Rebooting My YouTube Channel

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
04/09/2018 at 20:19 • Filed to: YouTube

I haven’t touched my YouTube channel in years. My latest video is my transition story video with all of like what, 600-some views? At any rate, my idea of turning myself into a massive car media powerhouse didn’t really work out.

For some nostalgia, here is my most current (long before transition) channel introduction video. Holy crap I sounded so very different back then!

It’s sad because I’m one of the original YouTubers, I joined only a year after it was launched. I lied about my age to get in on it. I was one of the first people to be granted unlimited length videos several years ago. As an inaugural unlimited video, I posted two full length Top Gear Specials. They got something like 8m combined views before the BBC shot them down.

But I’m not done yet, I still have ideas. Instead of trying to be the next Jay Leno-type, I’ll stick to my own wheelhouse. I’m going to be trying my best to make a video Haynes Manual for smarts, starting with that convertible 450 I just bought.

On the side I’ll be doing computer/phone build videos, FSX videos, and some transgender stuff too.

And as I fall deeper into the aviation rabbit hole, who knows, maybe I’ll end up becoming something like AirForceProud95 or something. lol

I have to thank the lovely Mister GMC for motivating me to do this. Seeing his channel was such an inspiration. I’ve been so afraid to to return to YouTube, but this time I think I’m going to make something nice out of it.

I started with some house cleaning. I deleted 41 videos, changed my name, and updated most of my channel’s info. I still have some stuff left to do before I reintroduce myself.

DISCUSSION (27)

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 20:34

Just know that you have Oppo by your side. That’s gotta be a good amount of views, amirite?

Chariotoflove > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 20:35

Hard to be a massive car powerhouse when your cars are neither massive nor powerhouses.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 20:50

God I remember when it was so easy to become a big deal on YouTube.

My old channel had nearly 10k subscribers (big deal for a 9th grader in 2009) and I tried rebooting myself into a more serious channel a few years ago under my new handle and it’s been so hard getting off the ground. But it’s not impossible, who knows? You may be the next Tyler Hoover or Petrolicious.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 21:42

Good luck my good oppo!

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 21:46

I gotta say, you’re bad ass. Super brave, super cool. Bravo.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Mercedes Streeter
04/09/2018 at 22:35

Become the greatest resource for everything smart car and Uhaul related on Youtube. Become the hero we never asked for, but needed.

Teh Penguin of Doom > Mercedes Streeter
04/10/2018 at 00:48

If you’re going to do a DIY/tech channel, get a tripod and a real microphone and you’ll be ahead of 99% of car YouTubers. I wish there were DIY car videos that used a tripod. A tripod costs like $20 on Amazon! And a real microphone. And decent lighting. I remember your computer/IT-related posts, so a tech channel would be right in your wheelhouse. If you’re not experienced, even better, because most people looking for advice aren’t experienced either. And if you’re a woman who knows how to fix her own car (gasp gasp gasp), even more betterer.

Teh Penguin of Doom > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
04/10/2018 at 00:49

You may be the next Tyler Hoover

Would not wish upon anybody.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Teh Penguin of Doom
04/10/2018 at 12:05

Are you implying you wouldn’t love a garage full of junk?

Mercedes Streeter > Teh Penguin of Doom
04/10/2018 at 13:03

Oh but of course! Nobody likes shaky phone cam footage that doesn’t even focus on the subject because one cannot hold the phone and do the thing at the same time. lol

I think the whole “woman tech person” and “woman car person” aspects may help, especially since I enjoy wearing dresses and YouTube viewers are YouTube viewers..

Mercedes Streeter > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
04/10/2018 at 13:04

I don’t even intend on becoming big. YouTube has always been a smaller hobby of mine and it’ll remain that way today, just a lot less...uh...crappy? lol

Mercedes Streeter > Chariotoflove
04/10/2018 at 13:04

But but...damn...you win.

Mercedes Streeter > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
04/10/2018 at 13:06

**Gasp!** I forgot about U-Haul stuff! I love how a good chunk of my Instagram followers are smart dealerships, IT personalities, moving companies, and a popular concert venue.

Mercedes Streeter > HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute
04/10/2018 at 13:06

Kinja in general has been pretty good for my diary, that’s part of why I’m still here after so many years!

Mercedes Streeter > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
04/10/2018 at 13:07

Danke! That comment made my morning today! :)

Chariotoflove > Mercedes Streeter
04/10/2018 at 14:52

Actually, maybe you win. You can corner the market on Smart-oriented Youtube content. My daughter suggested that I could have a channel that deals with motoring from a wheelchair perspective. If I had time and energy to start a channel, I might have tried it. You play to your strengths.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Mercedes Streeter
04/11/2018 at 01:20

Question for you, since you know how to internet. does anything on kinja belong to kinja. Not overly concerned that there is a record of my opinions about cars. I’m about 80% water, 3% dirt and 17% opinions on cars. by volume. But if a fella were to try and string together his ramblings into some thing more structured, would doing it on kinja mean it belongs to kinja?

Teh Penguin of Doom > Mercedes Streeter
04/11/2018 at 08:02

Not sure how well you can wrench in a dress, but that’ll be your problem to crack.

I do think most Smart owners are women, and perhaps they’re not fond of the Mercedes dealership labor charges. You may want to do video versions of some of the written tutorials on benzworld.

MatisyahuSerious > Mercedes Streeter
04/11/2018 at 14:45

unrelated, but i am in Vegas and had to take some pics of this for you:

Kinja'd!!!

let me know if you want me to put in some sort of proxy offer for you, to get it in the collection.

Mercedes Streeter > MatisyahuSerious
04/11/2018 at 14:48

I NEED IT! I don’t have any monies for it though, maaaaybe they’ll donate it to my museum for publicity purposes! :D

MatisyahuSerious > Mercedes Streeter
04/11/2018 at 15:02

i’ll ask - the worst they can do is say no!

GeekGirlKatie > Mercedes Streeter
04/12/2018 at 19:22

You now have a subscriber to your channel!

I’ve thought about bringing my channel back after it’s sat for over 3 years since my last video was uploaded. Mine was all transition related stuff but i’m like you and want to convert it to more of a car/ geek information type channel. I’ve got over 1,000 subscribers which would help some with getting things rolling again but not sure if I should just scrap it and start 100% fresh. Maybe have it where I have guest hosts who visit and such.

What do you think?

Mercedes Streeter > GeekGirlKatie
04/12/2018 at 19:53

Omg you had me sold with “guest hosts!!!” Do it! <3

My new boyfriend has a whole sci-fi/fantasy series going on. One thing that makes me giggle is that he didn’t come out to his channel, so his fans all have these crazy theories about who he is and whether he’s trans or not.

Honestly, I’d say whether you nuke the channel or not is up to you based on how you feel about your old videos and yourself from 3 years ago.

For me, my channel holds a lot of sentimental value. I also have that desire to document what’s happened throughout my life. It’s why I haven’t deleted a single pre-transition photo from Facebook.

In the end, I just decided to delete my least favourite and least watched videos. I’ll then rebrand myself and move on from there. :)

GeekGirlKatie > Mercedes Streeter
04/13/2018 at 08:44

I thought about it more last night and the guest host thing will definitely happen!

I don’t know if you ever saw my YouTube channel or not but it’s 100% all transition related with some videos with over 100,000 views. I think I may just let it sit the way it is and make a whole new channel from scratch.

When I transitioned I kept nothing from my past online. I deleted everything related to who I was before including forum accounts and posts. I did a full wipe of my old self.

Mercedes Streeter > GeekGirlKatie
04/13/2018 at 11:07

Yes!! Now that would give your channel something special! :)

I have seen some videos from your channel! But yeah, you’re right on it being 100% transition stuff. Reconsidering, I think starting from scratch would be a good idea since your new channel would be about something entirely different.

My first ex since starting transition (Miss Tesla) did the delete everything thing, too. There are some days where I feel like doing something like that - fully disconnecting myself from who I used to be and being at least a little more stealth - though I guess that comes at odds with my desire to have an open diary. A lot of people have told me that they like that blunt openness about my life, so it makes me feel a bit better about keeping it. lol

GeekGirlKatie > Mercedes Streeter
04/13/2018 at 13:20

If you are ever in or around Charlotte, NC just let me know and we can work together on a YouTube video.

As you know that living in stealth has it’s up’s and down’s. The major down side is that it’s extremely stressful at times, yet people will say “you are exaggerating because its all in your head making things stressful”. People who say that need a swift kick to the head! Another down side being people in the LGBT community not taking you seriously when it comes to your opinion or they consider you to be selfish for living stealth.

Mercedes Streeter > GeekGirlKatie
04/13/2018 at 14:09

I am so in! Honestly, I could make the trip down any weekend. :) It’s only an 11 hour drive and I like having an excuse to take a multi-state road trip.

My experience with being stealth sadly does mirror that. I’m extremely publicly trans in certain areas in life, stealth in others. Generally anywhere my career and/or safety are in question would qualify for being stealth.

After getting booted out of two companies for what I’m sure was being trans, I decided that I’d be 110% stealth in the next company I’d work for. The next company helped me out big time in that. At first, only HR and my supers knew what my legal name was. Everyone else just saw me as an eccentric lady that likes smart cars. It was awesome...sorta. While it was nice not having everyone know me as being trans, I was constantly terrified that someone would find out.

It wasn’t even worth it either. In the first week I’ve been employed here, my trainer asked “are you trans?” Which wow, I hadn’t ever been asked that before. But, because I’m open, I answered yes...that was a mistake...

In the two years I’ve been here now, his mere existence has been my nightmare. He’s a chaser that’s oh so eager to cheat on his wife to fulfill that fantasy of sleeping with a “trap” (me, I guess). He’s also immensely powerful and popular (hence people don’t believe me when I bring up his sexual harassment), so I have a feeling reporting him would be a career-ending mistake.

Instead, I’ve just decided to do a peaceful “notice” at my desk. My bestie made me this mug that I proudly display on my desk. Between this, #MeToo, and just the fact that I’ve been ignoring him, he’s actually been leaving me alone.

Kinja'd!!!

Another down side being people in the LGBT community not taking you seriously when it comes to your opinion or they consider you to be selfish for living stealth.

Sadly, this is another unfortunate example of how the community can and often is toxic. I am surprised at how transphobic non-”T” members of the LGBTQ community can be...yet they can get away with it because they’re a part of the community.