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VidMe or Why Platforms Aren't Your Friends

Folding Ideas · commentary · Watch on YouTube

Internet culture & memesTech industry & business modelsProduct, marketing & sales

What it is

Folding Ideas uses the rise and fall of the YouTube competitor VidMe to examine why platforms are not friends to creators. It argues that alternatives to big platforms tend to attract the users banned from the original and lack a core vision.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters cite it whenever a thread asks why clones of or alternatives to YouTube, Reddit or Twitter fail or turn toxic.

  • 8 people recommended it
  • 8 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “For a very good explanation of why, see Folding Ideas video essay "VidMe or Why Platforms Aren't Your Friends"[1].”

    Very good explanation of why cloning YouTube fails.

    pdkl95, 2017-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Google pulls YouTube off the Amazon Echo Show”

  2. “made a very insightful video about the problem of setting up "alternatives" to popular social media platforms”

    Why alternatives to popular platforms attract toxic users first.

    MrRadar, 2019-12 · Strong recommendation · in “An account is now required to read Reddit comment threads?”

  3. “There's a great video by Folding Ideas which talks about the issues with secondary services”

    Issues with secondary services and toxic early adopters.

    anitil, 2019-02 · Recommendation · in “Reddit is raising a huge round near a $3B valuation”

  4. “I think this is a good description of why an absolute free speech site will never flourish”

    Explains why absolute free speech sites don't flourish.

    8note, 2019-02 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: Alternative HN-Like Communities?”

  5. “Folding Ideas (on YouTube) had a solid video about VidMe, which is a case study in how NOT to do this”

    Case study in how not to build a YouTube alternative.

    etchalon, 2019-11 · Recommendation · in “YouTube says it has ‘no obligation’ to host anyone’s video”

  6. “a Folding Ideas video[1] that covers the discussion of the creator vs platform relationship overall”

    Covers creator versus platform relationship and VidMe's userbase problem.

    oriki, 2021-11 · Recommendation · in “YouTube takes down independent court livestreams”

  7. “somewhat related and worth a watch: Folding Ideas' 2017 video essay about YT alternatives.”

    Alt platforms had inherent problems before political bent.

    Qub3d, 2022-04 · Recommendation · in “Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources”

  8. “A competitor that can't sell itself on features will inevitably gain traction most with those banned from the original platform.”

    Competitors without features attract those banned from the original.

    6D794163636F756, 2023-06 · Recommendation · in “Reddit Is Killing 3rd-Party Apps, the Best Way to Read the Site”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: vidme, youtube, creator economy, network effects, social platforms

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