The internet's Uncle Dave has a great post about a YouTuber named Al who cuts people's grass for free in exchange for making a video about cutting the grass. Like Dave, the videos hit a bit of an ASMR style button in me as well. It takes me back to riding the lawnmower on my grandparent's farm for hours on end, long after I'd cut their grass for the 5th time over the weekend we were visiting.

The cynic in me wants to say this guy is exploiting people in rough situations in exchange for YouTube views. And while that may be somewhat true,

...Al’s personal slogan is “Impact Over Views” and whew, that’s a lot to think about.

What a great mantra for internet "things" that have the potential to crossover into real life. I wouldn't have been able to articulate it nearly as well, but that sums up my process for my own YouTube channel as well. I try to make informative videos that help someone get unstuck with some software related to audio or video on their computer. Whenever I try and chase views or profits, the view counts almost always suck compared to videos I make that scratch an itch for a "how do I..." question.

So I'm writing this blog post to remind myself that wherever possible, create for impact, not for views.