Greg from GA

Hey Greg, saw your new car video last night thought about following you on YouTube then I read the disneyland part and I cringed!

You don't know the half of it

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Hi guys I am sticking this post in the lounge just to keep it away from detailing specific sub forums.  I hope you do not mind it here...  If this is interesting to you, please read.  If not, skip...

As many of you on this forum (including the mods) have provided ongoing support and encouragement as I have been experimenting with starting a youtube channel, I thought I'd do this post do be very transparent about my intentions.

Oh and before I get too long winded, the goal of my post here is to ask you to subscribe to my channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkqymtB9gcqWf5zaMGd45A

Here is some backstory:

1. I love board games.  I used to love PC games but I am getting too old to keep up there but I did just finish Battlefield 1 on XBOX.  Back in the 2000s I used to compete in organized online league play for Day of Defeat (a mod of a mod - Counterstrike/Half Life)

2. Over a year ago, I deleted my Facebook and Twiiter accounts after having been on social media on those pretty much since the beginning.  Personally (I can go way deeper on this), the cons just *heavily* outweighed the pros.  I did create a new Twitter account for this new identity applying the lessons I learned from the former; I did not create a new Facebook account for the same reasons.

3. I've always enjoyed the antics of the vloggers.  Confession: I am a huge Disney fan so much of it is centered around that.  There is no shortage of Disney park vloggers.  My favorite is adamthewoo and TheTimTracker.  These guys do this full time.

4. I am a metrics guy in real life.  I spend all day constantly staring at screens to see how changes I make (or don't make) impact performance (or lack thereof) once, twice, three times removed etc. 

5. My children are getting older/verge of empty nester over here so if you are a parent you know that means that not only do you have a lot of newly discovered free time, you also have a lot of video and photography equipment lying around from obsessively documenting the last ~18 years.

So why did I drag you through all of that?  My friends and I often debate what these high-roller youtubers actually do and earn.  I wanted to create a channel as a sort of reel-time strategy game; think of it as my own Sim City.  The scale is nickel and dime (okay, just nickel)  but it should still be just as applicable to the gold bars that PewDiePie (had to look that spelling up) throws around.  I picked car detailing because I am passionate about it, it is new to me and I think I have something to say as a newbie that has value.  In that, to some degree, the content is a means to an end but the intent is sincere and genuine.  But again Sim City and my real time strategy game...  This post is just an experiment to see if I can get any impact of subscriber count.  I am at 307 at the time of this post if anyone wants to play along at home.

So that's why I  made this post: to be transparent about what I want to do.  I have learned so much about the YouTube Creator metrics and process since I started this!  And I am learning more and more everyday.  

I am at what I think is a channel threshold here today with the ~300 subscribers mark.  Subscriber count has grown great and it 300 seems to be some kind of baseline.  For example, I had added an Amazon Affiliate component pretty much day one but I should have waited until this threshold (boring story if anyone wants to know the specifics, let me know - but I have a million little stories like that).  So I had to start over on that today and all my video descriptions have new Amazon Affiliate links to Adams products (and other things that are tangential but not competitive - I am trying to keep it black and white that way).

If you read this far, I'll throw in a little lesson learned tidbit that I found very interesting.  I've got plenty but this is a neat thought at the moment. YouTube views really are not important in the scheme of things; it is all about watch time.  I can show you all the reports that emphasis watch time over views.  Views are an end result for sure, but Watch Time is the lifeblood of what they are trying to do - it drives their algorythms for suggested videos, etc .  They want eyeballs on their screens.

Thanks for reading and, oh, and please subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkqymtB9gcqWf5zaMGd45A

/walloftext off

I hate DIS! No American cars....come on man!!IMG_3591.JPG

Coming from a lifetime of only owning Ford Trucks (Ranger cant remember the year but when they had Mazda V6 motors, 04 06 SCrew F150s, 00 F250) and Chevy trucks (69 C10, 88 Silverado) and a few miscellaneous 82 AMC Jeep CJ7 and a GREMLIN, jeep grand Cherokee) THE ONLY FAWRN car I had then was a 82 VW Vanagon Wesfalia that i traded a bass boat for - it was for recreational use so I am not counting it.  Oh and a 01 Mustang Cobra SVT for some strange reason (remember not a car guy)...

My point is I've done my time on the side of the road and they don't make nuthin I want.  I drive enough American rental cars traveling to reinforce that often.

"Dealer installed" scratches and swirls - a video.  Had these thoughts banging around in my head recently.

I used clay and the orange pad and polish to get water spots off.  Seemed to work fine.

Very nice.  I did this what seems like a lifetime ago with the Papyrus (Grand Prix Legends) developed NASCAR sim racing PC game.  Good times...  If I get this old story right, Junior met somebody in virtual racing and raised him up or at least watched as he came to racing in real life.  Was it Hamlin?  Point being...  rubbins racing even it is it 1s and 0s.

- Add the web address to the Adam's site somewhere in the video. We all know it, but others that come upon your videos may not.

 

I thought about that and I felt weird doing it.  I mean I am just some guy posting videos on the internet.  Nothing official.    Heck, it was adventurous enough for me to mention the products by name and not generically.

Thanks, RocketJohn.  

RocketJohn is the guy that introduced me to Adams as a Christmas present of polishes and pads last year..  I know him in real life and he and I toured Adams when I visited him a couple of months ago.

I did a new car wash video - starting to feel like Adams fanfic.  The original car wash video was the first video I made and posted here just over a month ago.  It's neat to see how I incorporated the comments I've received here and elsewhere to try to make it something better so thanks for the kind words and guidance.

Oh Nate dawg, have you tried these two ways that I use.

1. I use the waterless waffle weave towels to clean glass, I also spray directly onto the towel and not the glass and flipping the towel or using two towels.

I too hate cleaning glass and have gone to this method. I started with using the Adams aerosol but am moving to the Adams glass cleaner mostly due to the fact that I can get it by the gallon and can easily see how much product I have so I won't run out.

Since I am washing my own cars, I do keep the glass clayed so that I am not fighting too many unknowns. I guess that may not be time practical in a commercial application.

You Rock Greg! Really enjoying all of your videos, and this is a great hack!

 

We used to sell similar hand-soap style red pump tops for our bottles, but we did discontinue them after we found that they had too many issues with clogging, dripping, and/or failing after several uses with some of our chemicals. 

 

I'll be interested to see how the Starbucks pumps hold up over time. Keep us updated!

Interesting. I do have some permanent 'fancy' home hand soap pumps in bathrooms and you are right, they are all clogged at this point.

I also saw where people put the blue painters tape on their shirts before sticking it to the paint to have even less adhesive on the paint.

Mine is 2700 PSI / 2.3 GPM Homelite and works great - see for foam in action - 

I really love my cart from Target. Can't go wrong for $30. (I paid $25, goes on sale frequently).

 

https://www.target.com/p/storage-cart-white-room-essentials-153/-/A-50659905

and locking wheel to boot - nice!  At target I did also buy this and the sizing worked out nicely for Adams bottles: http://www.target.com/p/diamond-45-shape-drawer-organizer-45-white/-/A-11539206 I used the one in my video because I had already ordered it but this Target one worked just as nice.  It was kind of in a random place over by the bath organizers.

Greg sweet cart, where did you get that bottle holder on the bottom tray? I want one! Also since you like making videos something caught my attention in the garage, make a detailing or wash video on your motorcycle, that would be cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the bottle divider towards the end of the video.  I talk about it and link to it in the video description.  

On washing the motorcycle (Honda NC700X) - I'd have to get it dirty to wash it!  Actually I think I have an older post here wth photos on washing it.  But doing a motorcycle wash video is a good idea.  Now to go get it dirty.

Greg sweet cart, where did you get that bottle holder on the bottom tray? I want one! Also since you like making videos something caught my attention in the garage, make a detailing or wash video on your motorcycle, that would be cool.

 

Also what's with the big chicken and the pawn shop? Lol

 

PS does that big chicken have a buffet?

 

 

 

 

 

What's the big Chicken?!  Oh are you in for a treat!  Pull up a chair and sit a spell.  New York has the Statue of Liberty.  Paris has the Eiffel Tower.  London has Big Ben's clock tower. Marietta, GA, has the BIG CHICKEN:

Since detailing carts prompted a discussion on previous threads - I made a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyfWbw7GHro

I use it to clean my sneakers often.  I am not going to admit how many different products I use...

I definitely think coatings are the way to go and they are not hard to apply.

 

 

I finally spent some quality time with this video.  I definitely will be doing this step before the car heads off the college in a few months.

I know i need to get up to speed on ceramic coatings so hopefully the discussion here will show me that is my next learning curve after sealants.

What model Hyundai did you buy Greg?

 

 

 

Traded in daughter's 2014 Mazda CX-5 for the 2017 blue Tucson in the pic.  Already had the 2016 one in the pic for other daughter.  The CX-5 was a great car but that year was the beginning of Mazda's collision avoidance tech and it was not as robust as current tech.  And Mazda is dragging their feet on Car Play and the 2016 Tucson had all the bells and whistles and safety we wanted so we just went that direction again since we were so content with the other one.

I would consider Ceramic coating if I were you since she will be living outside, it will offer the BEST protection.

 

http://adamspolishes.com/shop/exterior/coatings/adam-s-ceramic-paint-coating-kit.html

I am not versed there yet.  So far I am a Adams Liquid Paint Sealant guy but i know I need to get there from here.

I'm not under 40, so I don't get it.

It was an older beer ad campaign where they used born in date in the cans so you knew your crappy beer was at least fresh. Don't remember the label.

so I have a 2017 blue metallic Hyundai (Caribbean Blue) with a born on date of 3/11/17.  What can I do when with the paint?  It is going to live outside.

If you watch my videos, the red 2014 Mazda CX-5 is gone.  I only mention that because I think that is the best red I have ever seen.

Side note - does my "born on date" joke work on anyone under 40?