"Adverts"

Put simply, I hate advertisements. They are everywhere. And on Youtube, they are found to the right of every video, in every video in a bar at the bottom of the screen, and even found on pre-roll adverts now on the videos themselves. I hate the fact you might get a thirty second advertisement for a thirty second video. It is, simply put, crazy.

I've been in deep discussion with a friend over pre-roll advertisements, and I've changed the way my videos adverts work as part of a short experiment. If it doesn't work - i.e. views drop away horrendously, then I'll switch back.

The British Railway Series has become my sole source of income. I can't disclose how much, but it's not enough to stop me looking for a job, whilst at the same time providing some welcome relief to the bank balance at the end of the month.

The problem with Youtube videos is thus: you need money to make videos, and you have to spend money to make money. I do make the videos for my own entertainment, but with rising costs in just the raw materials for making sets this year (costings at time of writing looking like rising massively from 2010), the only way the series can continue legitimately is for it to pay for itself.

And if it does so by having pre-roll ads, I'm afraid I may have to bite the bullet, and like it and lump it, despite my obvious annoyance with the latter.

Hopefully with the impending Episode 18 on the horizon, I can invest in new modular set designs, and make another showpiece for the Youtube scene that will help the series along even further.

So, my apologies if a whole raft of pre-roll advertisements appear on my videos. If they don't pay their way, they will be removed, that I promise.

On the bright side, if they work, the journey to the next episode gets a little shorter and brighter.

Until next time.