Legacy of PlayYouTube Shenanigans
I've been working on a simple video series for months. I've been learning how to shoot, organize, edit, practice, re-shoot, re-edit, render, and export video. I've been prototyping the project being recorded, writing scripts, and rebuilding the project as a one man film crew. I have designed and re-designed title cards and social media icons and banners.
And then I uploaded the above to YouTube.
First, I uploaded it to my personal Google Account, but I realized it would be safer to upload it to a separate, branded account. By YouTube's own recommendation, I created a Brand Account for this content. I uploaded the first few episodes, and went to bed.
The next morning, my account was disabled. No explanation.
In their typical tone, Google “helpfully” suggested I could request my account be reinstated. I did, and went back to waiting.
After a week, they disabled my Google Account (not the Brand Account), and reenabled it. Cue pats on the back.
I've gone through that rigamarole twice more, and still no satisfactory solution or explanation. If you've ever heard me say, “Choose a vendor that cares you exist,” this is exactly what I'm talking about. If this project was reliant on YouTube (to make money, it kinda is), it was dead on arrival, and I have no recourse.
Choose a vendor that cares you exist.
12th of October, 2018
