anyone.

That's my personal opinion of Stuart. What he does, what he thinks, and what he says are all up to him. It's his show, and I'm sure he knows whatever he says has a drastic impact on the future of Poop. I like his style. He has a very good attitude and a lot of charisma. If I decide to get a microphone it would be my honor to join him on his show, perhaps offer some insight of my own. He has a strong southern accent, perhaps I can mix in some of my Boston tongue?

Friday, March 26, 2010

Guysafari Interview

Guysafari has been making Poops since 2008. During his two years, he has amassed a fanbase of over 2,500 and gained significant notoriety in the Youtube Poop world. I am privileged to have him take the time to answer some questions about himself, his works, and Youtube Poop in general.




KevinTAckerman: To start, how and when did you come across Youtube Poop? How did you get into making your own? And what were your impressions on the genre?

Guysafari: Well, I'm not quite sure when I came across YTP. I believe it was late 07 (I think in November or December) The first YTP I ever saw was "Youtube Poop: When you Pinch Toast, Theres Mama Luigi" Which is still one of my all-time favorite Youtube poops. Originally, I watched them on a 2003 laptop that would usually take a half hour to load videos and after about 5 or 6 videos on youtube, it would crash and take a couple hours to reboot. It was all worth it though because then and now, Youtube poop is quite honestly my all time favorite thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px1A1za22BI

I originally started making YTP after investing 500 dollars into a computer. It was an Acer. It was an awful computer for the kind of stuff I was doing. I originally used WMM but due to its limitations, I got Sony Vegas after using WMM for about 5 months. My first Youtube Poop was uploaded on February 10, 2008. It was called "youtube poop: here is the map my bambino" It was one of my favorite youtube poops I made and even today, it still entertains me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gsPEX36dPc

I quite honestly don't know what to say about Youtube Poop other than its my favorite thing. It's what I find myself to be best at, It's one of the things that entertains me the most (Making ones and watching Other people's work) and I strive to be the best I possibly can.

KTA: Who were your inspirations when you first started out and how did their works influence you?

G: My influences when I first started were Deepercutt, KingCornholio, Tentor, Insineratehymn, MrTennek, and Boogidyboo.Deepercutt's humor and sentence mixingKingcornholio's randomness and pitch-shiftingTentor's stutters Insineratehymn's effects and his overall YTP styleMrTennek's effects and his one of a kind acid poops. Boogidyboo's extreme zoom-ins, distortions, and his way of slowing down clips. Today, I have many influences which include the following: MSTRadock, MrTennek, Tentor, Domorato, SayYesToGiygas, MasterGwonam, Boogidyboo, Deepercutt, Kingcornholio, Miss10, YTPnews, Sushieboy, Insineratehymn, Vorhias, NS2, Yewtewbpewper, KyraPixy, igiulamam, RAKninja, ffgasm, Jamesdeth, OMGTSN, PlasmaFetus, ChrisGendo, ElectrictheCheese, NazeemLaRoda, FlotsamX

KTA: What sort of sources do you like to use for your Poops? Do you have any special preferences?

G: G1 Transformers is by far my favorite source (incidentally, I'm making a Youtube Poop of it right now) I also like Nostalgia Critic, AVGN, Gameplay, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, and Half-Life. I basically just use what the source gives me.

KTA: By “gameplay” do you mean video games?

G: Yes. Sorry.

KTA: You mentioned Half Life being one of your sources, do you use gameplay from any other video games? Also does the material from your gameplay Poops come from other people or do you make it yourself?

G: There was one youtube poop I did of the Half-Life 2 beta. I shot the gameplay myself using Fraps. Otherwise, I just get gameplay straight from youtube. Most of the gameplay poops I've done before were from the NES. There were 2 that I did that were for the SNES. I aspire to make more gameplay poops in the future though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM82MXbXMuU

KTA: When you uploaded your first Poop to Youtube, what was running through your mind? What sort of reception did you imagine getting and what sort of reception did you receive?

G: Quite honestly, I didn't know what to expect. The video got little to no views and it took me 2 months to get my first subscriber (which was a bot) Originally, I just thought I was going to get 75 subs max. Now, I think I might actually make it past 3,000. I'm quite happy with the progress I've made.

KTA: How do you think you were able to amass such a large fanbase? Many Poopers who started out in 2008 have yet to breach 500. You on the other hand are just past 2,500.

G: I.... have no idea. I honestly don't know... If I were to guess, I would say it's because of consistency. I always make Youtube Poops, I never really been on hiatus, and the longest I've went without making a video was about a month. I never upload fillers either (unless you count the ones on my alt account, guysafariX. http://www.youtube.com/user/guysafariX

KTA: What is your opinion on your fanbase? And has your change in popularity affected the types of Poops you make?

G: I love my fanbase. I don't really believe it changed my style though.. I think my style just started to change as I experimented with Sony Vegas more.

KTA: Out of everything you’ve made, what are your favorite works? You said your first one, “here is the map my bambino”, was one of your favorites but do you have any others that you particularly enjoy?

G: I gotta say my first and most recent youtube poops are my favorites. Also my tennis rounds with Insineratehymn and "Starscream joins the SOS Brigade”.

KTA: Let’s talk about Tennis now. Your first match was against thetentor. What was running through your mind going into the match and how did you feel your performance was? Also, what made you choose thetentor as your opponent?

G: At the time, Tentor was my favorite youtube pooper. I thought I did terrible. However, My second tennis with Insineratehymn was easily my favorite tennis. That tennis has my all-time favorite youtube poop and I might upload it later.

KTA: What sets your match with Insineratehymn apart from your match with Tentor?

G: I actually did very good in it. It was around when my style started to change. When I tennised Tentor, I had no clue of what to expect. When I was against Insineratehymn, I was a lot better because I was much more used to Vegas, and I was becoming a better youtube pooper.

KTA: How do you tackle Poopers with different styles? Do you tend to respond with a round similar to their style or do you stick to your own?

G: I try to play along with their previous round but, I usually stick to my own style.

KTA: Moving away from Tennis, when was it that you found a style that really suited you?

G: June 24, 2008. That was the day when I uploaded "Starscream Joins the SOS Brigade." I absolutely loved that video. Captpan6 also had a role in my style change as well. I was experimenting with new styles and I came across Captpan6 (who at the time, only had about 200 or so subs.) we became friends (and we still are) and he just told me to keep up what I was doing. Now, My style is going to be more like the style used in my recent video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAHCCus6qME

KTA: Captpan6 did mention in his QnA video that you were one of the Poopers he’d like to play Tennis against. How did you react to that?

G: I was drinking a soda and I spat it all over my laptop. I didn't know he had it in mind. I'll accept it when he's ready though.

KTA: You garnered some attention when you joined Deepercutt in the Duo Poop “It’s Not Jacky Chen”. What’s the story behind that Poop?

G: Deepercutt and I both liked that show. One night we decided to watch episodes together. That was one of them. After it, deepercutt just flat-out said "Lets make a duo poop of this. I do bad chan, you do good chan." I just said "K”A couple of months later, it was released. I was done with my part about 2 months before deepercutt even started. I wish too do something like that with him again in the future.

KTA: I assume you are good friends with Deepercutt?

G: Yes. He's my best friend actually. Him, Captpan6 (recently started talking to him), Miss10, Imaperson, and CommanderGwonam (he's not on all that much, but he's a pretty cool guy.)

KTA: What are your first thoughts going into a Youtube Poop? What do you usually aim to do?

G: I.. usually just ask myself, "All right.... what do I do?" and then I just do what I feel is best. It's very hard to explain. Recently, I've been experimenting with more of a spastic style. I want to try and make all of my old styles co-exist. I used to be a rape pooper, I used to be slow paced, fast-paced.. There was even a time where I used sentence mixing. Now, I just wanna be everything at once. I also want to experiment with new things as well.

KTA: Are you usually pleased with your work? Have there been times where you don’t feel confident in something you’ve made?

G: I'm inconsistently proud of my work. It was only until recently that I realized that I have limitless potential. Recently, I've been really proud of my work. I do always get that lack of confidence though. It seems to happen all the time when I make these videos. It's not happening as much as it used to though.

KTA: What is the hardest part of making a Poop?

G: Not getting lazy towards the end. Everything else is easy for me though.

KTA: How much time to you usually take on your Poops?

G: Usually a week or two. I usually don't start until a week after I uploaded my most recent one.

KTA: I want to ask you about one of your latest Poops, The Diarrhea of Haruhu Suzumiya. It’s been garnering a lot of attention as of recent and you appear to be pleased with it yourself. As for its style, it's much different from what your usual videos. What made you want to deviate from your regular style like that? Also, how did did the making of this Poop compare to the making of your other Poops?

G: I made it primarily because I was enraged by the results of the recent YTP contest. I wanted to prove that I could be just as good (if not better) than the people who won. I also just wanted to see what would happen if I gave a video 110%. When I was about halfway done with that video (around the time when the contest results came in) I decided to just rip the video apart. My recent video, Youtube Poop: Toys Gone Wild, I was a little more organized. I made the video then rendered it. (I refer to it as the Beta version of the video.) Then I revised it and uploaded them both on the day I was finished with the final product. This way, I could please my fans that dislike my newer style because the beta of the video is basically my old style, mixed with my newer style. It's just not as heavily edited as the end product. However, the beta for this video was somewhat complete. I came up with this concept when the video was about 35% done. Beta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zem8-WyLr2M Final:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWfjer8BjEI

KTA: Which contest are you referring to? The one held by Eric Striffler?

G: Yes.

KTA: You are notorious for mimicking the titles of other famous Poops, and “Toys Gone Wild” is a perfect example. Is there a reason you like to do this?

G: 1- I find it hilarious

2- makes it easier to make up titles,

3- sometimes it makes people rage and I find their reactions to be pretty funny.

4- it's my way of "Sticking it to the man"!

KTA: What is your opinion on mainstream Poopers? You have already stated that you are good friends with Deepercutt and captpan6, but what do you think of others like KroboProductions and MrRoboto113?

G: Meh. They're ok. I really don't care about them. I care about my bros and that's about it. (not literal bros but.... bros).

KTA: Do you see yourself as a popular mainstream Pooper or a potential one?

G: Yup. I see myself to be the best to be honest.

KTA: Are you a competitive person? How often do you compare yourself to other people and how do you react when someone compares you to another Pooper?

G: I'm not a competitive person, I just like to be the best YTPer I can possibly be. I never really compare myself to anyone. Whenever somebody compares me to someone else, I usually get rather offended.

KTA: A lot of Poopers have an output that fluctuates depending on their social lives (family, school, job etc). Are you one of those people? Are you able to work under great stress? How do you deal with the pressure of having a relatively large fanbase?

G: I do whatever I want. I do make sure to upload a new YTP at least once a month though. It's not all that stressful. I do this for fun and to entertain others as well as myself. YTP is my favorite thing.I also dislike people who use the "I have a life" excuse because they can't make videos. I have a social life, schoolwork, etc, but I can still do my stuff. I've never went without making a YTP for more than a month (the only thing I fear is that they might take a little bit longer since my new style consists of some different material. I started a new YTP and I'll upload the beta version of it as soon as it's done.

KTA: What styles of Poop do you generally like and dislike?

G: I love slow-paced YTP's and I'm also a fan of bad YTP's. But I also like fast-paced youtube poops. I do, however, hate most rape poops (with the exception of Mr.Tennek and some others) For the record, I don't consider myself a rape pooper anymore.

KTA: What is Youtube Poop to you? Do you see it as an art form? A hobby?

G: Both.

KTA: Are there any underrated Poops and/or Poopers you feel deserve more attention?

G: Jamesdeth, MSTRadock, sayyestogiygas. Those are the only three people I can think of at the moment

KTA: Finally, what do you think about the future of Youtube Poop? How long do you intend to keep making Poops and where do you think it will take you?

G: I see a bright future for youtube poop. Many people are being introduced to it. The community is growing quite fast. I... plan to do this for however long I want to. As of now, I can say that I am NOT going to quit any time soon. This is my favorite thing, and I do have a rather addictive nature. I think I'll be around for a good long time :)

KTA: Thank you for your time, guysafari.

G: You're welcome! Thanks for the interview!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Feb 2010: What could have been?

While constructing the Top Tens, I always end up asking myself the same question: "Why just ten?" This question popped into my head numerous times last month. Actually, more than ever.

It was nearing the end of the month. I had a pre-list all ready, and the choices were much different. There were new people on the list and some that were already on were closer to the one spot. I assumed that this would end up being the final result, but I didn't want to render the list just yet. I just wanted to be sure that this would be it.

And lo and behold it wasn't. On the last three days of the month I was presented with several new Poops that made it on, knocking a few other choices off. This didn't frustrate me, as this is just part of what happens when I make these lists. But I was rather disappointed to see two really good ones get the boot, and this article is centered around those two.

The first one comes from an old-school traditionalist named JazzDanceForChildren. His Poops rely on classic sentence mixing techniques and repetition, and I don't get the chance to showcase Poops like that too often because this style doesn't quite seem to fulfull as much as other styles. That is not to say that I do not understand it at all though. I was, I guess you could say, "raised" on it. The first Poopers I ever saw used it or something close to it, and quite honestly I miss the old days when these were common.

As I have mentioned about Jazz, I never have the chance to advertise his works. This month, however, he made one that exceeded my expectations, called Speed Establishes The Car Acrobatic Speed Racing Team. It won me over completely. The video started off slow and easy, with just scenes from old Speed Racer cartoons. But as it progressed, it became much more disoriented and unpredictable. Jazz employed some old-fashioned sentence mixing about half-way through that completely changed the atmosphere of the Poop. I found myself, for once in a long time, chuckling. Chuckling, at a Poop. That right there is a massive accomplishment.

He could've stopped right there though, but he didn't. He went above and beyond by turning a two and a quarter long Poop into a three minute Poop, all without adding filler. He also referenced some of his older videos and made some unexpected sound edits. And then at the end, to cap it all off, he added another round of old-school sentence mixing, and it was even funnier than the last verse.

The second Poop was sent to me near the end of the month. It was a Polish Poop called Bomba Bojs ejakuluje Multi Hacki do Metina and it was made by materatzowy. I don't often come across foreign Poops, but I see no reason to keep them off the Top Ten. Which is why after I saw this, I couldn't help but put it on the list.

With no disrespect to foreign Poopers, the Poops that are sent to me that are in different languages aren't really the best of the bunch, which is why I was surprised by materat's video. It uses, what I believe, sentence mixing of Polish words, and although I don't understand the language, I admired it nonetheless. That wasn't it though. He had his hands on a good editing software and was able to do what most experienced Poopers could, including a strange spinning triangle effect I had never seen before. "If this doesn't get on the list for its sentence mixing," I thought, "it should get on for its excellent use of modern techniques."

While I did feel that the overall product felt like something only Polish speakers could understand, I put it on the pre-list anyhow because I trusted the maker constructed good words and the effects and techniques were comparable to other Poopers'. It would've been an excellent way to show how far Youtube Poop has spread, and how other cultures are adapting it.

To see these two Poops knocked off the list broke my heart. But what could I do? I have to be honest with myself and always give the spots to those who deserve it. It was unfortunate that February 2010 wasn't the month to see these two make an appearance, but I'm hoping that some time in the near future there will come a chance.

If you ever have the chance, go watch these guys' videos, particulary the ones I mentioned. Even though they never made the final list, they are still winners in my book.

Friday, February 26, 2010

The List Laws.

Having done more than a year of countdowns and knowing how well they work, I thought it would be useful to create a guide to making one. While making a countdown can be easy, making a good one requires time and effort, which is something many assemblers don't apply. Notably the ones who work for IGN.

This list can apply to any sort of list you make, whether it be for Youtube Poops or personal things like favorite movies, books, or actors.

1. Always start with the best. The first and most important rule. Never make a countdown starting with the ten slot. It's sloppy and makes your list look disheveled. The whole point of making a countdown is to build up to number one, and the best way to do that is to list your first, second, third, and so on. By starting at ten you are no longer making a countdown; you are making a scatterplot.

2. If #1 was never made, #2 should fill that role. It's an obvious rule, but one a lot of people forget. This doesn't just apply to #1s and #2s though, but to 8s and 9s, 34s and 35s, etc.

3. Know your choices inside and out. If you're making a countdown, you're assumed to be an expert on the subject. Therefore, make sure you know everything about your selections.

4. Listen to your second thoughts. Your doubts are your friends. If you feel you made a mistake somewhere, go see where you made it and if it's a mistake at all. By second guessing yourself, you are pushing yourself to make a better list.

5. Try not to miss a thing. One thing I do occasionally throughout the month is recheck my subscriptions to see if I missed a video somewhere. Sometimes it's a waste of time, other times I pick up on gems I missed, and that happens often since I'm subscribed to so many people. When it comes to constructing lists of personal favorites, a lot of "headhunting" is required. Like say if you were to make a Top Ten Favorite Comedians list. You've thought of every one that comes to mind, and just as you're about to show it to people you suddenly remember you forgot about the legendary Bill Cosby. Mistakes like these are all too common, and it's best you know all your choices.

6. Your opinion is always fluctuating. Your list may look good to you today, but after a couple of days you will start to think, "Maybe A is better than B". That is why I take my time with these lists. I want to make sure my mind is settled on one flat decision. Which leads to my next rule...

7. It's okay to change your mind. If over a period of time you have a change of heart over a decision, do not be afraid to say so and make that change. If your list is unchangeable, simply tell them what you really think when someone mentions something involving your choice.

8. Critics are never idiots. Feedback is important, even for personal opinions. It's always good to listen to what people have to say and ask them what they think, or tell them what you were thinking. After all, your list is a way of conveying your personal opinion, so explain your reasoning whenever you get the chance.

9. Everything has its quirks. Getting back to knowing your choices inside and out, it's really easy to to forget the properties that make a certain selection special. This is something I have to remember as I'm dealing with a form of art that has many styles. I must remember what makes this Poop good while watching another one. That helps me judge A from B.

10. Ten is a narrow number. When it comes to Top Tens, many people forget what the 10 spot really is. If you put something at #10, you are saying that it is better than everything else except the following nine spots. This rule also applies to viewing a Top Ten. It's easy to discredit that spot because countdowns tend to "run over" everything on the way to #1, #10 most of all.

11. Shove guilty pleasures aside. Unless you really think it's good. For the best example we turn to Pimpsahoy, who treated the #10 spot like crap for over a year.

12. Style isn't everything. Just because you have a flashy intro and numbers doesn't make you the best. It's your choices that matter. The graphics are just an added luxury. I never found it necessary to added flashy effects to the Top Ten, mostly because I don't know how to make them. It doesn't make a difference to me though, just as long as I make good choices.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Behind the scenes.

Some people have asked about how a Top Ten is made, as well as what sort of criteria I base my judgements upon. This should give some insight into what goes on behind the scenes and hopefully answer some questions people have wanted to know about me.


First off, KevinTAckerman is not my main account, which most of you might have guessed. I have three accounts: One for regular videos, another for Youtube Pooper subscriptions, and KevinTAckerman. My "regular videos" are not Poops, and I have not planned on making any in the future. I am a vlogger with quite a few fans, and my videos are for film and political criticism and art study. I'd rather not say who I am because I prefer my main account to have nothing to do with Youtube Poop whatsoever. KevinTAckerman is not my real name, but an alias I decided to go by.


As I said before, my second account is for Youtube Pooper subscriptions. I do not risk subbing to Poopers with my main account because I were to ever lose it, I would lose the people I have subscribed to. Resubbing would be too much of a hassle and I would most likely forget the people I subbed to. I have no videos on this account; its sole purpose is for subscriptions.


KevinTAckerman is the Top Ten account. It is linked to a Gmail address which allows me to watch sent and shared videos without having to log in. That is why it is rarely logged into; it's hardly necessary.


Now about the Top Tens. Every day, or whenever I can access a computer, I log into my secondary account to check the day's new videos. Poops that are eligible for the next Top Ten are sent to a playlist which is reviewed later in the month, but I'll get to that in a sec. It is very important that I log into my secondary as much as possible because with so many subscriptions, I have to check to make sure I see every video.


For a Poop to be eligible for a Top Ten, it must be within range of the previous Top Ten's #10 pick. Otherwise I ignore it. I accept many styles, including Flash. Poops that are not accepted, however, are Tennis Rounds, except serves. The reason I don't accept Tennis Rounds is because they are not solo projects, which are the Poops I prefer to showcase. Round 1 videos have been edited by only one person, so therefore they are eligible.


YTPMV's are another thing I don't showcase. If a good majority of a Poop is music video, I don't accept it. That is not to say I don't like YTPMV's, but again, It's not what I'm after.


Also, collaborations which include works by other people are uneligible unless the original creator has uploaded their video seperately. If I showcased a Poop not from a solo project but from a collab, and it has not been uploaded seperately, my only reference would be that collab video. Since the video has works by more than one person, I am essentially tieing the chosen Poop with everyone elses', rather than it alone.


Those are the exceptions. Now I'm guessing you're after what I look for in a Poop. First off, I am open to any and all forms. Stutters, sentence mixing, rape, you name it, I accept it. I try not to be lenient toward some styles, although it does unintentionally appear that way from time to time.


With that being said, I have elected not to reveal my judging criteria.


I mean why in the world would I tell anyone that?! Then I'd have a whole bunch of Poopers sucking up to me and sending me videos that they claim "fit my criteria." No, I don't want that. My Top Tens are not guidelines for other people to follow. They are lists that I have put together that feature, what I believe to be, the best of Poop in all its forms. I don't want people to make Youtube Poops for the sake of trying to get onto my Top Ten. No one should make them for that reason.


My decision is final; I am not giving away any secrets. Don't worry about making it on my Top Tens, just keep doing what you do best and make Poops. Keep this new generation of expressionism moving without the constant worry about what others think. My Top Tens are subtle appreciation. Nothing more.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The sincerest form of flattery.

As some of you already know, Ash's Retarted Adventure has been removed, and I can only guess for copyright infringement. So before I begin this article I first want to make some points clear. First off, I did not hate Ash's Retarted Adventure, nor do I hate its creater, Yootubepoop. I simply disliked the fact that that video was becoming the social standard of what a Youtube Poop should be. I'm sure Yootubepoop is a very good person, or people I should say. I just don't see eye-to-eye with his style.



Now that that's out of the way, I want to talk about something that has come up recently. Those who regularly look at KroboProductions' Recent Activity on his Youtube page may have seen a comment like this:



KroboProductions someone please kill yootubepoop (1 week ago)

A lot of his fans were confused by that comment, myself included. I wasn't sure whether this was sarcasm or real angst, and was curious to find out. I was quite surprised to find it was the latter. It turns out that Yootubepoop had allegedly stolen a moment from Krobo's Ash's First Pubic Hair (remake), modified it, and used it in Ash's Retarted Adventure without referencing Krobo or his Poop. Fans of Yootubepoop noticed the similarity between the two clips and believed that Krobo had stolen from Yootubepoop, so they left comments on his Poop accusing him of taking that moment.

Here's the question: Does Krobo have the right to be angry? Technically it did come from his video, but is that considered plagiarism?

Let's think about this for a minute. Fans of Yootubepoop have claimed Krobo stole a moment from his Poop, unaware that it was actually the other way around. It is Yootubepoop's fans that Krobo should be frustrated with, not Yootubepoop himself. As far as I know, he did not advocate or rally them to do that. However, Krobo was upset with the real person here, and the only reason for that was because he'd been stolen from and the Poop it belonged to garnered more popularity than his.

Poopers will most likely steal from someone no matter what they do. 99 times out of a hundred, the material they use does not belong to them. It has been ripped from a website or outside storage device. Right away that could be considered a felony, so no matter how high your perch is you are still pirating. Poopers understand that and they go forth with that risk.

Pretend it wasn't Ash's Retarted Adventure that used the moment but a lesser known newbie who'd created his first Poop. He has no fans or subscribers. Someone watches his video and sees the moment, then he watches Krobo's and notices the similarity, causing the fan to speak out without doing his homework. Would Krobo have minded that this lesser known person used a moment? I seriously doubt it.

So was Krobo justified to leave that mark on his channel? No, absolutely not. Rather, he should've simply left an edit in his description saying he had actually created the moment first, as well as ask Yootubepoop to do the same with his video. There was no need to say something snide about him. It made Krobo look mean spirited and created an uneasy tension between his fans and Yootubepoop's fans.

Besides, Ash's First Pubic Hair (the remake and the original) are two of Krobo's older and weaker efforts. He shouldn't be concerned with what he made over a year ago. Rather, he should be coming up with newer and better ideas. (I am aware that he hasn't made anything in months. I can only guess it's because of computer problems, as he has stated before he has been having problems.)

Krobo shouldn't worry about things like this. He is ahead of Yootubepoop in terms of subscribers and skill. It is best that he remove the comment from his Recent Activity and confidentially apologize to Yootubepoop for any tension he created. Besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If anything, Krobo should be happy his idea was duplicated!