Thank You

[FML|Mage]

Today something happened that I suspect isn't a big deal for most people.  Hell, some people manage this in a single day.  What I'm talking about is that we've gained 300 subscribers on YouTube!  While this is not a big number in the overall scheme of things, it means a lot to FML as well as me personally.  The WarCraft III community is not a huge one, though I think we've continued to prove it is a dedicated one, and to have so many people regularly want to listen to me, Purebe, Soso, Maga, etc prattle on for hours at a time is somewhat hard to comprehend.  Our average video time is around an hour, that's almost 4% of a day! 

I'd also like to think that we've come a long way in terms of production value.  Our very first shoutcast on the channel can be found below.  I'm not embedding it purely for the comedic value (though there certainly is some to be found), but also as a reminder of how awesome the community is.  If I randomly saw that I suspect I'd never watch anything by the creators of that again.  Instead most people were supportive and gave suggestions on how to improve.  Following that video I've embedded one of our newer videos.  While I wouldn't call it perfect by any means, I think it's safe to say we've come a long way.

Thanks to YouTube, we also have some pretty cool analytic tools at our disposal.  Below are some of the more notable ones.

Minutes watched - 509,795.  This is the equivalent of 354 Days and 35 minutes.  You love-able bastards have really spent almost a full year watching our content.  That's unbelievable.

1255 Likes, 6 Dislikes.  Now, certainly no need to go start spamming that dislike button =D  However, again I'm blown away by the overall positive attitude the community has taken.  I've never really thought of the gaming culture as a supportive one, but I can say without a doubt that the FML family is.

Videos over 1k views - 2.  However we have several others that are getting very close, and I hope the next time we have occasion for one of these writeups that this stat in particular will be quite a bit higher.

Views - 35,128.  A surprisingly small number for the amount of time watched.  This means that the average view accounts for 14 minutes of view time.  This might not seem like a lot, but given that some of these views are people clicking and moving on after watching for a few seconds, or are for the trailers this is huge.

Comments - 485.  Now, this is by no means a bad amount, however it's something I want to work on increasing as we go forward.  And I don't mean with negative comments haha.  However, it's absolutely wonderful to get feedback on what we're doing right, what we're doing wrong.  Even if it's just dropping a line to say you enjoyed it we love to hear from the audience as you all are the reason that we're doing it!

Now, that brings us onto the other platform where we've been doing very well recently.  Twitch.TV!  A large part of the reason we're doing so well is the wonderful zTsoso who has been streaming up a storm and gaining followers all the time. 

We currently have ~360 followers on Twitch (site isn't working properly so can't grab the exact number at the moment) and 28,700 views.  First I'll say that's an incredible amount of followers for the limited number of views that we have.  I hope that I can say with confidence that it's because we are producing quality content and people want to come back and watch it again and again!  Second I'll say that the number of views we have is ridiculously low, and I'll take the blame for that.  Twitch is a different beast from YouTube and until recently I've been treating them pretty much the same.  On YouTube I can get away with just uploading videos now and then (though it works better when they're constantly coming), however to really build up a Twitch fan base you have to be consistently streaming, and it needs to be for extended periods of time.

So I'm hoping to fix this, but I know that I'm not going to be able to do it on my own.  Instead the plan is to recruit the players from the community as an opportunity to entertain the community while showcasing their skills on a prominent platform.  Renaud was the first to take up the idea, but real life has interfered with his time (a terrible excuse I think).  zTsoso was the next to take up streaming his playing, and has done a fantastic job.  Easily able to pull in 50+ viewers while streaming his games, he's gained countless followers for the channel.  Junkerz, Alien, and Maga have all shown interest in streaming on the channel as well and we welcome their additions!  The more streamers the better, so if you're interested in streaming on the FML account shoot me a PM. 

Our last platform is one that's struggling quite a bit more.  This may just be due to the nature of it, however our Facebook Page still hasn't hit 100 followers.  I won't say this is a huge shock, however it's something we do want to improve upon because it's a valuable tool for getting information out there!  If you have any suggestions on improving it then please let us know in the comments. 

Lastly, we have started a fundraising project for FML.  Proceeds from this will go towards server/bot costs, organizing events, and improving the quality of our productions.  More information can be found out on our Patreon Page.

I've been rambling on long enough now though I think, so I'll just wrap this up but coming full circle to how I started it and saying simply this; Thank You.  Thank you to each and every one of you who has watched our videos.  Thank you to each and every one of you who has played in the league.  Thank you to each and every one of you who visits this site and makes the community as wonderful as it is today.  And thank you to all those who have helped us along the way.  The list of people who have contributed in some way or another is too long to be personally addressed, however you all know who you are so know that we appreciate it. 

YouTube | Facebook | Twitch.TV | Patreon

[zTsoso]

Honestly Mage, I think we should be thanking you Mage for all your admin work with the ffamastersleague, as well as your dedication to create interest in ffa and FML, including casting videos of tournaments and video editing.

I am grateful that you presented me with the opportunity to stream on the ffamastersleague channel. It has sparked my interest in streaming/casting and attracting an audience to the ffa community. Hope to do more casting & streaming in the future and bring good games, since that seems to attract a lot of viewers.

I enjoy inhouse games, custom games and FML mostly, and am therefore happy to contribute/share my passion to other ppl who like wc3.

[AlienWareOwnZ]

Im with soso on this one, thanks mage!

You put in a lot of work around here for FML and we should all be appreciative of that. It is pretty clear your work has paid off in many ways with youtube/twitch etc..

And I will be able to stream for you if it's the last thing I do!

[FML|Mage]

Haha well let's just hope it's not the last thing you ever do Alien.  And thanks guys, I'm just happy that people enjoy the content!