Great video, Sarah! Thank you for discussing these behind-the-scenes issues. Myself, I got a few offers to become a “partner” when I first monetized my channel, but ignored them. My best advice is keep doing what you do best: make good videos!
I appreciate your videos for them being exactly that personal low key thing. Typewriters are my secondary thing after synths and music gear, and I watch a lot of videos where all the reviews of anything new launch at the same time, they all have affiliate links, etc. It's fine but gets a bit much. I have pondered making videos but having had a blog that pulls in about 30 to 40k views/yr and not monetise it, it's a lot of work and I've let it slide lately. RU-vid seems like even more work tbh! Thanks for keeping going, it's always nice to just relax with a cup of tea and watch your dog get in the way.
Hey Sarah, thanks for going to all the trouble of posting this. Like all your videos, it is thorough, informative and, needless to say, fun to watch. Your interest in transparency is lovely and, yes, refreshing! I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect none of us were ever concerned about Just My Typewriter and product endorsements. So this, I think, is more a reflection of your natural desire to be open and honest than it is of a need to “set things straight” with us. If I’m any judge of what folks out there are thinking (and hey, I’m an advertising copywriter, so that’s kinda, sorta part of my job), most of us have never given your motives or honesty a second thought. Typewriters are clearly a labor of love for you - not a potential generator of significant income. (And hello, it’s typewriters, not a passion of a great many people, so not exactly a good way to get rich.) So thanks, again, for the compelling story. And don’t worry about us. Like you, we just love learning about typewriters (and your little dog, too), and that you’re generous enough with your time and talent to share your hobby with the rest of us.
Thank you very much for your kind words- I was very honestly terrified of this video going up today, but I'm glad everyone seems to be so supportive. (Diamond is also very grateful to be included in the interest! )
Personally, I can't stand "influencers" and avoid them at all costs. Stay true to yourself; I may just be old fashioned, but I'd rather interact with a genuine human being. You do good work, keep it up! 🙂
I find your transparency very respectable and not cringy at all. I’m happy for you that you’re monitized. From all the scammer RU-vid channels I watch they all seem to say “rest assured”. Be careful girl! Been watching for a year or two, love the channel, take care.
@@eddieslittlestack7919 hmmmmmm it might be that your space bar might need a little adjusting? I have a corsair that does a similar thing because the space bar also gets engaged when typing so it randomly skips
Your true fans know you are 100% authentic- I'd be more worried what shady things could happen if you got paid to review a product and you left an honest negative review about it
Really appreciate your candor here Sarah. Keep being true to yourself and your values. I will continue to watch as this community grows. Thank you for keeping typewriters alive. Good Luck on your dissertation! Carpe Diem!
Wow. Quite the story. Sidenote: I purchased a first-run Rymek keyboard and loved it! It feels to type on, with nice style of keycaps, solid & heavy unit, and comfortable layout. As a software developer, I enjoy a standard & cheap full-size keyboard, but for basic writing the Rymek is wonderful and reminds me of my manual typewriters. :)
@@JustMyTypewriter It does look nice, doesn't it? (the shiny black finish is beautiful) But none of these keyboards have the feel of a real typewriter (regardless of the "mechanical clicky" switches). Nothing beats a real typer', manual or electric. And keep up the great work, Sarah.
I got one of the typewriter keyboards you showed in the video (the one with the woodgrain) and I ended up liking it quite a bit. Yeah, it's gimicky, but I didn't find anything on the product itself that raised any red flags. That being said, one of the issues it had was when people would put their ipad on the little holder the keyboard tended to tilt forward because it's just not heavy enough to hold it. But yeah, there was a severe lack of reviews for it and the ones that were there seemed to have been posted by people who received it for free. There were a few videos that sounded more like advertisements than like, you know, user reviews which I thought were interesting.
It doesn’t sound like a scam. It was likely a white label product deal. Manufacturers in other countries will sometimes make a product with no branding whatsoever specifically with the intent of selling it to a number of small companies who can then slap their own name on it. The company you were dealing with may have not been all in and ended up pulling out of the white label deal. Or maybe there really were supply chain issues. Regardless, it’s best to stick with what you feel comfortable with, so I commend you for not be swayed into going a different direction.
What do you think of the usb typewriter project? It lets you turn your old typewriter into a computer keyboard and still use it as a typewriter. That would be so much cooler than a cheap keyboard that looks like a typewriter.
I know they were selling those kits a while ago, and I had planned on making my own since they were sold out at the time. The one thing I've noticed is that it does matter what kind of machine you use because you have to mount the sensors under the keys which requires and open bottom and you need somewhere to mount the bar underneath it so the machine also has to be set up a little off the surface. I think it's an interesting concept!
This is a great video Sarah (with an 'h' 😀). It's interesting to hear the behind the scenes story for those of us who make zero content. We all know you're 100% authentic.
I was considering the exact keyboard but seen so many on amazon as the different price ranges and different name that I can’t trust myself to buy it. I was hoping this was a side by side comparison of the qwerty and that keyboard. But I appreciate your honestly and transparency about the whole process. Now if only I could afford about qwerky lol
I actually found a 35$ bluetooth keyboard on amazon that was pretty durable- not super typewriter looking, but I did throw it out of a moving vehicle, and it still worked..... It's a video on my channel - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fLAOUEgvL-Q.html
You never know... You can go on for a long time without getting much attention, and then your subscribers can double overnight and triple in a week. You're closing in on 3,000 subscribers soon. That's pretty good. You just have to figure out the multiple advantages of using typewriters and communicate that to a diverse audience.
The youtube gods are weird, I think the keyword 'scam' are the only reason It linked me here. Since I watched some videos on McDonald's ice cream lately... and now I'm on a typewriter channel.. :p
When I see 'be rest assured' in an email it stinks of scam. I don't think people would begrudge you making a few bucks to help fund typewriters as long as you are transparent about it. People like authenticity and if getting money to buy products to review or discuss on the channel requires advertising or something, people will be supportive
Love your videos and your honesty 😊. BTW We named our daughter Sarah..not Sara..she is grown, married with kids and our relatives ..aunts and uncles STILL don’t spell it right. Ugh. Very irritating! On that same note people are constantly abbreviating my name without asking…and I much prefer Jennifer. Even when I politely correct them they still it wrong. Drives me insane. New subject: Took a chance on an online auction and bought a Montana typewriter for $17. Case was dirty, needed a new ribbon but is great. It’s a Baby Hermes clone made in Italy in 1958. Thanks to you I am getting better at researching the history of my typewriters😊
Congrats on your new typewriter! I just got a new job and every email has my name spelled wrong- now they're spelling my last name wrong too.... I understand the struggle!
Just a heads up that I've never seen your channel before, and while I am a writer, I've never been into using a typewriter. That said, this video was recommended to me by the almighty algorithm! Hopefully this means that the RU-vid Gods will bless you with increased traffic! Good luck! You just got a new subscriber!
I get those messages all the time asking for me to review or make posts about products that are kind of weird or scammy or whatever. I only have about 300 followers on Instagram and well I have done RU-vid and Twitch but don't have many people who actually watch any of those videos or my live streams.
Hi Sarah, do you happen to have a patreon? I know I would support you through that and I'm sire alot of others would as well. You do an amazing job, keep up the good work.
Is there a business, or maybe a few, that you would recommend for cleaning/fixing/painting machines, for someone that doesn't really have the tools (or confidence) to do it themselves? Lol I've been looking around in the Tri-State area, and there's Karls and WPM, and a couple others....but I'venever actually been to any if them. Or been antiquing........ :X Where would be a place that has good information, and isn't impatient? Lol, I have like too many questions for my machines
It's all good Sarah, you don't need to feel any guilt. Most GOOD youtubers give a "disclaimer" when reviewing a product about the nature of the relationship with the company, if the product was free and if there is any commission or payment, even relating to discount codes. Jody from "Just one more watch" channel does this really well. That is all you need to do. Then everyone knows where you are coming from. Getting a small percentage of sales is not a crime, but hiding it is quite iffy, and does eat your integrity. I don't think anyone who has watched more than a few of your videos thinks you might be taking us all for a ride. If you keep having fun, so will we. If you want to review a keyboard and they send it to you for free, no problem - just let us know upfront in the review. I'd still watch and enjoy that. On hearing about those emails you had I don't think you were being scammed, but the product maybe just didn't pan out. You could have countered with your own terms, such as asking for a free sample with shipping included, a discount code for viewers but no further commission or control over content of the review. That might be the balance you were looking for? Something like that anyway. Don't just accept what they propose, let them know how you want it to be. A lot of content creators struggle with this issue. Typewriters are a small community, so even with 2.6K youtube followers, that is quite a bit for us I'd say. JVC has what? 17.4K. Is there anyone doing typewriter content who is bigger than that? So you might feel like you are a small fish, but this is quite a small pond too, so it is all relative. Considering all the effort you put into your videos, it makes me a bit sad that you don't make more than you do. Hopefully that will change soon, and you can go out and buy a "free" typewriter and a coffee with some ad revenue. You can dream, right?
I very much appreciate your feedback. I agree there are ways to do those processes that are professional and authentic (and the FTC does require disclosure when monetary exchanges are made!). I've definitely done a bit more research into this since filming and have found that the contracts associated with things like brand ambassadorships and partnerships are sometimes very limiting in what content you're allowed to make and what you're allowed to say. I've had the opportunity to read through a few recently and have decided I really don't like that sort of arrangement. What I also like about this being considered a side "hobby" is that if I need to reduce my posting schedule because of other factors, I have no obligation to anyone, except my audience, to do so. I very much appreciate your insight- it's given me much to think about!
@@JustMyTypewriter If someone is waving a contract at you then that is a whole other kettle of fish. I'd call that a gigantic red flag and a big no thank you. The most I'd agree to, if I was you, is to hold a review until a specific date of release, ie a date limited non-disclosure agreement. Even then, I'd not be signing anything, email is plenty. Another consideration : the internet is global, so who's contract laws are you abiding by here anyway? American laws mean nothing to me, for example, and have no jurisdiction here in Oz. But yeah, if it needs a lawyer to review, it is too much.
Don't worry about the mis-spelling of your name too much, Sarah. People at my workplace often spell my first name "Alistair" or "Alaster", even though there's a signature footer at the bottom of every email. The National Health Service spells my first name "Alistair". I've contacted them about it. So on every prescription, email from my local doctor's surgery (office), on my digital COVID-19 travel passes and my vaccination records, my name is spelt incorrectly. I'm just bracing for the impact when I start to travel abroad for business again and I show my COVID pass and passport to the customs official, and he or she notices the names don't quite match.
I’d call this an attempted scam, the scammers never even sent the product and barely communicated! There is nothing wrong with reviewing items that get sent to you, with full disclosure. It saves the rest of us from having to buy and try it 😂 really tho I clean my whole house with Simple Green now.
I would like to suggest starting a Patreon. I would be happy to chip in a couple dollars a month to help you buy things like these keyboards to review. You also wouldn't have any ties to the seller other than as a customer, so your integrity as a trusted reviewer remains intact. (This video was powered by Dunkin')
Most of my days are powered by Dunkin... I appreciate the suggestion! I've been told to start a Patreon for a while now. My big concern is once I start doing that, I have an obligation to make content that puts pressure on making things rather than doing it out of enjoyment! I'm perfectly happy to do it as a side gig for fun, I really just wanted to show what it is like behind the scenes a bit!
I just watched one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen, and it made me think about This RU-vid channel. It's a movie called Naked Lunch (1991), directed by David Cronenberg. Check it out. It's really crazy. And maybe it will inspire you to do a video in which typewriters are a central theme in the plots of movies and TV shows.
