New FRC Youtube show concept

[frcguy]

Gravity and myself are gauging interest for a new FIRST-related Youtube channel/show. The premise of the show would be unboxing and reviewing FRC-related products, similar to common technology channels on Youtube. What do you think? Respond to the thread with ideas/comments and reply to the poll above if you would watch it. Thanks everyone!

[ATannahill]

I would be interested, if the episodes were short. I don't think an hour on each product would be appropriate. I would say 5 minutes max for most items. Some more complex items might go for 10 minutes.

[ctt956]

I think I would enjoy something like this. A few tips:

1. Don't spend a long time talking about what you're reviewing or something maybe slightly relevant without doing anything other than talking. Yes, I know that a review is talking about the product, but during this talking I want to see something other than, say, a keyboard sitting there on a desk or just the reviewer talking.

2. Demonstrate the product if possible. The primary reason I watch video reviews is to see something in action. If the reviewer is just going to talk about a keyboard and not actually type on it, how is the video better than reading a text review? IMO, it's not.

3. Try not to make a 20+ minute video, unless you can find some way to make the whole thing interesting/entertaining.

Hope this helps!

[Landonh12]

If you want to do this look at Linus Tech Tips or MKBHD for guidance. They usually have really great review videos condensed down to get the most important features and hidden quirks about a device in. I'd definately be interested in watching something like this.

[Sperkowsky]

As some know I have extensive experience in this area of Youtube.

I am not interested in participating but, if you have any specific questions I can help.

[TheMilkman01]

As the YouTube manager for my team, I can say most of the advice so far is solid. Reviews should be concise yet in-depth, and ideally demonstrate the product in action. With smooth editing and good camera settings, I can see this show gaining traction gradually in the FIRST community. Very cool concept.

[ASD20]

I think, when applicable, showing your team's use of the product in action (ex. on a robot) would be really useful and interesting and would help widen viewers' design libraries.

[asid61]

I would watch this! Having a resource other than just the vendors and old threads on CD for reviews would be wonderful.

[FarmerJohn]

I like the idea.

How are you going to stay objective and unbiased with these videos? I'm sure you'd be approached by FRC distributors wanting coverage of their products (or trying to negate negative views of their products).

How much serious and in-depth testing do you plan on doing? Will you post your methods? If someone points out a flaw in your methods, how open would you be to redacting those results and trying again?

In your reviews, if you come across an inferior product, how would you present it? Would you openly critique a product you thought teams shouldn't use knowing that the developers of that product would likely be watching your video? Would you censor negative opinions for the sake of GP? Is everything going to be "a great product?"

How are you critiquing these products, and from what point of view? Are you focusing on their effectiveness for an FRC robot, their viability for a team? Their versatility in use? Are you focusing your reviews from the perspective of a specific kind of team? Are you planning to examine multiple perspectives?

How much experience do you have with these COTS products and effectively evaluating them?


Overall I think this can be a great project. I ask these difficult questions because they help define the show and its values. This has a lot of potential, and with the right character can be a great hit.

[frcguy]

Originally Posted by FarmerJohn

I like the idea.

How are you going to stay objective and unbiased with these videos? I'm sure you'd be approached by FRC distributors wanting coverage of their products (or trying to negate negative views of their products).

We would be happy to cover companies products if they ask us. I believe companies tailoring to FRC teams are not the type to manipulate reviewers. That being said, we would not tolerate such a situation and fail to be objective because we are asked by a manufacturer.

How much serious and in-depth testing do you plan on doing? Will you post your methods? If someone points out a flaw in your methods, how open would you be to redacting those results and trying again?

Reasonably in-depth. Using the product over a medium length period of time most likely. We would post our testing methods and would be fine redoing a review if we make an error the community notices.

In your reviews, if you come across an inferior product, how would you present it? Would you openly critique a product you thought teams shouldn't use knowing that the developers of that product would likely be watching your video? Would you censor negative opinions for the sake of GP? Is everything going to be "a great product?"

We certainly will not censor our opinions, but we won't go on outright rants either. Negative feedback/criticism, if present, will be presented in a constructive and helpful way so the manufacturer can improve their product.

How are you critiquing these products, and from what point of view? Are you focusing on their effectiveness for an FRC robot, their viability for a team? Their versatility in use? Are you focusing your reviews from the perspective of a specific kind of team? Are you planning to examine multiple perspectives?

Multiple perspectives, and certain perspectives for certain products.

How much experience do you have with these COTS products and effectively evaluating them?

With a robot that is mostly COTS, we have a lot of experience with such products and their use.

Overall I think this can be a great project. I ask these difficult questions because they help define the show and its values. This has a lot of potential, and with the right character can be a great hit.

I answered your questions in bold to the best of my abilities. Please note that these answers are not finalized and could change, but those are our current stances on what you presented. Please ask if you have any more questions!

[Lil' Lavery]

What type of products would you be unboxing and reviewing? Electronics? Tools? COTS components?


I'm a little confused as to the value here. For something like computer components, I get a lot of value seeing a video of a motherboard or CPU cooler (or whatever) outside of the box. I can learn about its fit into cases, accessibility of mounting holes, the experience of the YouTuber while installing the components, etc.

For FRC components, I'm less sure there's utility from unboxing and cursory reviews. There's not a whole lot of value added by seeing you unbox some new extrusion. I might be able to gain a bit while following along with a video reviewer assembling a new COTS gearbox per instructions. However, the type of reviews I really want for a COTS gearbox is how it held up to competition use. Seeing the form factor and mounting arrangement for a speed controller provides some moderate value, but once again, the real knowledge comes from teams really putting a speed controller through its paces in the heat of a build season and subsequent competition.

That's the problem with virtually every new FRC product. Until it's been tested in the shop and then on the field, reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. That's why many teams shy away from being "early adopters" of technology, and why FIRST has "beta teams" for control system updates.

[Gravity]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

What type of products would you be unboxing and reviewing? Electronics? Tools? COTS components?


I'm a little confused as to the value here. For something like computer components, I get a lot of value seeing a video of a motherboard or CPU cooler (or whatever) outside of the box. I can learn about its fit into cases, accessibility of mounting holes, the experience of the YouTuber while installing the components, etc.

For FRC components, I'm less sure there's utility from unboxing and cursory reviews. There's not a whole lot of value added by seeing you unbox some new extrusion. I might be able to gain a bit while following along with a video reviewer assembling a new COTS gearbox per instructions. However, the type of reviews I really want for a COTS gearbox is how it held up to competition use. Seeing the form factor and mounting arrangement for a speed controller provides some moderate value, but once again, the real knowledge comes from teams really putting a speed controller through its paces in the heat of a build season and subsequent competition.

That's the problem with virtually every new FRC product. Until it's been tested in the shop and then on the field, reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. That's why many teams shy away from being "early adopters" of technology, and why FIRST has "beta teams" for control system updates.

We'd like to provide reviews in both the short and long term. There are certain products which do not need to be reviewed on stability, but rather on utility. You can see all of the statistics down on paper, but seeing them employed in a similar setting (FRC) seems quite beneficial. We would still be doing reviews on products we used over the season, seeing how they held up and the benefits and drawbacks that come with it.

Hope that answered at least some of your question, if you have any other inquiries please send me a PM as it will be useful when creating the framework for the show.

- Gravity

[CMBrandon]

Have a good mic setup, bad audio totally kills a review video.
Get to the meat of the product, say what you like, what you don't, and say the MSRP/where to get it. (Amazon affiliate links can help pay for your supplies)

From the supplier side of this stuff: While I can't speak for everyone, I will say that at Cooler Master we NEVER tell reviewers to give us good ratings. We include a product sheet so they can test the product as intended. Do we get bad reviews sometimes? Yep! It doesn't happen often and we wont make them take it down. We have had reviewers in the past say they will give us a good review for free stuff. We don't do that and we never will. Ethics are huge at our company.

[dirtbikerxz]

Basically what everyone has said so far. Keep it short but thorough. Have good quality recordings (a stable camera setup, not a handheld one, and a camera that can record in atleast 1080p). Also have a good mic setup (a lavaliere might be too expensive for something like this, but at least a good desktop mic on a boom arm.) Dont have cheezy transitions.

[Monochron]

I think it would only generate enough interest if it offered something that people can't get by simply reading the manufacturer specifications. Check out the detail in this old GameSense video with Ken Stafford. I found that video incredibly valuable because it teaches aspects of motors and power transmission that the viewer may not know. If you can get into that level of detail for products while maintaining the brief form factor that others have mentioned, I think it could do well.

Take the SD-540 concerns from this year. If you detail where those concerns come from, their validity, the tradeoff choices a team would need to consider, and the specifications and implications and use cases all in a 5-10 minute video, I think it would work.