Meaning of Sub4Sub and VLSC for Vloggers on YouTube

Wazzup Pilipinas!

I recently joined this Facebook group for my attempts to learn more about vlogging.

I was actually just sort of pushed into joining the group when a fellow blogger encouraged me to join the group's sort of search for an influencer for a certain brand. One of the requirements was to be a member of the group, so I tried my luck...and from what I've been seeing mostly from the members' posts and comments, I could say it's a healthy and supportive environment for aspiring, newbie and veteran vloggers.

I'm new to vlogging but have a YouTube channel with mostly events coverage content and ever since the pandemic, livestreaming due to the quarantine.

I joined the Facebook group called Vloggers Philippines because I would like to improve on my vlogging "attempts." 

I call my vlogging as "attempts" because I can't really say they are full-pledge vlogs because I need to work on a lot of things - my confidence, my content, my video editing, and my promotion since no matter the effort on the formers, they are useless if people won't know or can't easily find my content.

One of the requirements in posting at this group is to add hashtags #NoToSub4Sub and #NoToVLSC, aside from the group name #VloggersPhilippines

Thus I researched on these terms and below are some information:

"We believe that growing your channel should be done by creating quality content that entices viewers to subscribe and not through artificial or coordinated exchanges.

Offering to subscribe to another creators channel solely in exchange for them subscribing to your channel, also known as "Sub4Sub," is not allowed. Creators who offer such exchanges risk losing subscriber numbers, receiving a Terms of Use strike, or even having their channel terminated.

Additionally, services that attempt to boost YouTube subscriber numbers through automated means or via a marketplace violate our Terms of Service, such as:

Purchasing subscribers from third-party websites

"Sub4sub" exchanges and services from third-party websites that subscribe you to multiple channels which then subscribe to you back

It's okay to subscribe to a friend's channel and vice versa, or to ask your audience to subscribe to your channel. However, if you do this as part of an exchange it's not allowed."

While VLSC means View, Like, Subscribe, Comment?

Arguably, it is really unlikely to get organic engagements if they were acquired from ex-deals or special arrangements since real fans are more inclined to continue watching your content, while it will be the opposite for "arranged" transactions. YouTube would be able to discern that you got the engagement by unnatural means especially if you got many of the same instances from other YouTubers.

Incidentally, I have an old YouTube channel (Pinoy Tekkie) that I never monetized since back then it was just used to supplement my blog site.

Surprised to see that my highest viewed video reached 131k. Subscribers reached 1k+, and watch hours only at 2.9 k, since it has no new videos since year 2015.

I created a new channel a few years ago to be consistent with my branding...and that is YTC: Wazzup Pilipinas which now has 38K+ subscribers and the video with the highest views is at 5.3 million.

Buhayin ko kaya at i-monetize itong luma? I actually forgot how to do it. Honestly, di ko pinapansin yung monetization of even my newer YouTube channel dahil again it was only just to supplement my blogsite which was my only focus. Pwede pa ba o may requirement so YouTube na dapat within a certain period ay nag comply ka na sa subscribers at watch hours!?

Ngayon lang pandemic kasi ako nagkaroon ng opportunity to peak into the inner workings of YouTube and there are so much more to learn. I hope to learn more from this group as there are a lot of motivated members with inspiring stories to share.

Roque: 'Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior' on Facebook is protected by right to free speech

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The AFP and the PNP insisted that they had no hand in the management of social media accounts busted by Facebook for spreading disinformation. 

But now the President is threatening Facebook because of closing down the said social media accounts which he calls "advocacy" groups. Lol!

Facebook removed two networks from the Philippines and China for violating its policies on coordinated inauthentic behavior. The networks would often red-tag activists, support the anti-terror law, and discuss the South China Sea and Hong Kong from a pro-China viewpoint. 

In a blog post on Tuesday, September 22, Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Security Policy at Facebook, said the removal was due to the behavior of the networks and not the content of posts made. 

And now the Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque says even 'coordinated inauthentic behavior' on Facebook is protected by the right to free speech. 

So the presidential spokesman is defending the government's right to manipulate at scale. Well, at least that's transparent. 

Seriously, Harry Roque? "Inauthentic behavior" is not in any way ethical at all.

That's an outright admission that, indeed,  they're disseminating lies and disinformation. No more subtlety about it. Directly right from the horse’s mouth! This government blatantly mocks us as if we are too stupid to comprehend their dastardly doings.

The network's content “praised President Rodrigo Duterte and his family allies, notably his daughter, and the daughter of former president Ferdinand Marcos, Senator Imee Marcos.” 

Data show that police pages habitually publish disinformation or amplify content from fake news purveyors and hate-mongers. This could put targets in harm's way. 

They're called influence operations or information operations: insidious manipulation that has made Filipinos doubt the facts, replacing them with lies. One came from China. The other from the Philippine military and police.

So this is where the intelligence funds go? This is where our taxes go?

What happened to this guy Roque? He used to make sense in pre-Duterte days. Matindi talaga  ang veerus na ito....nawawalan ka rin ng common sense at moral values.

I disagree with what Roque said. The right to free speech covers real & juridical persons, not bots and those posing as somebody else. And Facebook, based on information they shared, was able to prove that accounts taken down have no real person owners.

Army Captain Alexandre F. Cabales has been identified as one of the operators of a network of pages taken down by Facebook for “coordinated inauthentic behavior" that targeted activists and legal organizations, according to The Atlantic Council’s DFRLab.

Two more soldiers from the Philippine Army were identified to be among the operators of the fake pages that were taken down by Facebook for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” against activists and legal groups.

AFP chief of staff Gilbert Gapay asked Facebook to restore pages that were taken down for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” against activists and legal groups. 

Gapay specifically sought the restoration of the Hands Off Our Children Facebook page. 

Now, if ever the government will rebutt that Facebook is linked with one of their biggest detractor aside from ABS-CBN, let's look at why Facebook partnered with Rappler,aside from Vera Files, for fact-checking? Because they were the two local organizations certified as fact-checkers through a non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network.

Journalists are not supposed to be the public relations managers of the government. They should report public interest truths regardless of how they make a government official or administration look.

Roque falsely accused Rappler of being anti-government. Though some of thir reports may put the government in a bad light, this is not due to malice on their part but their job as journalists to report critically on government actions.

But we are aware that there are media outfits that do sell their services and share news designed to elevate the personality of certain personalities, just as how they are also paid to spread maliciously damaging stories about others. After all, media outfits are primarily businesses, especially the dying print media that needs to survive amid the popularity of online counterparts.

As someone who once provided legal services to journalists, we should expect Roque to know better. I'm sorry but knowing who he is, his job as a Presidential Spokesperson, and the things he would do just to further his selfish interests, career, and agenda, we shouldn't expect anything good from him.

I already gave up on that since a long time ago. He sold his soul, honor and principle, so i think  there's nothing honorable to expect from him at this time.

To word it all so succinctly and elegantly based on what's happening, "A government that arrests people for posting legitimate criticism in social media has no moral standing to invoke "free speech" to defend its trolls and its inauthentic, coordinated, propaganda machine." Was that a bull's eye!

I'm personally curious if this government will dare ban Facebook, given its extensive propaganda network on the social media platform. Where will the trolls go next?

Can every single owner of the accounts taken down come out and sue facebook for violating their right to free speech? I’m sure that won’t be happening as the accounts are fake and do not represent real individuals.

Stolen profile pictures and images generated by artificial intelligence were used by a Chinese network to hide the nature of its fake accounts, a report from Graphika revealed. This proves the inauthenticity of these accounts which means they are not real persons.

My real concern now is: Are Filipinos intelligent enough to discern between fake and real information online? If we look at what has been happening, I could say "No" only because these  "Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior" proliferators are too widespread and have enough resources and funds to brainwash their targets - the Filipino people.

*Shout-outs or "tweets" gathered from all over social media, specifically Twitter. With special mention to Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

Premier League 20/21: Will anyone be able to overcome Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool?

 

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Another Premier League season started and expectations are high to see how big-six clubs will perform in the 20-21 season. After a year of absolute dominance of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, the old same question pops up when a Premier League side goes head and shoulders ahead of other contesters. Will anyone overcome the reigning champions this season? If yes, who are the clubs up to the task? 

Surely, we have some strong contenders this year and it’s unlikely Liverpool will win yet another PL season with 7 games to go just like they did last season. The first reason why is that we’ve got the likes of Man City and mainly Chelsea splashing the cash to recruit new talents for the upcoming season. 

Mix that with the fact that the Reds have kept the same squad for about three seasons in a row now. It’s more of a double-edged sword for the PL title holders as players can either go for it to establish themselves as a legendary and memorable PL team or have that natural relaxed stance, as they’ve won pretty much everything but minor domestic cups.

Also, unlike most of other English clubs, Klopp and Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, or simply, FSG, are having that sell-to-buy approach with talented academy players such as Harry Wilson and Rhian Brewster expected to leave before deadline day.

However, the German manager seems to have acquired such a “hidden gem” in terms of a player in Spain international Thiago Alcantara. The Spaniard’s addition might play an enormous role in Liverpool’s mission to defend the PL title, as the Anfield Road side will count on a massive improvement in terms of passing.

Even Manchester United legend, Wayne Rooney, has admitted that Liverpool might as well rip it off in the Premier League in case they hired Thiago - which they did days later.

Enough about Liverpool, though. What about the other PL clubs? Will Frank Lampard’s Chelsea be able to do harm? Will Pep Guardiola’s superb Man City squad knock Liverpool off their perch? We rank the big six clubs who could win the English nPremier League this season!

1 - Man City

Let’s begin with last season’s runners-up, Manchester City. Despite losing Leroy Sane to European Champions Bayern Munich, the club managed somehow to avoid a UEFA ban due to allegedly breaking financial fair play rules. Key-players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, and Guardiola himself reportedly said that they would reconsider their Manchester stay in case the club faced the two-year UCL ban.

Fortunately for them, the decision was overturned and their firepower was kept. However, Guardiola’s side’s Achilles heel is still their defense. The team lost solidity since the Vincent Kompany departure and bet on newcomers Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake to restore order at the back.

Kevin De Bruyne is still their maestro and he’s set to win yet another PL’s Player of the Year trophy. 

2 - Chelsea

Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, and Ben Chilwell. It has been quite a busy summer transfer window for the Blues of Stamford Bridge. Led by Frank Lampard, Chelsea have the quest to make a functional collective team out of these absolute ballers. We can say that fans see Havertz as the ideal Eden Hazard replacement and the Germany International seems to have what it takes to go down in history wearing the Blue kit. 

3 - Arsenal

The Gunners have been in great form since the end of last season. From then on, they clinched the FA Cup trophy against London rivals Chelsea, and the Community Shield against Liverpool. The North-London side led by former player Mikel Arteta seem to have used these trophies as a confidence boost-up and will attack the Premier League title. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is gassed up to become the club's heir to legend Thierry Henry and he will probably go for yet another PL Golden Boot this season. 

4 - Tottenham

In a recent online pool, Tottenham Hotspur won the most-supported club in the Philippines award. And quite frankly, the Spurs' success amongst Filipinos is set to be only at the beginning. The Special One, Jose Mourinho, will have his first full season ahead of the Spurs and will count on an attacking trio formed by the likes of Son Heung-Min, Harry Kane, and Gareth Bale. That's right! The Welsh who was snubbed by Zinedine Zidane in Madrid has come back to England and has everything to help Tottenham to go that extra mile. 

The Welshman is experienced in beating Liverpool as he did so in the UCL final against the Reds still wearing the Los Blancos jersey.

5 - Manchester United

With Ole at the wheel, the Red Devils will go again this PL season and will probably aim for yet another top-four spot. I know a top-four spot is frustrating for Man Utd but that doesn't mean they cannot surprise. At least on paper, and based on recent performances, Man Utd will have to rely on Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, and an uninspired Paul Pogba to get somewhere. To have a better chance against other big-six clubs, the club should start having this sense of togetherness instead of desperately getting into the box and trying to get penalties, which seem to be Fernandes' specialty.

Players to watch: 

Here is our list of players to watch in the PL this season: 

1 - Kevin De Bruyne

2 - Thiago Alcantara

3 - Kai Havertz

4 - Gareth Bale

5 - James Rodriguez

6 - Bruno Fernandes

Of course that it can change and, who knows, the 20/21 will have another Leicester City to shock the whole world? Back in the 2015/16 season, when the Foxes won the League, odds were at 5000/1 for anyone who backed the King Power side to win the title. 

Since we brought sports betting up, it should be a good thing to use bitcoin sportsbooks to protect yourself against a possible devaluation of the Philippine peso. Once Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are on a high, plus the whole uncertainty brought by this uncommon situation we're living in, it could be a good thing.

That was our pick for the big six clubs that could dethrone Liverpool this season in the PL. Do you agree with the order? Would you back an underdog side to live a Leicester City fairytale? Leave a comment with your opinion below!