Straying from my usual fare, here I offer a dissenting opinion on An Open Letter to Youtube by Andrew Bravener, using my own brand of comedy. Link to the original video:
http://youtu.be/apr0wEAKk3s

For those of you asking about Simon's Cat, you can see who he is at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/simonscat

I do want to take the opportunity to mention how I really feel on the issue. I know as good as any how difficult it is to be seen on Youtube. Without some key shout-outs from keeporjot, soundlyawake, and jpmetz, I wouldn't even have the audience I have now. And though I have fun making my videos, I am interested in growing my audience, and will take the steps necessary that I think will help.

I also know plenty of Youtubers who aren't interested in getting bigger. Like my friends over at bachelorettebrigade. They make videos to talk with each other and discuss whatever topics come to mind. They don't care whether or not their videos get featured and don't think the community is dying. Theirs is here to stay, and they'll know where to find it.

But to say you are only here to have fun and participate in the community, then get upset when the community doesn't become as popular as the mainstream, is, in my opinion, hypocritical. But even then I can respect your side of the issue. What I do have a problem with is putting the blame on Youtube. The majority of the people in the world enjoy trash tv over well thought out dramas, blockbusters over indie films, pop music over artistry, and the same goes for the types of videos on Youtube. And nothing Youtube does is going to change that.

It also bothers me that you do not upload any comments yourself. Another way to get people to comment without asking them is to participate in discussion with them, but you don't. You started this great discussion, and you haven't even commented on a single one of your video responses. This just doesn't sit well with me.

That being said, there are still some things Youtube can do to make the overall experience better. The homepage is still a hot mess. Trying to figure out how to vote in the NextUp competition was like programming a VCR. And why is it the only way I find out about what's going on with Youtube is through thewillofdc videos?

It is true, Youtube does mainly feature content that I am not interested in watching. The recommended channels box only has channels I am already aware of and am not interested in. The algorithms clearly aren't set to capture my true interests. If I were to make a suggestion, I would use an algorithm similar to what Pandora uses. It makes a channel recommendation, and if I don't like it, I thumb down the recommendation, and it redecides what I might like. Just something to think about.

Oh, here are the links to the videos I mention at the end.
lesliefoundhergrail: http://youtu.be/rQP5FihS6Bw
emmfan09: http://youtu.be/F-zHhhl5Bx8
themefund: http://youtu.be/IoYJyrtIf1Y
Epic collab: http://youtu.be/hEhLI1FNGAE