In Conclusion

The (brief) story of what happened to Smarter Home Life: At some point during 2018, YouTube’s algorithm began de-prioritizing or de-emphasizing new videos released by Smarter Home Life. Several “glitches” in traffic were noticed in 2018 on certain "feature" videos that should have performed far better than they did, but they deemed as anomalies and production proceeded normally. In January 2019, our CES content (two videos) received less than 15,000 views combined. This was far less than our original CES content from 2015, and orders of magnitude less than recent CES releases. When YouTube’s support staff were questioned about this enormous drop in traffic, they responded with “everything looks fine, just keep uploading more great stuff!” Smarter Home Life’s videos never really “went viral”, and I never made much money from YouTube. (Maybe a small car payment per month...and only in later years...definitely not a living!) It was only the combination of YouTube, Amazon affiliate sales, donations from viewers, and a lot of outside consulting work (powered by some of the channel’s influence) that allowed me (Joe) to make a meager living. (I mean, come on, I lived in a tiny home and gave up my car lol) I never intended to be a “YouTube Star” and never really trusted the platform. I guess my instincts were eventually proven right. In 2019, I could not, in good conscious, keep making videos and “hope for the best”, as time is money when you work for yourself. Early 2019 nearly caused a financial calamity for me personally due to a few things colliding all at once, and that combined with watching other smart home channels (launched after SHL) rack up millions more views and quickly surpass Smarter Home Life's subscriber base. I became involved in the smart home world in 1992, while a sophomore in high school, and created highly advanced smart homes through the years with the affordable technologies of the time. My career has been on both the technical and creative fronts, from being in IT to running a small digital agency to an entire video podcast network. That's why Smarter Home Life looked and sounded so good, from nearly the start. It was important to me, and personal, and I didn't get in it for monetary benefit. (I did quit my job / previous career in the middle of the show, but not because I was going to be "the smart home guy".) Friends and colleagues suggested I should "teach the smart home" for years, and I decided to create the show near the end of 2013. You should watch all the content from various channels to get well-rounded knowledge, but remember that experience does matter. After you build something from scratch, investing so much time and energy into it, it's incredibly painful to watch it be invisibly pulled right out from underneath you and have zero recourse to fix it. And even more painful to watch others, who did get into this for monetary purposes, be given priority by the algorithm and tremendous success that I never achieved. Let me say this, and let it sink in: I did everything right, and still lost. I have tried to make a video on this topic, and nearly two years after I basically decided to abandon my efforts, I still cannot discuss it on camera or make any new smart home content. There was even going to be a "finale" called Smarter Home Life: Revealed, detailing every aspect of the "tiny smart home", its tech, lighting, design, and behind-the-scenes of the show. The footage still exists, but for now its on indefinite hold. Every time I try to work on it, I stop before really getting started. YouTube is incredibly broken, and I hope this my story helps any future YouTubers carefully consider how they'll use the platform. Don't ever trust it completely. If it is going to continue to be the major media entity that it is, and offer the "carrot" of "becoming a star" and potentially making gobs and gobs of money for creators, then its processes and algorithms need to be transparent, and fair. Or, it needs to be regulated to create better opportunities for all. I'm lucky that my efforts in 2019 to "right the ship" and rejoin the workforce were successful, as I don't know how I would have survived 2020 without full-time employment. I now work in marketing and communications for a wonderful organization, and am incredibly lucky to be where I am. Smarter Home Life being "on the resume" was definitely a benefit. Thank you to the audience, supporters, and friends that have been made from Smarter Home Life. It was an incredible experience, one that I would repeat--but maybe with some changes. As for my final thoughts on the smart home, I feel that, for as many gadgets as the last decade has produced, it is collectively somewhat of a disappointment. Maybe one day the industry will get it right, but in short, I think it’s still too difficult for the everyman. Be well, and make your home as “smart” or as “dumb” as you like, and don’t forget to have some fun along the way. Joe Dugandzic