The power of Feedback on the Internet.

We've been looking at Youtube for a while now and dabbled with it although we mostly use it to put up PD feedback videos.  Usually we don't really care about how the videos perform.  We have a look at the view counts occasionally out of idle curiosity but that's about all.

We got bored the other day and decided to have a look at all of the "analytics" that Youtube tracks for you and started to consider what they really mean.  A lot of it we don't think we'll ever really need to know.  Was it watched on Windows, Mac or Linux?  A home computer or a mobile device?  But we did go and read up on the sorts of ways that uploaders use feedback to give their Youtube channel some direction.

One of the problems is that sometimes all you get is view numbers which is helpful but since exploring we now find ourselves looking for more.  With something like the "advertisement" video in our sidebar, views is about all you need.  All you need to know is that it's being used so it's performing it's function.  

The same can be said for most of our PD feedback videos.  Because we make them to embed in our blog, comments aren't displayed with them so we aren't too fussed there either.  While it's good to see comments and thumbs up on them?  They are serving their purpose for the most part.  While comments would allow us to point to it and say "hey, look at the fun we are providing as well as the education part", feedback isn't going to change what we do with them.

Content based video is a little different.  Of course we have only made two but when things settle down a bit we plan on going further.  These are the ones where we'd like to see the feedback and we now know that other uploaders value that feedback as much as we do.

You have probably all seen a video embedded from Youtube at some point or other and it gives you a couple of options to provide feedback to the uploader.  People who are serious about their youtube channel use feedback from the view count, comments, thumbs up/thumbs down and subscriptions to guide themselves on how they select the content they upload.  Knowing how to use these tools gives you a little bit of input so the uploader keeps showing you things you want to see.

So how do you signal your support and what sort of feedback are uploaders going to pay attention to?

When you finish watching a video (or if you hovver your mouse over the video while it's playing) a pair of toolbars will pop into frame.  One from the top and one from the bottom like the picture shows.  This picture is what you see if you are signed into your Google account.  If you don't have a Google account you won't see the thumbs up or thumbs down icons.

The share button; Add views to a video. 

This button will appear whether you have a Google account or not.  Using the Share option allows you to put a link to the video onto your Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Myspace etc page or feed.  This adds views to the video by getting your friends to watch it too.

Youtube uploaders watch their views and they can also see, through the statistics that Youtube provides,  when other people share or embed their video in social networking sites or their blog.  Sometimes you get a lot of views but the video is not that well received.  What sharing does is let the uploader see that the views mean something.  Not only have you watched it, you thought it was interesting enough to share with your friends.  If your friends share it too, they can also see that they think the same and again want to share it with their friends.

This is one of the most powerful forms of feedback you can give.  Anyone can hit a thumbs up button if they liked a video.  If you take the time to share it you obviously thought the content was well worth watching.

Like and Dislike (Thumbs up or down).

You need to be signed in to your account to use this option.

Younger youtube viewers often assume that this is a powerful form of feedback when in fact it's the weakest one on offer.  It is quick and easy and is therefore one of the favourite tools of the "troll".  A troll is a person who just jumps from video to video hitting the dislike/thumbs down button and leaving negative and rude comments, usually because they attach some sort personal achievement to it or think it's hilarious to do it.  It's got nothing to do with the video itself, it's all about them looking to be important.

Uploaders know all about Trolls.  Most regular Youtube viewers also know about trolls.  The dislike/thumbs down button means virtually nothing because of this unless there's about 50 of them and no "like" rating.  There's people out there using the dislike/thumbs down button for all the right reasons, they were bored with the video or learnt nothing of note out of it, but generally speaking that feedback is lost because of the trolls.

The thumbs up/like button generally means "yep, that was ok".  You found it worth watching but it wasn't entertaining or inspiring enough to provide feedback beyond a single mouse click.  This lets the uploader know that although you found the video useful or entertaining in some way it's not really what you are looking for.

Commenting.

You need to be signed in to your account to use this option.

On the bottom bar there is a "Youtube" button with their iconic TV screen.  This button will redirect you to Youtube where you have access to the share, like/dislike like you do from the embedded interface, but you can now leave a personal comment.

Commenting is a good form of feedback because it allows you to define exactly what you liked and disliked about the video.  You aren't limited to a "good or bad" option like the other forms of feedback.  You can like most of the video but disagree with one part in particular and say so.  You can like the video but the thrash metal music they used to appeal to a younger crowd might grate on you.  You can point out 

"Hey, great video!  That music though?  It's not really appropriate for your wider audience".

This lets the uploader know that you really liked the content but sooner or later the music is going to get on your nerves and you'll stop watching.  They then have some extra knowledge to guide them.  They might have thought that their ideas would only appeal to a younger crowd which is why they picked that music, but now they know that they have a wider audience than they thought interested in what they have to say.  They can now consider picking a new piece of music more appropriate to that wider audience.

It doesn't mean they are necessarily going to do it of course, but it lets them know it's worth considering.

Subscribing.

Subscribing is a big deal.  It's telling the uploader that you are interested in a lot of what they are posting videos about and want to be notified when they upload a new one.  It lets them know that their content is striking a cord with people and keeping on posting the same sort of content is well worthwhile.

By subscribing you can also get access to the videos they like or comment on, telling them you not only like the content they are uploading but you are also interested in where they are getting their inspiration from.

Need to know.

These are basic things that every Youtube viewer needs to know.  Effective feedback is a great way to make sure that your favourite uploaders keep uploading the content you are looking for.

It strikes me as doubly important for students to understand these basic "rules" of feedback because they are cross-platform "rules" applying to most social networking sites.

These days Social Networking is one of the first avenues students have to effect the world around them.  Of course they are all taught how to recognise and avoid "cyber-bullying" and online predators from quite a young age but most Internet programs focus on personal protection and internet "manners" rather than how to be a useful and productive internet user.

If the opportunity arises?  Focus your internet-savvy students towards this goal.  Teach them that they have influence in the world and that knowing how to be a responsible internet user is necessary and there's plenty of studies out there now that show that internet usage is becoming a life-skill rather than a neiche interest.

A few years later these basic principles are going to become handy in other areas like Democracy.  Voting for a new prime minister, voting for a new club president, voting on using Blue balloons at the student fair this year.  Understanding that they have influence when offered a vote but it also depends on the majority.

It might seem like a small deal, knowing how to use Youtube feedback.  It sort of is when considered on it's own.  As a building block for the understanding of important life-skills it can be a very useful tool to teach a lot of basic social concepts that students will use for the rest of their lives.

What is it going to teach us as Teachers though?  Students have social power from a very young age these days. What are we going to do with this knowledge?  Should we understand it so we can control it in the classroom or should we promote it so we can teach them that there's power but it has it's boundaries?  That, of course,is the big question.

Regards,

Mel.