Paradigm Shifts that have Grown GN (Patreon)

Hey everyone,

I wanted to write an update to you all about the flow of GN's work right now and some behind-the-scenes stuff.

Some of you might remember that, a few months ago, we took a couple weeks off from heavy publishing and pared-down to about 1-2 videos per week. We were still working in that time, but I mentioned in the public videos and (in more detail) the Patreon posts that we were working on advancing some internal processes. Basically, it's the adage of "work on the business" instead of "working in the business." Now, many months later, we're really starting to see the pay-off in terms of workflow, content production, and quality.

First of all, the video quality is higher than it's ever been. Some of them are more standard, like the Newegg video, but the Lancool III review is the direction we want to go with a lot of product reviews. Not just the active on-camera segments, but the video quality and more physical demonstration of physical elements of the product. In other words, we're taking the biggest piece of criticism we've had from viewers for  along time -- "show, don't tell" -- and finally starting to learn how to integrate that into content. GN started as a written publication and turned into a video one, so learning to do storytelling visually and not just verbally was a big skill shift for everyone here. I think we're finally getting there with the Artesian video and the  Lancool review.

I was recently telling the team about how I used to have a very wrong viewpoint about GN. About a decade ago, as a very, very small creator, I had a lot of defense mechanisms because it's just tough to see criticism when you're a nobody. You're trying your hardest and people don't understand that there's no team, there's no money, there's no time because you have other jobs -- so it's hard to see criticism at that scale, very nearly qualifying as a 'hobby,' because there's just not much you can do about it even if it's a valid request or demand. Now, we're in a different position and really value it. One of those wrong viewpoints I had was this: When I saw someone who complained that the content was bland or dull or too dense, my defense was to internalize the message that "well, GN just isn't for them, then" or "they're just not good enough for GN." That's obviously the wrong mentality, but it's the one that protects you from quitting when there's nothing stopping you from quitting (no staff, no costs, no money, no established company).

We've long moved on from that viewpoint. I do still think there are certain audiences we don't want; for example, we won't stoop to stupid gimmicks to try and get views, because that's not the view we want. We can add value in other ways, and I've learned through successful video journalists on YouTube that you can add quality without adding gimmicks that are clearly designed to appeal to children or the lowest common denominator.

But most importantly, what I've learned is that everybody who wants to learn or who wants to try GN -- even if they don't "get it" initially -- is someone we should be trying to extend an olive branch to in order to help them get into an awesome community and scene that they're clearly interested in at the periphery. We all start somewhere, so gatekeeping like "well, they're just not good enough for this" isn't a helpful mentality. It's the same as when people gatekeep on reddit or forums about someone's "bad" build list. If someone is excited about a new hobby or interest, our job should be to ignite that interest and really get them where they want to be - not turn and say, "sorry, you have to go back and learn the basics from someone else." Someone who's new and doesn't get it, but is trying to get it, is clearly someone who CAN be part of the audience and the PC DIY scene -- it's just a matter of getting through in a clear way.

Long story short, that's the paradigm shift I had about a year ago, and we've been trying to make our content easier to learn from and easier to benefit from without a newcomer viewer having to put in a ton of legwork to research. Small stuff, like being better about using the full word instead of the acronym at least once in a video, has gone a long way.

For a long time, I was worried that, at a certain size, you have to resort to being a clown to get views -- you see this on mainstream TV networks all the time -- but we've seen just the opposite. It's much harder to tell the story in a compelling way without those gimmicks, but it's also much more rewarding.

I'm really excited about the content we've made lately. Mainstays remain, like that simple one-off Newegg piece or the case reviews, but adding stuff like the Artesian investigation was a big move towards what I've done occasionally over the years, but didn't have the skillset to do well or frequently. The team has really grown with this also and puts in a ton of legwork internally to structure things and collect data or good camera shots.

That's the Patreon-only update for you on some of what we've been musing about at GN!

Thanks everyone for supporting us,

- Steve