Tuesday, March 17, 2009

'Frozen View Count' issue at You Tube

I do not make any money from my videos at YouTube, I am just an artist sharing my work. I recently posted this at a community board at YouTube:

I am wondering, since it's only one of my videos that has a view count frozen at 201, if it's because after I uploaded the video I sent links to all my friends through my private email (rather than YouTube's service since some people had complained about their addresses used for spam by YouTube).

If I sent a link to that video, which is a small 'dance/art film' piece of work to 50 people in Toronto, where I live, and they all dropped by to view it, would that appear as spammers?

Which they most definitely are not.

I spent some time writing and editing the comment in the editorial, and I've posted that video quite a few places and hence have started the viewer on it myself a number of times each time I go in to grab the code.

Meaning, is either of these two possibilities- a number of views in a short time span in one location, the city I live in, or personally going in to the site and starting the viewer each time -why that particular video's view counts has been inexplicably 'frozen'?

Or have I been targeted by actual spammers, and YouTube just hasn't informed me that my work has been hit by that kind of attack?

I'd personally like more information on what is going on with the frozen view count - re: telling us exactly what it is that's caused the lock down.

Thanks!

Brenda

Oh, the video in question is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6Fgg1mx2sA&feature=channel_page

Can anyone at YouTube tell me exactly what the infringement on thisparticular video is? What exactly has caused the frozen view counts?

_____
Also, I earlier posted this query:

Besides the view count issue that I'm currently having with YouTube, and that hasn't been addressed, or even acknowledged, I am wondering why this site is able to post one of my videos when I have DIS-enabled embedding? Why is YouTube allowing this?

http://video.baamboo.com/watch/1/video/nOlfVVwa5BE/phim-video-clip-On-Butoh-based-Dance-A-Saturday-morning-amble-Brenda-.html

I am not happy with YouTube presently.

Problems. No response. Equals Unhappy YouTuber!

Addendum: YouTube suddenly released the view count on my video today, March 19th, 4 days later, without any explanation.

Addendum 2: YouTube froze the view count at 307 views on the same video, White, for 4 days about mid-April, and then resumed without explanation.

Why is YouTube picking on this small video?

19 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:54 AM

    its a money tacktic from utube as when ure a partner utube can keep most of the money insead of u getting for each hit, the spamming is bull shit as even i have a utube channel and counts have been frozen, are u telling me nearlly all utube users are spammers, rubbish

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:03 AM

    > > Video view counts reflect the YouTube community's interests and the grassroots popularity of videos. We periodically make changes that allow us to display consistent view counts and accurately reflect a "real" view based on video consumption, video streaming and spam filtering. Unfortunately, a few people still try to artificially manipulate their video's view counts. Some people game third-party view counts as well. That can make things unfair for everyone.


    > > Recently, we found spamming issues associated with the view counts on a small number of videos. The inflated view count number on these videos will be frozen until actual views catch up to the published, artificial, view count. Also, a few people have commented that their view counts are updating more slowly. Occasionally the speed with which views update changes -- sometimes it’s faster and sometimes it’s slower. But we are always working to make sure that the final view count numbers are an accurate reflection of the community's interest.


    > > The YouTube Team
    (blog)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:05 AM

    The YouTube statment seems to say if your views are frozen you must be cheating by spam filtering, video streaming,artificially manipulating,or using third party view counts.Basically if your views are frozen then you are a cheater and manipulator.


    This is slander and deformation of character.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:09 AM

    It's on the YouTube blog...
    http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=s9Y00m1vmhA

    ReplyDelete
  5. what a load of crap. I have videos frozen & i dont use artificial
    whatevers. I don't even know what they mean but my videos seem to
    freeze at about 200 or so & stay there for days. I have over 2000
    subscribers so i normally get more than 2000 views on a video & my
    channel gets about 200-250 views a day which should give my featured
    vid 200-250 views a day minimum as i am a partner. I had videos that
    show much more views in the insight yet the actual count is about
    50%-75% less. So is youtube saying that this issue is fixed?

    ReplyDelete
  6. We are NOT all guilty and they know it. Some of us are new and don't
    have a clue how to manipulate the system, myself included. I'm lucky
    I figured out how to edit and upload videos on my own!

    My numbers can hardly be called "artificially inflated." I was frozen
    too early on to allow for that (had I even known how -- which I do
    not) and now I'm being robbed of the view count my hard work and
    creativity has earned?! This is ridiculous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. "So is youtube saying that this issue is fixed?"

    Nope, youtube is saying you're a cheat, and your views are
    artificially inflated (their opinion, not mine, I wouldn't have a clue
    about your account).

    ReplyDelete
  8. this is bullcrap the video i ever uploaded gets frozen at 201 and
    after the 2nd day it was frozen i've been gettin exactly 4 views a day
    wth?! i've been falsely accused of manipulation and i demand justice

    ReplyDelete
  9. What other peoples views are frozen. This is the big hole in your
    argument. If there is some other reason why so many peoples videos are
    frozen You Tube has had there chance to say it but refused to talk to
    us.The statement is clear
    UNFORTUNATELY, A FEW PEOPLE STILL TRY TO ARTIFICIALLY MANIPULATE THEIR
    VIDEOS VIEW COUNTS.
    WE FOUND SPAMMING ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH VIEW COUNTS ON VIDEOS. THE
    INFLATED VIEW COUNT NUMBERS ON THESE VIDEOS WILL BE FROZEN.

    If they thought that there is some outside source why peoples view
    counts were manipulated they should have investigated it deeper before
    they made this stupid statement..


    It is now in the hands of several attorneys for a class action suite
    for libel deformation of character. We can go back and forth on how we
    read this, but at the end of they day it is the attorneys last word.


    Remember if you walk a fine line it only takes a little breeze to blow
    you off.


    Here is the definition of a class action suit. - A lawsuit brought by
    one party on behalf of a group of individuals all having the same
    grievance.


    Also deformation of.character The term defamation of character is
    often used to describe accusations of slander, libel or both. Slander
    involves verbal derogatory statements, while libel involves written
    ones. In a court of law, the plaintiff pursuing the lawsuit would
    charge defamation of character to cover any form of false or damaging
    allegations.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I did not write it is the view from a person from another blog.

    14/03/2009


    YouTube Response - Lets take a closer look shall we.


    “An important message from the YouTube Team:
    Video view counts reflect the YouTube community’s interests and the
    grassroots popularity of videos. We periodically make changes that
    allow us to display consistent view counts and accurately reflect a
    “real” view based on video consumption, video streaming and spam
    filtering. Unfortunately, a few people still try to artificially
    manipulate their video’s view counts. Some people game third-party
    view counts as well. That can make things unfair for everyone.”


    Okies, I think we all knew that was coming after nearly 3 weeks of
    frozen views. Here is the first problem. YouTube’s own Terms of
    service STRICTLY Prohibits use of bots, spiders or any other
    mechanical method to increase views. Having said that it leaves us
    with the question of ..If they suspected and actually went ahead and
    froze views on accounts - why didn’t they suspend them as per their
    own Terms of Service?? Answer: They are not really sure. They may
    suspect but don’t have enough legal proof to suspend thousands of
    accounts. Next question that comes up is when a user uploads a new
    video, and that video gets stopped at the mandatory unedited amount of
    200+ (Thats the views you get without Tube editing them)Does that mean
    that YouTube now has a BLOCK on that users account because they
    suspect prior fraud / click or view fraud? So all the hundreds (if not
    thousands) that have posted in YouTube forums about their video’s are
    frozen at 200+ are all criminals or assumed cheaters as per this
    statement.


    “Recently, we found spamming issues associated with the view counts on
    a small number of videos. The inflated view count number on these
    videos will be frozen until actual views catch up to the published,
    artificial, view count. Also, a few people have commented that their
    view counts are updating more slowly. Occasionally the speed with
    which views update changes — sometimes it’s faster and sometimes it’s
    slower. But we are always working to make sure that the final view
    count numbers are an accurate reflection of the community’s interest.”


    Ok, first of, take a look at some video’s that have a 1-2 day life and
    12,000-20,000 views (And no they are not all partners) If you look at
    the statistics for the video (Open the video and click statistics) you
    will see the video linked to self-owned or self-posted blogs, some
    with 7,000K + in 1 day. (Forgive me for inserting a big daubt here)
    The video’s I checked where of poor quality, some appealing only to a
    small click of general viewers due some special topics. So, again we
    need to ask, is that the “Gaming with Third Party Views” ?? And if so,
    again, as per YouTube’s own Terms of Service, why are they not
    suspended (If we now want to be so fair to everybody on YouTube)


    Bottom Line, it’s great that Tube finally posted this, now we know
    what the sentiment is. There are thousands of cheaters and anybody
    with frozen counters should consider themselves a criminal. To me that
    is extremely offending. That is NOT in the Tube Terms of Service. They
    are allowed to suspend you if they suspect illegal activity, they can
    take down video’s that they feel doesn’t fit the community, they can
    do a lot since they own this site and we sign an agreement that we
    have no rights and we accept the decisions they make, but the ONE
    thing they can’t do is accuse you of being a cheater and that you
    participate in illegal activities unless they are ready to prove it,
    suspend you and you have an email from them telling you that you where
    suspended due to Terms of Service Violation. **They are not ready to
    do that** I have already faxed a copy of this to our Corporate
    attorney who has studied the YouTube TOS and he feels that there could
    be a possible class action suit. Remember, a lot of people on Tube use
    the site as a promotional tool for their music, their videos, they
    paid money to sponsor video’s by keyword etc etc. So there is
    recourse. In court YouTube must then produce exact trace records of
    every person that is part of the class action suit to show reason, but
    that still does not free them from the legal “Slander and Lible” if
    they posted that message in “general” and all those with frozen views
    are now suddenly suspects. - Sorry this is so long, but I felt I
    needed to go over this line by line.


    On Mar 14, 5:42 pm, autman123 wrote:

    ReplyDelete
  11. YouTube users aren't spammers! I never said that. Though I am sorry to hear that your videos have been subject to the strange, unexplained 'frozen counts' at YouTube.

    ReplyDelete
  12. my question is that how you know that they are at the right views
    because someone has been spamming me about 150 views but hhow do you
    knw that is correct i dont understand it at all it just aload of crap
    basicly. your just guessing you cant possible look at every indavidul
    video and see if it at the correct views. and do u have like an
    barraier of some sort like if one video get more thn 100 under a min
    it been spamed plz explian this 2

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:24 AM

    Wow... someone knows how to datamine.

    http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090319094419AAbLliP

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:30 AM

    I think u have got all the information u need now, lol

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous11:34 AM

    to sum up utube is being attacked, they dont know how to fix it, so they have decided to attack the utubers themselves!!!!!!!! if only!

    ReplyDelete
  16. goodluck trying to get any type of reply from youtube about the views. i noticed insight isn't working right either. i had a video getting about 70 views a day (from being posted on my blog as well as myspace, emailed to friends and family, and so on) and suddenly insight tells me i have no viewers (bull) and my views are still stuck.

    id say now is the time to look for other sites that offer something like youtube and move on.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very annoying these frozen counts. Roda Monroe frozen counts too. Will it stop? Wonder how to fix??

    ReplyDelete
  18. Heres how it is confirmed . create a 30 second video . user with 500 plus subs. in this video you ask your subs to leave a small commentexplain why if your comments exceed your views its proven .they are all youube users.then you send it to opera local news any media place .bam

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous9:12 AM

    There's something seriously wrong with Youtube's policy of freezing the view count for suspicious spamming once a video hits 200 to 300. It's plain whimsical, and just evinces the inability and incompetence of Youtube programmers to weed out the legitimate viewers from the real spammers (some of whom are handsomely paid by corporate sponsors to drum up interest in whatever the corporation is selling). Bottomline: Youtube wants small-time subscribers (including struggling and penniless artists and musicians) to pay before it will move view counters.

    ReplyDelete

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