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YouTube CEO: Facebook Should 'Get Back To Baby Pictures' (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the free-advice dept.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki won't divulge her biggest fear about competing with Facebook, but she will give them some free advice. From a report: "They should get back to baby pictures," Wojcicki said Monday at the Code Media conference in Huntington Beach, California. Video has been an obsession for Facebook, as it tries to swipe the most advertising dollars migrating off television before YouTube can get them. Facebook has been aggressively advancing the number of clips and live streams that bubble up to the top of your News Feed and has rolled out a central hub for TV-like programming called Watch. "You always have to take competition seriously. You don't win by looking backwards; you win by looking at your customers and looking forward," she said.

47 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The one thing that makes FB not worth the time as a video platform are the mid-roll ads. With YT, $10, and I don't worry about ads, or just download what I want to watch for when I'm out camping and want to watch something before crashing. FB, a 10 second video can have 30 second ads in it, making it all but unwatchable, with zero skip buttons. Because of this, coupled with the fact that almost everything on FB is a video (most static pictures have been turned into looping vids even), it is too much of a pain to bother with for any meaningful content.

    1. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      The one thing that makes FB not worth the time as a video platform are the mid-roll ads. With YT, $10, and I don't worry about ads, or just download what I want to watch for when I'm out camping and want to watch something before crashing. FB, a 10 second video can have 30 second ads in it, making it all but unwatchable, with zero skip buttons. Because of this, coupled with the fact that almost everything on FB is a video (most static pictures have been turned into looping vids even), it is too much of a pain to bother with for any meaningful content.

      Dear Facebook User,

        thank you for your valuable feedback. We will now collect $10 off you each month to provide videos without ads. You don't even need to give us your cardnumber, security code, or any other identifying numbers, we know them all already.

      Have a good day and thank you for using Facebook

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    2. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      But if I am willing to take the ads, Why cant I stop You Tube from bugging me to buy Red all the time.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      I wish Youtube would get their thumb out and offer Red in my country already.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    4. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      There are adblockers for YouTube, there will be for Facebook once it gets traction. Either that or we'll just be waiting for the next platform.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      You're using the information I provided to bill me?

      I didn't think you'd be THAT gullible...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    6. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Don't worry, we know the real ones.

      We aren't THAT gullible.

    7. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Really? Umm... could you help me out, the double and triple lives I live kinda caught up to me ... care to tell me which one was the real one?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    8. Re:At least YT Red gets rid of the ads... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      You're using the information I provided to bill me?

      I didn't think you'd be THAT gullible...

      Facebook is a bit like Santa Clause. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake. Facebook knows everything about you.

      In fact the only difference is Facebook doesn't leave you presents and doesn't wear a red suit.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  2. I'll just leave this here. by ruddk · · Score: 1

    I wonder if she has fired herself yet? Clearly such sexist comments will not stand! :D

    Susan Wojicicki said that women find “geeky male industries” (as opposed to “social industries”) “not very interesting” and Sundar cites research on gender differences.
    https://twitter.com/jamesadamo...

    --
    L'Idiot
    1. Re:I'll just leave this here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      She is the wrong kind of sacrificial goat for this days political witch hunt. If she had a penis and was white though we could all grab some pitch forks and torches.

      Don't worry, my political blood calendar indicates that we should be back to using women as sacrifices in roughly 8 years time or so +/- 2 years. It is about the amount of time a generation grows up watching one particular group being constantly heckled and turns on the hecklers like rabbid attack dogs.

    2. Re:I'll just leave this here. by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      *gasp* She didn't!

      Wow, if a man had said that, I bet he'd be fired by now.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:I'll just leave this here. by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Susan Wojicicki said that women find "geeky male industries" (as opposed to "social industries") "not very interesting"

      Yeah no that's not what she said. Try reading the thing being referred to.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    4. Re:I'll just leave this here. by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      *gasp* She didn't!

      100% correct: she didn't.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  3. Stones from glass houses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    YouTube should get back to USER driven content.

    Maybe a little healthy competition can remind them of what built them up in the first place.

    1. Re:Stones from glass houses by avandesande · · Score: 1

      trying to cater to little kids and telling the other 90% of the world to screw off is their first mistake

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    2. Re:Stones from glass houses by Snufu · · Score: 1

      Users and content producers should stop donating their personal resources to private, centrally controlled, for-profit distribution platforms.

      The dream of internet video is complete freedom (as in speech) of distribution and consumption with all profit being received by the creator. No middleman taking the money, no gatekeeper controlling speech, no advertiser polluting the medium.

  4. So now instead of pictures of text... by Bohnanza · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...we get videos of pictures of text.

    --

    -----

    Sorry, I'm only a 1336 h4x0r.

  5. YouTube is no better by bogaboga · · Score: 1

    Here's what I mean: -

    They *force* ads which isn't necessarily bad. What I loathe are the their numbers. Ads are jus to too many.

    YouTube's computer interface is just unfriendly. Why do I have to lose visual of playing video simply because I have chosen to read through comments or browse through related video?

    Apparently, these small user interface tweaks aren't obvious to my learned and capable friends at YouTube. Sad!

    1. Re:YouTube is no better by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I only preview videos in the youtube interface. Then I download them (with YouTube Downloader HD) and actually watch them. This is the only way I can watch some content, because embedded VLC appears over the top of flash video. If I click, the video plays over the video. Jay Leno's Garage is an example. I literally cannot watch it without downloading it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  6. Youtube should get back to cat videos. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Instead of all those suicide videos.

  7. YouTube is currently better... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    YouTube is superior for video-sharing for three reasons -

    1) You don't need to have a YouTube account to watch videos. I can send my (77-year-old) dad a YouTube link and he can just watch it. While this is possible with Facebook, it's a pain and you're constantly told to sign up.

    2) Facebook sticks ads in the middle of videos. I suppose YouTube could do this sooner or later, but right now they don't.

    3) Facebook search is hot garbage. With YouTube I can pretty much find whatever I'm looking for fairly easily.

    One day I need someone to explain to me what Viemo is for, though.

    1. Re:YouTube is currently better... by doconnor · · Score: 3, Informative

      I see ads in the middle of YouTube videos all the time, probably about one every 10 minutes.

    2. Re:YouTube is currently better... by sinij · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Facebook was made intentionally unusable on any level for someone not logged in into Facebook. YouTube works without logging in.

      As people abandoning FB, this closeness will accelerate the decline.

    3. Re:YouTube is currently better... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

      Youtube does stick ads in videos all the time.

      Huh.

      I never see ads in the middle of YouTube videos, Anonymous Coward.

      At the beginning? For sure - But never in the middle. Maybe it's a regional thing. (I'm in Canada, eh?)

    4. Re:YouTube is currently better... by lgw · · Score: 1

      There are ads on your internet? You need a better internet.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    5. Re:YouTube is currently better... by nightfire-unique · · Score: 1

      Canadian here too (Ontario). Definitely ads injected during content, at least with ChromeCast. It makes me mental.

      --
      A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
    6. Re:YouTube is currently better... by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      Huh.

      I never see ads in the middle of YouTube videos, Anonymous Coward.

      At the beginning? For sure - But never in the middle. Maybe it's a regional thing. (I'm in Canada, eh?)

      I get them in Canada all the time. Look at the timeline, and see the yellow dots on it? Those are POTENTIAL ad slots. Sometimes on some videos, it will fade out, play the ad, then resume where it paused (a few seconds back,. so you can get the context).

      It depends on the monetization model - content creators can choose to have no monetization, monetization with a banner ad (the yellow spots will indicate when one will pop up on the screen), monetization with a pre-roll ad (most common, an ad plays before the video), and pre-roll and intertitial ads with breaks. These are more for longer form videos of 10 or so minutes or more - short videos only have pre-roll and banner ads.

      I have seen demonetized videos, and those are sweet - no ads anywhere.

    7. Re:YouTube is currently better... by Trogre · · Score: 2

      2) Facebook sticks ads in the middle of videos. I suppose YouTube could do this sooner or later, but right now they don't.

      WHERE DO YOU LIVE?!

      I want to know what locale does not yet have YouTube inline video advertising.

      The rest of us have had it for years. Well, before we all installed adblockers, that is.

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
    8. Re:YouTube is currently better... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Odd. Mine manages to do that just fine.

      But hey, what do I know as a moron?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Facebook runs the risk by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    of becoming something for old people. The moment that happens they're dead, since nobody like to be associated with old people. Heck, there's a meme about it.

    I don't think Facebook the company is at any risk, they're big enough to buy up any hip new competitors. But the platform might go kaputsky; which would suck for anybody in charge of that platform.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Facebook runs the risk by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

      That's the sad part: even if Facebook the Platform dies, Facebook the Evil Empire will persist and turn promising new up and comers into data snooping suckfests.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:Facebook runs the risk by swb · · Score: 1

      Isn't that the lesson of Snapchat? Kids already avoid Facebook because mom and dad and grandma and grandpa are all over it (and ranting about political shit they don't care about).

    3. Re:Facebook runs the risk by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      They don't care about mom and dad ranting over politics, but they care about mom and dad being on the platform. Since you can't "pretend-friend" someone and you can't simply not "friend" your parents, the platform is ultimately worthless to any teenager.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Facebook is also good for screeds by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

    >> Facebook Should 'Get Back To Baby Pictures'

    To be fair, Facebook's other strong suit is crazy political screeds coupled with wild accusations.

    In any case, if Facebook wants to do video, as long as their service hits their core Boomer and mom demographic they should do fine (large buttons, "cat ear" filters, heart overlays, etc.). The rest of us are fine with non-Facebook services.

  10. Re:Of course they do. They are competitors. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    CEO of the #1 spot don't like competition, CEO of the #2 spot does, until they get to #1.

    While the best course of action when the #1 spot gets competition, it to figure out why #2 is growing, honestly validate if you are doing something wrong, figure out why you customers may be moving away. Then make a plan of action to adjust for this.

    I think a lot of it is the YouTube algorithm, and DMCA controls in place. Which may not be current with today's population.
    A lot of content creators have recently switched off YouTube to other sources. Because the Algorithm requires them to dump content out to stay current, vs make good content, and also it is way too easy for someone to demonetize your video during its peak viewing period, by claiming copyright breach, say from a poor review of a product, or just some other fare use.

    If the content creators especially the ones who make the best stuff, isn't getting their dues. They will switch to other platforms. If your platform isn't showing stuff people want to see, then the viewers will switch too.

    However for the CEO in a public statement, can only really say their product is good and the other product is lacking.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  11. Then put your money where your mouth is by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    We sure as fuck are fed up with cat videos and other feelgood crap. And if we wanted corporate bullshit that has been whitewashed and sanitized to be politically correct and inoffensive, we could as well stay with TV.

    Lady, if you keep killing the ones making content that people actually want to watch by demonetizing them, you'll have to deal with these people moving to other platforms. It is already happening. What still keeps some people from simply dumping YouTube for something where they don't have to jump hoops is just that these alternatives don't have the same amount of eyeballs by a very sizable margin.

    That's not the case with Facebook, ya know?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. all wile youtube burns by luther349 · · Score: 2

    youtube the company thats burned cash sense day 1. the company that gone from upload anything short of porn and beheading to censoring everything but people selling goods. the company advertisers run away from because despite all the attempts to censer the sites still 90% garbage uploads. the site where every channel begs you to hand them money on every video. the company that lets its own users abuse the dmca leading to massive issues with trolls and false flags. and they wanna talk shit about someone else.

  13. The pot calling the kettle black by William+Baric · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe Facebook should get back to baby pictures, but then YouTube should get back to cat videos. Both platforms are against the free expression of ideas, and both are trying to influence politics. To me, allowing big corporations to control ideas and politics is part of fascism.

  14. Less 'social media', more 'actually social' by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    'Social media' is not really good for anyone, except in small doses. Spend more time being actually social with people, instead of avoiding them, and less time on the internet pretending to be 'social'.

  15. ...And Google should get back to search results by DeathAndTaxes · · Score: 1

    When we are increasingly barraged by misinformation, I'd rather google be a reliable source for good information rather than a conduit for even more political garbage videos.

  16. Facebook really is crap at video by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    I have my own issues with Youtube, but it's far and away the most competent video streaming site even with its flaws. Facebook's video controls are hot steaming dog puke compared to Youtube. The UI is atrociously designed, and laggy beyond compare. And my potato may be outdated, but I've got eight cores and sixteen gigs, there's no excuses for this kind of nonsense. (Youtube is plenty responsive.)

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  17. Facebook is dead by randomErr · · Score: 2

    People got tired of dealing with all the ads and unrelated news on Facebook. The former FB users, to a lesser degree YouTube, have ran to mostly closed off micro-networks like Telegram, Discord, Amino, and Quidd.

    --
    You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?
  18. Re:I agree with her by greenwow · · Score: 1

    That's a good point. Used Facebook for many years over dial-up, and it worked reasonably well.

  19. I hate FB by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    but they got live TONS music streaming vs YT. I use to stream my icecast audio stream through YT using this info http://akos.me/2017/stream-ice... but there were constant stream drops from my server to YT and was not reliable.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  20. Sure why not? by Trogre · · Score: 1

    And YouTube should go back to being a dating site.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  21. crazy idea by syril · · Score: 1

    Here's all facebook needs to do: make separate timelines for user content and page content.