If you genuinely used YouTube videos to fix things you would not make the statement that they put narratives to shame.

Like the written articles so I don't have to scroll through minutes of bs and "check my site, link, etc" out just to find out the poster didn't record it right, film it right, or had no elfin clue on what they were doing. I can print out an article with pictures and crawl under the vehicle without trying to hold my phone or damage it.i can print it, then throw it away. also, don't need internet connection if I print it.

Great idea, but I'm sure the pre/post-roll and interstitial ads will get old fast.

I think a hybrid of the written procedures and videos would be great. Just don't follow today's "YouTuber" format of:
- 3 minutes outlining what the project is, sprinkling in "don't forget to like, subscribe, and click that notification bell"
- "Today's video is brought to you by RAID SHADOW LEGENDS/WIX/COVE/etc"
- 10 minutes of unrelated footage
- Jump right into the main content, but be sparing of actual details of what is being done or how
- "Again we would like to thank today's sponsors..."
- "If you liked this video, don't forget to like/subscribe/click that bell"...

Nets you about 28-35 minutes of video, which 11-15 is actually the subject matter you wanted.

"Hey guys, wat up?????
Brad here from Big Brad's Brass Balls to brag about the Biggest Baddest Ballacious Bull**** from Nut-butterzzz customz. (insert audio of ferris beulers "bom bom- oh yeah-chicka chicka")

Massive Video graphic: A flaming pair of "Big Brads Brass Balls" logo lunges across the screen

Cut to Big Brad shredding his stratocaster.
Cut to Big Brad's girlfriend partying in the back of Big Brad's Bassboat.
Cut to Big Brad spray can painting his Lamborghini Gallardo wheels with krylon in his parent's driveway
25m views - must be good.
ad #1 "you can skip ad in 5...4...3...2.." (me- cool- I can click on skip):rolleyes:
ad #2 "video will resume after ad" (me-crap- out of luck- have to watch this one):mad:

gratuitous safety disclaimer about eye protection (because Big Brad is all about safety)

me- scrolling through crap

me seeing potentially good stuff (but scrolled through most of it while skimming the bs)
me- *rewind*

me- GET TO REWATCH "new" ad #3 in 5...4...3...2...to get back to good stuff -which- STILL didn't have nugget of info I wanted- darnit! :rolleyes:

me- Open up another window and google other sources of info to get what I need.

While looking at google search images, I finally find a pdf schematic of what I need.

meanwhile, in my first window- thanks to autoplay (which likes to turn itself back on when you revisit everytime)

Scotty Kilmer starts yelling at me.

Ahem .... sometimes I just read your posts and giggle... this one made me LOL :)

Don't forget the $**tty Techno house music played too loud all thru the presentation.

This!

And then you finally get to the point of them working on whatever and you find they are actually working on a thing or car that is not related to what you wanted to know.

The scroll wheel on my mouse gets lots of use on most articles as I scroll down to the real core of what I need to know.

It takes a special level of willful ignorance to insist that reading about car repair is more effective than live action video.
Did you learn to fix cars by someone showing you, or by talking on the phone?

Shocked some guys even learned how to use the internet in the first place.

Yea, this medium terrible for someone learning about cars.
I'd rather read about it. You can't make crap up.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vsLZFxO5c2M" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Good morning, Sunshine.

Exactly. I can scroll through an article more way effectively than I can fast forward with video. This is especially a problem where the camera is pointed at an engine block for 15 minutes. What's he talking about? At which point does he mention what I'm interested in? Minute 3? Minute 14? Did he even mention it? Can't tell unless I listen to the whole thing.

Most ;) people here have a very strong mechanical aptitude. After a lifetime of doing this, we know how to spin the wrench, we just need a torque value, or an electrical code clarification. I think this was even mentioned earlier in the thread.

Last weekend, I needed just that- an oil plug drain torque value for my wife's car.
I quickly perused several sites looking for a no nonsense consensus answer. Several quick thread scrolls got me several answers of varying quality, eventually leading me to the volvo factory manual pdf, which had it listed right in my face. Early searches lead to different answers/dead ends/and multiple volvo shops. There was some wading, but I didn't have to wade through multiple DIY videos to see if Scotty even uses a torque wrench.

Finding good info is a skill in itself.

Not that videos are bad-videos/tech articles/threads will all have their strengths- and people also have their preferred method of learning- listening/visual learners etc. I think we all use a combination of them all to a degree, but in the end, I want the info as quickly as possible. There. Bam. In my face. The youtube format can be very effective, but you have to wade through it just like any thread here on pelican to get to the nugget.

I do find videos for things ( like how to remove an interior piece/plastic shroud without destroying it) sometimes helpful, there is a lot of wading.

That being said, I'd love to make pp type videos for a living.
Short 15 sec intro of topic/scope
Detailed table of contents with hyperlinks in the comments section to get you to desired subject matter.
Multiple tables/ scanned documents/whatever listed in toc/ which you could link to immediately.

I think the "ultimate youtube format" was discussed here before a while back.
I would review that before making anything.

Right back at ya.
It takes a special level of delusion to insist that pages of words are better than live action video.
Best of luck being stuck in the past for your remaining days, confused and angry at the world that has passed you by.

That is a good quality video you posted.

I use videos all the time, every day. I use text every day. Mostly searching forums for the one guy that has the answer to get through a tough passage.

What's better is what solves your problem.

Nice touch.

“First, start by loosening the 13 mm bolt. Later models might have a 14 mm. It is located behind the uma Thurman valve.” Are you Positive you are loosening the correct valve or bolt?

Sometimes a video with a clearly pointed out loosen this bolt voiceover is priceless.
Location descriptions and identification of parts will always work better in video/photo.

It's behind the frammitz valve, not the UT valve. The UT valve is located slightly downwind of the frammitz.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/suppo...leys/freak.gif

Here's a vid that helped me a lot on a recent job. No words, no torque values, just a video. When I need torque values I'll find the text. I did not do it exactly like him but it's what I needed to get rolling.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/50HRrnW1IeY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

+1 The obnoxious guitar riff intro. Always a treat for an old man simply living out his final days.

Better sites:

Briansmobile1
South Main Auto Repair LLC
The Car Doctor
A1 Auto
EricTheCarGuy

Plenty more but so so many that are useless. All of that takes time to weed through but if you find a good set of words, it's more than adequate to do a job.

Videos are only as good as the people making them and YouTube has lots of yodelheads who think they are experts giving (sometimes) bad advice.

But having written six how-to books, I’m probably biased. :)

Wayne

So the best solution is a hybrid. This is the idea that we tested a while ago at Pelican. It was great, but too expensive. Basically a “Harry Potter” style of tech article where the photos and captions were mini videos. This is the best of both worlds - the entire sequence could be viewed as a video if the user preferred. The technical info like torque specs and such were listed in the text. If you wanted to see a specific sequence, you’d just click on the video and it would play the scene for 30 seconds. Quick, to the point, and able to serve grey hairs who like to read and millennials that don’t. Once again, it was so expensive to set this up it didn’t make sense (like million$ expensive when you consider all of the time and work involved).

Wayne

Jeez, sometimes I regret opening a thread.

This is one of those times.

As long as we get to see some bloody knuckles as it’s all fake without them...