The Battle Begins: Skunk Relocation & Demonetized Again

My frustration level has reached the outer limits.  I created a post 7 paragraphs in length and accidentally backed out of it to find all is lost.  Gone…

So, do I attempt to recreate what was lost or surrender?

Here’s the short of it.  This battle to relocate the skunk needs to happen.  The skunk has terrorized our coop and killed 5 of our new pullets in the first week, .  The skunk needs to go.  Below you will see the 2nd part of the 3 part series.

Stop here if you have no desire to know the reality behind this website and YouTube Channel.  I recommend staying in blissful ignorance and just accepting that possibly one day the faded memory of Living a Sustainable Dream altogether.

So, you decided to stay. Let’s talk about demonetization one more time… The video posted above has been edited to achieve monetization.  I cut out the parts concerning Plan B, which intended much harm to the skunk, such as an early grave for the varmint and what he did to our pullets.  I do not believe I was too graphic, and as you know me from earlier posts, I don’t cuss.  What you would have heard is how I would put the skunk down for the troubles he has caused.  Demonetized.  Let me show you something that is so frustrating to me that I wish it was not so, but the reality and truth of it can’t be denied.

This graphic video declared “art” is fully monetized. This is the Advertisement placed on this video, Fred’s Appliance, by YouTube. Fred’s Appliance is a local business in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.  The amount of views this video has accumulated is around 565 million.  Those views calculate into ad revenue.  Checkout the following potential dollars this video has generated on the next picture.

Crunching the numbers, I discovered this video has generated potentially 3 quarters to a million dollars in ad revenue.  That’s correct; almost a million dollars in ad revenue for this one video demonstrating death and destruction satirically in our country.  The literal cashing in on the death and destruction found in our headlines.

My best video to date as far as views goes is the “Hot Water from a Wood Stove.”  I have generated 51,000 views thus far and my ad revenue looks like the following picture.  Currently, I really do not know how much money this video has actually made because it was demonetized for a year before YouTube would monetize it while I tried to meet their new strict 1000 subscriber 240,000 minute viewing policy.

So, why do it? What am I even in the game for? I don’t play by the rules, I am disgusted by the duplicity and hypocrisy of YouTube’s policies, I shudder when I watch other channels try and get more subscribers by manipulating people into contests, paying for face time with bigger channels, creating click bait titles, showing sexually explicit thumbnails to drive the primitive mind to their videos, and all for what, money?

Why do I do it? To be honest, I don’t know anymore.  I know why I don’t do it.  I don’t want the fame or even to be idolized. I am an introvert, even the thought of having my face on the Internet makes me desire deleting everything in total. Originally though, I desired to work from home to no longer have to be in the rat race. I came into this 4 years ago thinking I could build an off grid information platform and instead of people going to a Patreon account or a GoFundMe page, they could shop at our online store and purchase candles from our homestead company.  Not only do the audience receive some great information, but they also get a tangible product made by us to use and enjoy.  I believe during the 4 year period we have sold one candle related to this website.  One candle.  What out of the 15,533 visitors on this website over the past 4 years and 305,000 views on YouTube?  We have 210 followers on this website and 1900 subscribers on YouTube (remember most of our followers are out of the states and the shipping is financially brutal).  Please do not think this a guilt trip to buy a candle! And personally, I wouldn’t want to sell a candle from this post.  I am trying to wrap my head around this business venture, and it is time to rethink this.  One candle online… That is bad business. Trust me I understand this, and I am not insane for continuing this for so long because I enjoy what I do.  I love the life style I have chosen to live.  I want to share this with others.  I am tried of watching other YouTube channels lie to everyone about how living off grid is.  I have seen channels lie about solar to justify going on grid, I have seen channels dispel false information to gain subscribers.  A few years ago I had a YouTube subscriber comment the reason they subscribe to us was because my wife and I are real.  We are because we live it. I am also being real right now, honest and true and that doesn’t calculate to a living.

What are we going to do?  Well, first off we are going to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary.  We are going to enjoy, encourage, and reflect on our quarter of a century together.  Next, I am going to build a barn shop, revamp my American Govt Curriculum, for next year and improve my skills at Final Cut Pro to help my Journalism class.  I am going to finish some videos and posts I have already created this summer. I am going to reevaluate this Living a Sustainable Dream website.  Perhaps, I will change the name, revamp the content, or let it fade into the past.  I do not know, but I know it takes way too much time, and time is money.  And time that can’t be bought, should be spent helping the ones you love.  That’s the truth of it.

 

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