Youtube has changed a lot over the years, not in the least from becoming hugely more popular. Wired spoke with some of the vloggers (video bloggers) who used to be big names in early Youtube:

• The early vlogging ‘celebrities’ (think 100k views or so) describe the experience as being about connecting with people. It was organic, it was personal, and you could reply to videos with videos.
• Early videos were around 9 minutes long, rambled and weren’t edited. A far shout from the smooth, slick vlogging of today.
• Youtube’s inventors got out as soon as possible. “They tried to sell it to dating sites, to eBay, you name it — which I think means they didn’t know what to do with it.” explains Paul, an early vlogger.
• Google’s arrival changed the approach. The focus shifted to profit making, and vlogging became a job first and hobby second. It took a long time for early Youtubers to accept the idea of making money from advertising, for example. As in, plugging products in videos for cash.
• Google has responded, saying that Youtube is still collaborative and a community. It’s just that these days to use the creator space, you need 5,000 subscribers. (The creator spaces are facilities with excellent equipment dotted around the world for use by successful vloggers)

The article is focused on the stories of early vloggers and their stories, as well as a pretty detailed and interesting response from Google. Check it out over here

Source: Wired