The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing given it’s a relatively new brand using a relatively new technology … however it’s not as amazing as thinking that once upon a time, the biro was potentially seen by some as a radical – and commercially pointless – innovation.

Of course part of this shift from “new” to “natural” is the speed in which it has been adopted by the masses … but the one thing that still hasn’t changed is Google’s quest to find a business model that actually works for it.

I know for a fact a huge amount of work has gone into trying to find a solution, however despite some incredibly interesting concepts by some brilliant people, nothing has stuck as of yet.

Whilst Google can absorb and justify its costs, the reality is that as a business – like many hyped digital concepts – it’s a money vampire, however it will continue to see huge amounts of money poured into it because there’s always that hope that one day they can find a way to monetize it’s huge audience … and whilst I am fairly confident they can develop a model that will at the very least, off-set a large proportion of its costs, I doubt it will ever be a truly self funding business.

Of course anything can be justified [see Fallon’s “Gorilla”] … and the fact is Google’s future is not inherently linked to the financial success of Youtube … however I can’t help but feel we’re heading back to the time when anything ‘digital’ was deemed a brilliant investment which we all know is just plain bollocks, because getting a return on your cash requires more than just an ‘ad revenue’ business model or holding out for the IPO.

Haven’t people read Fucked Company yet?

Jeez …

Anyway, this post isn’t about the realities of business … nor is it a reminder that what may appear ‘radical today’ could be part of the mainstream tomorrow [so clients should stop being such scaredy cats whenever something other than bloody television is presented] … it’s the fact that despite all the business issues YouTube may or may not have, the one thing it does offer is a none-stop home for human delusion.

Don’t get me wrong, I know I’ve done my fair share of stupid [thanks Marcus!] however amongst all the Rick Astley and soft porn clips … there lies a sea of weirdness that puts even the people who appear on the early rounds of American Idol/X Factor to shame.

For reasons I really don’t want to go into, I think the best thing to do is introduce you to my latest ‘find’ … a man called David who, for reasons only known to himself, calls himself Gildragon … and before you experience his unique approach to entertainment, you should know he takes himself VERY seriously, as checking out this link demonstrates.

Happy errrrrm, listening.