Hey there - apparently I have an ancient UA-cam account I forgot about?? This is your wife. I think you are the absolute best and I’m your #1 fan! Can’t wait to support you as you re-launch! You’re always helping us to survive and thrive as a family. And I know I’d be super dead in the wilderness if it wasn’t for you! I love you. -Jenny
Stay strong my friend. I pray that Gods blessings will be upon you and guide you in your path. I’ll be along with you the channel as you continue. Your content is solid and I look forward to seeing your opinions and reviews.
Now this is a women that stands behind her man!! you guys are awesome for each other. I pray you guys get through this ! Gods timing is always on time !
You probably need a bit of a new tact - you can absolutely still make it on youtube doing guns, knives, etc. Huge growth in channels like Demo Ranch, Metal Complex, Outdoors55 very recently. I think the older channels who got their big numbers 10 years ago in the bugout/prepper boom sort of thought the level of interest would stay the same without having to change anything. Like any big trends, most of the more casually interested people dropped off from survival/prepping or wandered into other adjacent hobbies. People are watching more youtube than ever, but tastes are pretty transient. Tim I’ve been watching you and the other big guys the whole time, my advice would be to kick the review only format, start experimenting with stuff, go for topic type videos. I’ve seen a lot of guys of about your vintage/subscriber count express a similar frustration, but when I scroll through the last year of vids its all power banks, battle boxes, all the torches they send ALL the reviewers at once. Its stuff that doesn’t move people to click. The people doing really well in knife/gear/gun youtube are doing either heaps of frequent small uploads or doing curiousity snaring video topics which keep the viewers watching with dynamic editing and stuff like that. I am not amazing at this stuff by any stretch and am not sure what your vid is going to be about, but those are my thoughts and I truly wish you and all the pioneering guys well, we later youtubers owe you a lot for guiding the way in the early years.
True. All if it. One of the reasons why his YT channel is not relevant anymore, it's the outdated format, review, representation of the gear, camera setup (lightning) and video editing skills. I know, it's hard to hear it. He should take a look at Gideonstactical as one example and how he does his videos.
I read all of this in your Australian accent in my head and couldn't agree more, love his material. Watched this video before bed in a hammock on an island on the Mississippi River in MN, USA. BTW love your material too.
I started watching the channels you mentioned back in the beginning. 10-12 years ago. I learned a lot. I discovered USB batteries, flashlights, fire steels, and learned good stuff. But now there is a huge library of material out there. It's all been done. New products/tech/skills come out very slowly. I'm not optimistic about the genre being what it was. Yes, UA-cam is totally exploiting creators like you. And you are totally at their mercy. A very risky business plan. Chris took a long break. That hurt his channel. He's been back lately. But you are right, something has to change. You can't control UA-cam but you can control what you do. Pivot is a good idea. Good luck!
Your channel is one of the channels I started watching from the beginning of my EDC/preparedness journey years ago. I've learned a lot from you brother. Thank you for what you do!
As a GunTuber myself, I obviously support other UA-cam reviewers differently, than the masses. Going back to the points you just recently mentioned from watching the entire video, clicking the like button and share a video, etc. Sometimes I will literally just click on an ad click around for a few seconds and then go back to watching the video. I realize that some people rely on the income from UA-cam combined with affiliate contracts, etc. And I remember exactly that specific timeframe that you’re referring to when UA-cam started shifting the analytics and channels and our genre started taking a massive hit. I remember when I had 5000 subscribers. I was making on average between $400 - $500+/month. This was really helping to support my growing family, insurance premiums, grocery bills, etc. I’m currently just a tad shy of 20,000 subscribers and I’m lucky if I make a little over $100 a month. Now I’ve had some pretty life altering events happen in my life over the past seven years so my consistency has not been there, and my lack of technical knowledge is definitely something that is affected me in my growth. I am currently working on changing all of that, but it’s taking a long time to get to this point. And that’s OK, not everybody’s journey takes the same path. And you are absolutely right, you truly have to enjoy the creative process in order to be successful at least in our space. Now I’m only speaking from my own personal experience, but I used to think once upon a time that people like us and the people that watch our videos would really like to watch key points from a class that I took for example. One of the things that I get asked all the time is who’s a great instructor? They’re all so different, with different techniques and depending on how you retain and learn information that can either affect you positively or negatively with that instructor. So I thought it would be beneficial to share different highlights specifically on a topic that would be beneficial to a lot of people, and they have an opportunity to see how that instructor teaches. Every single one of those videos typically gets about 200 to 300 views.. …sorry about the rant, but I do feel your frustration. I am going to be changing some of the things that I talk about on my own channel because I feel that it is something that God is calling me to do. I believe that it can help a lot of people, and Not just veterans with PTSD but anyone suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc….. but at the end of the day, I will still continue to support you, help you feed the algorithms, And hopefully with enough viewer support, it will help you with this YT journey. Stay Safe, and Tube On 👊.
I have been with you for a lot of years Tim and I'm so glad you're not going to give up because that is what they want! They do not want us being prepared. ❤️❤️🙏🙏
I miss many of the old channels, I think part of the problem is that reviewing became a apparent "job" for reviewing products and they became just infomercials and it became obvious...."this is my favorite knife because they pay me the most to say it" This isn't every reviewer but it is the general atmosphere...I still follow some survival channels but not nearly as many as the past..I do wish you the best of luck as I enjoy your channel
When my wife and I started working on our go bags, your videos gave us so much ideas as to what items we should pack. Number one item in our bags is the Bible. Thank you for the videos
Thanks for posting this video, we try and post weekly and sometimes get depressed because we don't get the views that kids playing Fortnite get. But our parents tell us to do it for fun, not for views. We wish you the best and glad you're still pushing through.
Id like to give you my input on this. My daughter and I did a youtube video well over 10 years ago now I would guess. It was a gear/outdoor/survival channel. We did great, she was really young like 6 or something and we would take hikes and she had her own pack and we would do hikes and knife stuff etc. I could do 20k views just being an idiot. But ya know, I got out of it because I could not compete with you guys. The manufacturers would send you all the cool new knives to pass around and review before it was released to the public and I just couldnt afford to buy a new knife every month for a review. Fast forward - youtube changed their algorithm and I see almost everyone saying the same things - 100k subs 100 views it doesnt balance. People think they are shadow banned etc. I think people have just moved on in the prepping world. Less zombies and more making ends meet. You watch channels like financial stuff where people are doing nothing but envelope stuffing - getting financial stuff in order. These are the focus now, not knives anymore. People who had money before already have whatever gear and probably a bunker now. People who dont really have the cash are focused on side hustles now to help make ends meet. I dont know what the solution is but a pivot is good. I would sprinkle in some adventure stuff if I were you. People treat youtube as one of two things - How to guides or Television substitute. 80% of what I watch is trying to learn a skill or improve something I use in life. 20% is just watching an entertaining video.
I am subbed to all the channels you mentioned , including yours. There has been so much knowledge I have gained through these videos throughout the years. I wish you the best Tim and I hope to be able to continue to learn for you and all the others mentioned. God Bless and good luck Tim.
I can't help but think that You Tube is purposefully doing this to support a certain agenda if you know what I mean. It sucks muchly! I'm getting old and I can't get out as much as I used to and the videos from the outdoor community help my spirit. I'll do what I can to support. Stay strong brother.
I have made a career of being a video producer and you are 100% right, it ain't easy. There is lot of thought and process to go through to create a quality product. And if you're anything like me, which I think you are, if you're going to put a video out there, you want it to be the best possible product. You aren't just going to wing it and throw it up on youtube, especially if you are interested in monetizing. There is a lot of junk out there and you can clearly see the difference between someone who just throws something up on youtube and someone who has put some thought into what they are producing. Stay at it, cuz, and let me know if I can help with anything else.
Tim. I’ve been watching you for a while. Appreciate all you do and am praying the rebranding is a success. I like the new direction. “Thriving” really opens the door to tons of possibilities/opportunities/directions for your channel. Personally I’d love to see more “thriving spiritually” incorporated into your vids as well.
Thanks for all the work you've put in to this channel. It was one of the first I found and your work has made a real difference in my life. I'm excited for your next step!
Survive and Thrive! I hope you keep your videos coming. I get value out of all of them. I have a ton of product pages bookmarked for future purchase that I only became aware of because of you. ❤
Good deal bro! I have just started posting to my own YT channel and hoping to expand and do some instructional videos on every day emergencies. Looking forward to seeing how your channel develops
The algorithm has to be working some, I have never seen your channel but watch a lot of this type of content and you showed up in my feed. Most of what i watch is gun content also. I think a lot of people just move on once they figure things out or just lose interest for whatever reason. I have noticed the younger generation is not so much into this type of stuff either because they don't do anything outdoors. I subbed to help ya out though, hope everything works out.
You and your UA-cam channel was my introduction into survival preparedness. I hope everything works out for the best because you have educated me a lot over the years.
You've always had a good channel, my hunch is that this genre really got its peak in the late 2010's with all the survival reality shows that came out but now after 7 or 8 years interest is kind of fading, perhaps due to pandemic fatigue and other factors. I know Black Scout Survival has moved on to doing live streams and more toward politics, seems like that's were things are trending towards. And then Joe Robinet is still doing well, but instead of focusing on gear he's showing viewers the actual experience vlog style similar to the Outdoor Boys.
I’ve been subscribed to your channel for a substantial amount of time, I clicked on your channel page after watching this video and noticed a lot of videos that I haven’t seen, that normally I would definitely watch. I don’t watch all of your content, I don’t particularly like shorts, that might have something to do with my age. I’ve been more than interested and impressed by your channel over the years. I don’t seem to be receiving recommendations from your channel as much as before. My interest hasn’t changed much I still enjoy your channel. Don’t let yesterday ruin today 😊you’ll come through in the end I’m sure of it. If you give up, I wouldn’t blame you but it’ll be our loss.
Don't forget that we all have multiple "venues" competing for our time and attention. As simple as this may sound, I allocate a certain amount of time each day for entertainment, but try to remain disciplined enough to keep it from limiting time for equally important developmental practices: faith, family, excercise, etc.
So sorry about this. It’s sad what UA-cam is doing to the content creators out there. I have a small channel and do it just for fun but also know how much work it is to create content. It’s sad that I think the people that are making money are those posting stupid shorts. It’s for people that do not have an attention span. There are plenty of us that want videos to help us learn things. Thanks for continuing to make the effort and for considering your community.
I’ve been watching you & the others you mentioned for years, but I wonder if people got really into stuff like this during the Covid years when nothing was certain day to day. & now we’re past that & people think they don’t need to know these things. 🤷🏼♂️. I just started a channel (non survival related) & my kids got so into the idea & are super supportive that it makes me want to continue, not only to showcase what I’m into or know about but as a type of video diary if you will that they can look back on if something were to happen to me. Keep up the vids, brother! I’m with ya.
As a subscriber for a long time, ive mostly just stopped watching because im not that interested in gear reviews. But i stay subscribed just in case theres an odd ball thing i might want to look at.
First and foremost THANK YOU for all the work you have put into everday tac vids! I think your new approach and new direction is right on target. I've been into EDC and prepping for a couple of decades. There are now a ton of UA-cam EDC / Gear channels. People that have been into EDC (gear & tac) have accumulated large collections. The EDC buzz has worn off (time does that to everything). Inflation has impacted everyone's disposable income. Times are changing and I think it's a great idea to change with them.
It's sad but not at all surprising or random that all these big tech companies are going after anything to do with independent thinking or living and classifying those who help people become independent and confident as some kind of 'blacklisted humans' of some sort. Thanks for all the help and content over the years and I'll keep liking and sharing as much as I can!
Been watching your channel for a few years now. I can not thank you enough for all the gear review, use, and knowledge that you have provided. Looking forward to the new direction.
I think the issue is that the people designing the algorithms have an agenda and it doesn’t include people like us. I wish someone would come out with a completing platform.
Don't normally leave comments but I do love your flashlight reviews so keep them coming. So stick around and keep giving me more ideas of new flashlights to buy lol.
Hey Tim, Ive watched your vids as well as a bunch of the guys you mentioned off and on for years. Im the type that likes several viewpoints about gear to help make my decision. You have always had a down to Earth style that I like. Nice work!
I’ve watched your videos (and other) for years. ETV is where I learned to have a medical kit in every vehicle. I travelled 9 states for work and you showed me the value of having a bag in the truck that would allow me to shelter in place for a short period of time in necessary. Always got value from the time spent watching. God is in charge brother. I’ll be there. God bless you and the family.
Thank you Tim. I have been a subscriber from the beginning. Your content has been an important part of my journey into EDC and preparedness along with all of the other channels you mentioned. I look forward to what the future has in store for all of you.
Tim the obstacle is the way. Everything in our lives change. We have to think of solutions. I’ve been doing this for 18 years and seen every change UA-cam has made. Back in the day content creators helped one another. Having a network of fellow content creators sparks ideas that sometimes we just don’t realize. Now I’ve noticed over the past few years is everyone is a silo and scared to share information. The community of creators as a whole has to level up and help one another. As the saying goes A rising tide lifts all boats. Wish you the best my friend. Take care.
Been here for a long time and I'm subbed to every other channel you said nutn was the channel who brought me in. You guys are my tv as we don't have cable.
Tim, first off, thanks for all you do and have done in the past. Best wishes for success in all that you do. The algorithms seem to be against you, NutnFancy, PM 101, etc. We need another platform not controlled by liberals.
To be honest when I was younger with more time, I constantly saw every one of my subscription's uploads under the subscriptions tab. As I got older with way less time, they implemented the "Home Page". Since then I have not seen almost a single upload from you on there. Except for this one. Seems like they want click bait or nothing for the "home page".... I know this comment sounds pretty bleak but if you truly believe in your work, then it shouldn't matter whether its 1 view or 1M views. At least someone is learning how to better them self out in the wild. Keep on giving it your best.
I saw this in my feed, and I will enter at least one comment to help you. I am busy now, but I plan to watch the entire video later, and I will say more, when I understand the context of situation with your channel. Best Wishes, _John_ [-,-]
you're a good man .. many times you would mention certain site that we should have a look see for more survival advice .. not many would do that .. its a very generous and kind gesture .. hang in there sir .. we'll be waiting for your new videos .. may the Lord be with you and your family.
Tim: Great update on where you are and where you desire to go. I have not put out any long videos in a while because I need to upgrade my editing suite with Apple stuff because what I have cannot handle the upload rate of a video longer than 5 minutes. The upgrade will cost me a minimum of $3500. I found that the survival/preparedness genre is about at its shelf life in popularity at about 10-12 years. Unless another major event comes, people's interest will continue to wane. For example, Les Stroud's channel has great content, but he is feeling the pinch of content vs. viewers. I would recommend not trying to do volume but rather quality. You and I are trying to ministry and YT at the same time, and something will inevitably has to take a second seat. You are correct that content creators are lifting a heavy load while YT and advertisers get the bulk of the benefits. That is the reality of this kind of marketing-based content creation. Don't get discouraged and keep up the great work both on YT and for Christ.🙂
Tim, brother... You are an absolute legend! It's unfortunate the turn that UA-cam has taken for many of the gear channels. My own has been pretty stagnant for about a year now. But I just want to say thank you. For all your great content, for the many hours of education and entertainment, and most importantly, for the honesty you bring to this space. More than that, I personally owe you a massive debt of gratitude for being willing to review my stuff when I was so new in the kydex industry. That review was my big break, and without it, I don't know that I would have stuck with my business long enough to get the next break. So in a huge way, YOU are the reason I'm still in business! Anything I can do to repay that kindness, you just say the word! I'll be sharing this out to my audience. They're probably all in your audience too, but hey, a boy can try 😂
Great stuff Tim. I still remember when I first discovered your channel. first it was 'that voice is familiar' then it was 'oh my gosh it's Tim!'. I think video length is something to consider. Even if I see a thumbnail that catches my interest, if the video is too long I won't even start it because I don't want to invest that much time in extracting what is useful info. Not sure how that impacts 'the algorithm' but consider focusing on brevity and breaking things into multiple segments. Or perhaps first publishing a tightly edited 'cliff notes' version and following up with a fuller version. For me, I don't start watching a video longer than 10 minutes unless I know the content creator or I am sure the subject warrants that much time. Lately I am doing a lot of training for my newest employment and need to learn about electrical wiring and control panels. All my online activity for that is on UA-cam The overall value proposition for UA-cam consumers centers around visual learning, time efficiency and entertainment. When I need to learn something new that is a 'how to' question, UA-cam is my first choice. Prayers for you and your family and your church.
Prayers for you Tim, keep going! I absolutely DO NOT like what YT has done but with any challenge is opportunity. Something that made me subscribe was not only content but you are standing on Christ, He will bless your efforts.
I have watched u, Chris, Aaron and a couple others for years, enjoying all of ur different perspectives. For myself, i still enjoy the content, but found that i was spending a ton of money, so have been trying to lay off reviews of products that i may spend money on. I have also been trying to spend less time watching UA-cam in general to do more reading and actually getting outside. Even if i whittle down to the main channels i like, still won't be able to watch every video each of u come out with. Will try to watch more regularly and i like the theory video ideas that bring gear into it. Looking forward to it!!
Remember when there was just TV? When the networks got their "ratings report", they kept or cancelled show depending on how many viewers they had. Some shows lasted one season and some lasted seven seasons. Why? People just lose interest and start watching something else. I think you have a good channel. Hang in there as long as you can.
I've watched your channel off and on for years and like it. What helps me stay interested and involved with a channel is when the channel creator replies to comments or at least acknowledges comments.
It’s a bloated platform and there are a handful of channels that I have been watching for years yours being one of them. I wish you the best in your channel changes and will continue to watch and comment.
UA-cam really sucks that way, you're not the only channel I subscribe to that is in the same situation, keep up the great work and I will always watch your videos, Aloha 🤙🤙🤙
I would love to see an ETV packs, bags, pouches, and gear to carry edc items in. You have a ton of knowledge and it would bevso awesome to have you design things for us.
Algorithms are set to get rid of all things masculine, self reliance, etc. I've seen all my favorite channels drop to nothing. Its the woke feminism that has taken over. Most recently, the word boy was just removed from Boy Scouts. They want you gone. Keep going, set up for subs and make your content and ask men to help support you to keep man stuff alive etc. Your people are organic anyway. There is nothing you can do to get their machine to allow you to be seen fairly but you can fight the fight against the cult and get shared support for doing it. All of us know how bad it has gotten. This is not the same sane world we were in even 5 years ago. Wake up men, or there will be nothing left to fight for.
Hey there - apparently I have an ancient UA-cam account I forgot about?? This is your wife. I think you are the absolute best and I’m your #1 fan! Can’t wait to support you as you re-launch! You’re always helping us to survive and thrive as a family. And I know I’d be super dead in the wilderness if it wasn’t for you! I love you. -Jenny
you two deserve each other!
Stay strong my friend. I pray that Gods blessings will be upon you and guide you in your path. I’ll be along with you the channel as you continue. Your content is solid and I look forward to seeing your opinions and reviews.
Great comment. So nice that you posted. I’m so bummed to hear about this.
Now this is a women that stands behind her man!! you guys are awesome for each other. I pray you guys get through this ! Gods timing is always on time !
You probably need a bit of a new tact - you can absolutely still make it on youtube doing guns, knives, etc. Huge growth in channels like Demo Ranch, Metal Complex, Outdoors55 very recently. I think the older channels who got their big numbers 10 years ago in the bugout/prepper boom sort of thought the level of interest would stay the same without having to change anything. Like any big trends, most of the more casually interested people dropped off from survival/prepping or wandered into other adjacent hobbies. People are watching more youtube than ever, but tastes are pretty transient. Tim I’ve been watching you and the other big guys the whole time, my advice would be to kick the review only format, start experimenting with stuff, go for topic type videos. I’ve seen a lot of guys of about your vintage/subscriber count express a similar frustration, but when I scroll through the last year of vids its all power banks, battle boxes, all the torches they send ALL the reviewers at once. Its stuff that doesn’t move people to click. The people doing really well in knife/gear/gun youtube are doing either heaps of frequent small uploads or doing curiousity snaring video topics which keep the viewers watching with dynamic editing and stuff like that. I am not amazing at this stuff by any stretch and am not sure what your vid is going to be about, but those are my thoughts and I truly wish you and all the pioneering guys well, we later youtubers owe you a lot for guiding the way in the early years.
True. All if it. One of the reasons why his YT channel is not relevant anymore, it's the outdated format, review, representation of the gear, camera setup (lightning) and video editing skills. I know, it's hard to hear it. He should take a look at Gideonstactical as one example and how he does his videos.
100% Heck I watched a cat vid this morning ffs
I read all of this in your Australian accent in my head and couldn't agree more, love his material. Watched this video before bed in a hammock on an island on the Mississippi River in MN, USA. BTW love your material too.
I wish someone would compare pull through sharpeners to say, I dunno, sharpening the same knife on say a toilet?
@@aliceduser6347I’ll be the one laughing when nutnfancy comes to my house with a dull knife and runs straight to the john
I started watching the channels you mentioned back in the beginning. 10-12 years ago. I learned a lot. I discovered USB batteries, flashlights, fire steels, and learned good stuff.
But now there is a huge library of material out there. It's all been done. New products/tech/skills come out very slowly. I'm not optimistic about the genre being what it was. Yes, UA-cam is totally exploiting creators like you. And you are totally at their mercy. A very risky business plan.
Chris took a long break. That hurt his channel. He's been back lately.
But you are right, something has to change. You can't control UA-cam but you can control what you do. Pivot is a good idea. Good luck!
Your channel is one of the channels I started watching from the beginning of my EDC/preparedness journey years ago. I've learned a lot from you brother. Thank you for what you do!
Thanks for that encouragement
Please don't leave us.
As a GunTuber myself, I obviously support other UA-cam reviewers differently, than the masses. Going back to the points you just recently mentioned from watching the entire video, clicking the like button and share a video, etc. Sometimes I will literally just click on an ad click around for a few seconds and then go back to watching the video. I realize that some people rely on the income from UA-cam combined with affiliate contracts, etc. And I remember exactly that specific timeframe that you’re referring to when UA-cam started shifting the analytics and channels and our genre started taking a massive hit. I remember when I had 5000 subscribers. I was making on average between $400 - $500+/month. This was really helping to support my growing family, insurance premiums, grocery bills, etc. I’m currently just a tad shy of 20,000 subscribers and I’m lucky if I make a little over $100 a month. Now I’ve had some pretty life altering events happen in my life over the past seven years so my consistency has not been there, and my lack of technical knowledge is definitely something that is affected me in my growth. I am currently working on changing all of that, but it’s taking a long time to get to this point. And that’s OK, not everybody’s journey takes the same path. And you are absolutely right, you truly have to enjoy the creative process in order to be successful at least in our space. Now I’m only speaking from my own personal experience, but I used to think once upon a time that people like us and the people that watch our videos would really like to watch key points from a class that I took for example. One of the things that I get asked all the time is who’s a great instructor? They’re all so different, with different techniques and depending on how you retain and learn information that can either affect you positively or negatively with that instructor. So I thought it would be beneficial to share different highlights specifically on a topic that would be beneficial to a lot of people, and they have an opportunity to see how that instructor teaches. Every single one of those videos typically gets about 200 to 300 views..
…sorry about the rant, but I do feel your frustration. I am going to be changing some of the things that I talk about on my own channel because I feel that it is something that God is calling me to do. I believe that it can help a lot of people, and Not just veterans with PTSD but anyone suffering from PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc….. but at the end of the day, I will still continue to support you, help you feed the algorithms, And hopefully with enough viewer support, it will help you with this YT journey. Stay Safe, and Tube On 👊.
I have been with you for a lot of years Tim and I'm so glad you're not going to give up because that is what they want! They do not want us being prepared. ❤️❤️🙏🙏
I miss many of the old channels, I think part of the problem is that reviewing became a apparent "job" for reviewing products and they became just infomercials and it became obvious...."this is my favorite knife because they pay me the most to say it"
This isn't every reviewer but it is the general atmosphere...I still follow some survival channels but not nearly as many as the past..I do wish you the best of luck as I enjoy your channel
When my wife and I started working on our go bags, your videos gave us so much ideas as to what items we should pack. Number one item in our bags is the Bible. Thank you for the videos
Glad to have you in the ETV community.
My channel is dead, but hey, don't forget to like and subscribe!
Thanks for posting this video, we try and post weekly and sometimes get depressed because we don't get the views that kids playing Fortnite get. But our parents tell us to do it for fun, not for views. We wish you the best and glad you're still pushing through.
Rock on! Keep on!
Id like to give you my input on this. My daughter and I did a youtube video well over 10 years ago now I would guess. It was a gear/outdoor/survival channel. We did great, she was really young like 6 or something and we would take hikes and she had her own pack and we would do hikes and knife stuff etc. I could do 20k views just being an idiot. But ya know, I got out of it because I could not compete with you guys. The manufacturers would send you all the cool new knives to pass around and review before it was released to the public and I just couldnt afford to buy a new knife every month for a review. Fast forward - youtube changed their algorithm and I see almost everyone saying the same things - 100k subs 100 views it doesnt balance. People think they are shadow banned etc. I think people have just moved on in the prepping world. Less zombies and more making ends meet. You watch channels like financial stuff where people are doing nothing but envelope stuffing - getting financial stuff in order. These are the focus now, not knives anymore. People who had money before already have whatever gear and probably a bunker now. People who dont really have the cash are focused on side hustles now to help make ends meet. I dont know what the solution is but a pivot is good. I would sprinkle in some adventure stuff if I were you. People treat youtube as one of two things - How to guides or Television substitute. 80% of what I watch is trying to learn a skill or improve something I use in life. 20% is just watching an entertaining video.
I am subbed to all the channels you mentioned , including yours. There has been so much knowledge I have gained through these videos throughout the years. I wish you the best Tim and I hope to be able to continue to learn for you and all the others mentioned. God Bless and good luck Tim.
Thanks so much!
I can't help but think that You Tube is purposefully doing this to support a certain agenda if you know what I mean. It sucks muchly! I'm getting old and I can't get out as much as I used to and the videos from the outdoor community help my spirit. I'll do what I can to support. Stay strong brother.
I have made a career of being a video producer and you are 100% right, it ain't easy. There is lot of thought and process to go through to create a quality product. And if you're anything like me, which I think you are, if you're going to put a video out there, you want it to be the best possible product. You aren't just going to wing it and throw it up on youtube, especially if you are interested in monetizing. There is a lot of junk out there and you can clearly see the difference between someone who just throws something up on youtube and someone who has put some thought into what they are producing. Stay at it, cuz, and let me know if I can help with anything else.
Thanks, brother.
Good to hear from you and glad to see the family is doing well.
Tim. I’ve been watching you for a while. Appreciate all you do and am praying the rebranding is a success. I like the new direction. “Thriving” really opens the door to tons of possibilities/opportunities/directions for your channel. Personally I’d love to see more “thriving spiritually” incorporated into your vids as well.
Right on
Think it was a Bug-Out-bag video and you included a small Bible or Bible Verses. What a Great Idea!
Thanks for what you do.
Appreciate you sharing man.
Same here!
In for the journey since Rottenwood Creek in 2014. It’s one of the most rewarding journeys of my whole career. Love you buddy. 💙
Five on the 5th - gotta bring it back.
Thanks for all the work you've put in to this channel. It was one of the first I found and your work has made a real difference in my life. I'm excited for your next step!
Wow, thank you!
Survive and Thrive! I hope you keep your videos coming. I get value out of all of them. I have a ton of product pages bookmarked for future purchase that I only became aware of because of you. ❤
Good deal bro! I have just started posting to my own YT channel and hoping to expand and do some instructional videos on every day emergencies. Looking forward to seeing how your channel develops
I have appreciated your channel over the years. I hope you continue. I’m excited to see the channel in the direction is gonna go now.
I appreciate that!
The algorithm has to be working some, I have never seen your channel but watch a lot of this type of content and you showed up in my feed. Most of what i watch is gun content also. I think a lot of people just move on once they figure things out or just lose interest for whatever reason. I have noticed the younger generation is not so much into this type of stuff either because they don't do anything outdoors. I subbed to help ya out though, hope everything works out.
You still have your long term fans here! Haven’t stopped preparing
Thanks for being part of the team brother.
You and your UA-cam channel was my introduction into survival preparedness. I hope everything works out for the best because you have educated me a lot over the years.
I hope to keep doing so!
You've always had a good channel, my hunch is that this genre really got its peak in the late 2010's with all the survival reality shows that came out but now after 7 or 8 years interest is kind of fading, perhaps due to pandemic fatigue and other factors. I know Black Scout Survival has moved on to doing live streams and more toward politics, seems like that's were things are trending towards. And then Joe Robinet is still doing well, but instead of focusing on gear he's showing viewers the actual experience vlog style similar to the Outdoor Boys.
I’ve been subscribed to your channel for a substantial amount of time, I clicked on your channel page after watching this video and noticed a lot of videos that I haven’t seen, that normally I would definitely watch. I don’t watch all of your content, I don’t particularly like shorts, that might have something to do with my age. I’ve been more than interested and impressed by your channel over the years. I don’t seem to be receiving recommendations from your channel as much as before. My interest hasn’t changed much I still enjoy your channel. Don’t let yesterday ruin today 😊you’ll come through in the end I’m sure of it. If you give up, I wouldn’t blame you but it’ll be our loss.
Don't forget that we all have multiple "venues" competing for our time and attention. As simple as this may sound, I allocate a certain amount of time each day for entertainment, but try to remain disciplined enough to keep it from limiting time for equally important developmental practices: faith, family, excercise, etc.
So sorry about this. It’s sad what UA-cam is doing to the content creators out there. I have a small channel and do it just for fun but also know how much work it is to create content. It’s sad that I think the people that are making money are those posting stupid shorts. It’s for people that do not have an attention span. There are plenty of us that want videos to help us learn things. Thanks for continuing to make the effort and for considering your community.
I’ve been watching you & the others you mentioned for years, but I wonder if people got really into stuff like this during the Covid years when nothing was certain day to day. & now we’re past that & people think they don’t need to know these things. 🤷🏼♂️. I just started a channel (non survival related) & my kids got so into the idea & are super supportive that it makes me want to continue, not only to showcase what I’m into or know about but as a type of video diary if you will that they can look back on if something were to happen to me. Keep up the vids, brother! I’m with ya.
As a subscriber for a long time, ive mostly just stopped watching because im not that interested in gear reviews. But i stay subscribed just in case theres an odd ball thing i might want to look at.
First and foremost THANK YOU for all the work you have put into everday tac vids! I think your new approach and new direction is right on target. I've been into EDC and prepping for a couple of decades. There are now a ton of UA-cam EDC / Gear channels. People that have been into EDC (gear & tac) have accumulated large collections. The EDC buzz has worn off (time does that to everything). Inflation has impacted everyone's disposable income. Times are changing and I think it's a great idea to change with them.
Thanks man!
Been watching you 10 years. I have learned much. Keep fighting the good fight. Peace and love.
It's sad but not at all surprising or random that all these big tech companies are going after anything to do with independent thinking or living and classifying those who help people become independent and confident as some kind of 'blacklisted humans' of some sort.
Thanks for all the help and content over the years and I'll keep liking and sharing as much as I can!
I stay with you. Bring the future 👍
Been watching your channel for a few years now. I can not thank you enough for all the gear review, use, and knowledge that you have provided. Looking forward to the new direction.
I think the issue is that the people designing the algorithms have an agenda and it doesn’t include people like us. I wish someone would come out with a completing platform.
Same!
Good luck man. Hope you find a way to accomplish your goals 👍
I'm ride or die man. Good luck with whatever it is you choose to do.
Don't normally leave comments but I do love your flashlight reviews so keep them coming. So stick around and keep giving me more ideas of new flashlights to buy lol.
Hey Tim, Ive watched your vids as well as a bunch of the guys you mentioned off and on for years. Im the type that likes several viewpoints about gear to help make my decision. You have always had a down to Earth style that I like. Nice work!
I’ve watched your videos (and other) for years. ETV is where I learned to have a medical kit in every vehicle. I travelled 9 states for work and you showed me the value of having a bag in the truck that would allow me to shelter in place for a short period of time in necessary. Always got value from the time spent watching. God is in charge brother. I’ll be there. God bless you and the family.
Appreciate hearing how I’ve helped. Blessings to you, my friend.
Thank you Tim. I have been a subscriber from the beginning. Your content has been an important part of my journey into EDC and preparedness along with all of the other channels you mentioned. I look forward to what the future has in store for all of you.
Tim the obstacle is the way. Everything in our lives change. We have to think of solutions. I’ve been doing this for 18 years and seen every change UA-cam has made. Back in the day content creators helped one another. Having a network of fellow content creators sparks ideas that sometimes we just don’t realize. Now I’ve noticed over the past few years is everyone is a silo and scared to share information. The community of creators as a whole has to level up and help one another. As the saying goes A rising tide lifts all boats. Wish you the best my friend. Take care.
Been here for a long time and I'm subbed to every other channel you said nutn was the channel who brought me in. You guys are my tv as we don't have cable.
Thanks man. Yeah, I use UA-cam more than TV for sure.
Tim, first off, thanks for all you do and have done in the past. Best wishes for success in all that you do. The algorithms seem to be against you, NutnFancy, PM 101, etc. We need another platform not controlled by liberals.
To be honest when I was younger with more time, I constantly saw every one of my subscription's uploads under the subscriptions tab. As I got older with way less time, they implemented the "Home Page". Since then I have not seen almost a single upload from you on there. Except for this one. Seems like they want click bait or nothing for the "home page".... I know this comment sounds pretty bleak but if you truly believe in your work, then it shouldn't matter whether its 1 view or 1M views. At least someone is learning how to better them self out in the wild. Keep on giving it your best.
Appreciate that feedback
If you really want to support a channel, make sure you change the bell icon to ALL CONTENT. It helps channels a lot! Keep it up! Love your content.
I saw this in my feed, and I will enter at least one comment to help you. I am busy now, but I plan to watch the entire video later, and I will say more, when I understand the context of situation with your channel. Best Wishes, _John_ [-,-]
Awesome! Thank you!
Thanks for what you. You do bring value… keep it up!
I appreciate that!
Keep making videos and we will keep watching.
Thanks - will do!
you're a good man .. many times you would mention certain site that we should have a look see for more survival advice .. not many would do that .. its a very generous and kind gesture .. hang in there sir .. we'll be waiting for your new videos .. may the Lord be with you and your family.
I appreciate that!
A man has to do what a man has to do. Respect now, and however you move on next. I'll be looking forward to whatever you put out and sharing.
Hang in there brother. All my best to you.
Tim:
Great update on where you are and where you desire to go. I have not put out any long videos in a while because I need to upgrade my editing suite with Apple stuff because what I have cannot handle the upload rate of a video longer than 5 minutes. The upgrade will cost me a minimum of $3500. I found that the survival/preparedness genre is about at its shelf life in popularity at about 10-12 years. Unless another major event comes, people's interest will continue to wane. For example, Les Stroud's channel has great content, but he is feeling the pinch of content vs. viewers. I would recommend not trying to do volume but rather quality. You and I are trying to ministry and YT at the same time, and something will inevitably has to take a second seat. You are correct that content creators are lifting a heavy load while YT and advertisers get the bulk of the benefits. That is the reality of this kind of marketing-based content creation. Don't get discouraged and keep up the great work both on YT and for Christ.🙂
Thanks. 🙏🏼
Algorithm restrictions especially for income based channels is quite disappointing for those of us who learn about products you guys put out.
Tim, brother... You are an absolute legend! It's unfortunate the turn that UA-cam has taken for many of the gear channels. My own has been pretty stagnant for about a year now. But I just want to say thank you. For all your great content, for the many hours of education and entertainment, and most importantly, for the honesty you bring to this space. More than that, I personally owe you a massive debt of gratitude for being willing to review my stuff when I was so new in the kydex industry. That review was my big break, and without it, I don't know that I would have stuck with my business long enough to get the next break. So in a huge way, YOU are the reason I'm still in business! Anything I can do to repay that kindness, you just say the word! I'll be sharing this out to my audience. They're probably all in your audience too, but hey, a boy can try 😂
Appreciate you Micah. Let’s talk more soon.
Great stuff Tim. I still remember when I first discovered your channel. first it was 'that voice is familiar' then it was 'oh my gosh it's Tim!'. I think video length is something to consider. Even if I see a thumbnail that catches my interest, if the video is too long I won't even start it because I don't want to invest that much time in extracting what is useful info.
Not sure how that impacts 'the algorithm' but consider focusing on brevity and breaking things into multiple segments. Or perhaps first publishing a tightly edited 'cliff notes' version and following up with a fuller version. For me, I don't start watching a video longer than 10 minutes unless I know the content creator or I am sure the subject warrants that much time.
Lately I am doing a lot of training for my newest employment and need to learn about electrical wiring and control panels. All my online activity for that is on UA-cam
The overall value proposition for UA-cam consumers centers around visual learning, time efficiency and entertainment. When I need to learn something new that is a 'how to' question, UA-cam is my first choice.
Prayers for you and your family and your church.
Thanks for that Kevin.
Thanks for your hard work and your biblical convictions!
I appreciate that!
YT does NOT respect the preferences of its public, even if you subscribe to a channel they do not send you notifications.
Great comments, good honest advice! Giving back via teaching and instruction and good quality!
Glad you enjoyed it! See you Sunday!
Prayers for you Tim, keep going! I absolutely DO NOT like what YT has done but with any challenge is opportunity. Something that made me subscribe was not only content but you are standing on Christ, He will bless your efforts.
I have watched u, Chris, Aaron and a couple others for years, enjoying all of ur different perspectives. For myself, i still enjoy the content, but found that i was spending a ton of money, so have been trying to lay off reviews of products that i may spend money on. I have also been trying to spend less time watching UA-cam in general to do more reading and actually getting outside. Even if i whittle down to the main channels i like, still won't be able to watch every video each of u come out with.
Will try to watch more regularly and i like the theory video ideas that bring gear into it. Looking forward to it!!
I have learned about edc and survival on your channel. Greetings and blessings from Puerto Rico.
Awesome! Thank you!
Keep going. Liked your channel for years
The world is different and constantly changing. Thank you for keeping to doing what you do; I'll keep following along!
Remember when there was just TV? When the networks got their "ratings report", they kept or cancelled show depending on how many viewers they had. Some shows lasted one season and some lasted seven seasons. Why? People just lose interest and start watching something else. I think you have a good channel. Hang in there as long as you can.
count me in. love your content.
I've watched your channel off and on for years and like it. What helps me stay interested and involved with a channel is when the channel creator replies to comments or at least acknowledges comments.
That makes sense. If you put the effort to leave a comment, it seems fair that you would like to hear back.
Hey Tim, very excited for the New direction you're going to take ETV!
Thanks brother. Good to hear from you.
Been with u for many years. To quote an RC priest i heard recently "you only lose if you quit." Chritians will understand.
Stay tuned. More to come!
It’s a bloated platform and there are a handful of channels that I have been watching for years yours being one of them. I wish you the best in your channel changes and will continue to watch and comment.
I’m glad you made this video. It’s sad to see what UA-cam is doing to creators like yourself.
I appreciate that. We’re leaning in and making changes.
UA-cam really sucks that way, you're not the only channel I subscribe to that is in the same situation, keep up the great work and I will always watch your videos, Aloha 🤙🤙🤙
I appreciate all the work that you put into these videos. I really do enjoy them.
I'd say your on the right track. Product reviews are everywhere I think people only watch what products interested them.
Yeah - that’s what it seems like. 👍
Love your channel. Will continue to support you Tim!! Gods got you!!!!
Thanks friend. Appreciate you
Thank you for being honest and forthright. You got a new subscriber.
Welcome to the community, my friend.
Glad you're adapting and pushing forward 🙏 👍
Thank you 🙌
Your one of my favorite survival gear Chanel
Mine is the same way, only hundreds of views now instead of thousands. SHADOWBANNED
UA-cam hates the prepper community
i touched on this
Thank you for everything you do. Love the videos!
Thank you for your effort s. Im with you.
Tim, I miss the old days of your front porch/stoop gear reviews👍
Ha! Nice memories. Maybe I’ll bring them back.
Thanks for naming off those other YT channels. had a chance to sub to them as well.
I'm always in for the algorithm brother.
hate to see a good channel decline. hope it turns around.
Been here for years and as long as you put out content I will consume said content. Best of luck to you moving forward
Thanks for what you do. Best of luck! God bless you.
Love your videos! Thanks for sharing
Thanks Tim for the update....I will keep watching.
Been watching since the beginning. I'm with ya. Keep it up, enjoy the content.
I appreciate it!
I’m looking forward to seeing the new direction your channel takes and pray for your success. God bless.
Thank you so much!
Been watching you for years. Hope it all turns around.
I would love to see an ETV packs, bags, pouches, and gear to carry edc items in. You have a ton of knowledge and it would bevso awesome to have you design things for us.
Noted! Thanks for the comment and for the idea!
I like the new motto I can live by that.
You do great work. Keep it up and look to the viewers for what they want to see.
Blessings sir! Thank you for explaining this
Algorithms are set to get rid of all things masculine, self reliance, etc. I've seen all my favorite channels drop to nothing. Its the woke feminism that has taken over. Most recently, the word boy was just removed from Boy Scouts. They want you gone. Keep going, set up for subs and make your content and ask men to help support you to keep man stuff alive etc. Your people are organic anyway. There is nothing you can do to get their machine to allow you to be seen fairly but you can fight the fight against the cult and get shared support for doing it. All of us know how bad it has gotten. This is not the same sane world we were in even 5 years ago. Wake up men, or there will be nothing left to fight for.
Thanks for sharing. I enjoy your videos.