This old guy is going modern: Now I have my own YouTube channel

I’ve been writing blog entries focused on our Italian adventures and cultural observations for nearly 15 years. In fact, Feb. 6 will mark the 15-year anniversary of my first post. Today I am making post number 627. As of today, I’ve received 997,454 page views, and I should hit the 1 million mark in about a month. That may sound like a lot, but it is nothing compared to the views that YouTube videos receive.

For example, I just learned that the most viewed video has been seen more than 16 billion times. Furthermore, Adele’s “Hello” (whatever that is) reached 1 billion views in fewer than 90 days. So, even though I much more comfortable writing than speaking, I’m going to jump into the video-making business with my own YouTube channel, which I’ve named “Our Tuscan Home.”

I know there are already quite a few video blogs being made about English-speaking people buying and renovating homes in Italy. I’ve watched a few. But YouTube has a huge audience, with more than 71 billion monthly visits, so I think there’s room for one more channel. It’s undisputably true that more people watch videos than read blogs. I also feel that my 25 years of experience in being a foreigner in Italy have given me some insights that some of the newer stranieri are still lacking.

I will continue to write in my blog, although as the newness of living in Italy has worn off, I find fewer things to write about. Most of my days in Italy are uneventful, and I don’t want to bore readers with the minutia of our daily life. Maybe some of the regular readers of my blog will also want a change of pace and watch some of my videos. More likely, having my own video channel will open me up to an entirely new audience. Whatever happens, I will enjoy the challenge of communicating in a new way about one of my favorite topics: Italy and Italian life and culture.

While I’d been considering making videos for the past year or two, my lack of experience in this medium held me back. I actually had made a couple of videos when I was still working as a teacher, but they were incredibly time-consuming. However, I recently stumbled across a YouTube channel made by an old guy like me. After he retired, Larry started making short videos where he would just record himself talking about issues that retirees face. He does no editing, no special effects, no split screens or fancy backgrounds. There are no titles or opening or closing shots. He just stands on his porch or sits in his truck and talks for about 10 minutes. He makes about three videos per week. He started about a year ago, and now he’s made 125 videos of about 10 minutes in length. He admits he has no idea how the YouTube algorithms work, and he doesn’t care much about how they do. He does absolutely no advertising. And he has a shocking 95,000 subscribers and nearly 3.7 million views.

So, yes, Larry has inspired me. We have a lot in common. We’re the same age and have been married for the same amount of time. We both have faces made more for radio than for television. He’s not making videos for money, and my blog has never had advertisements. It’s more of a hobby for both of us. I figure if Larry can attract an audience by just talking on YouTube, maybe I can too. Larry talks about his life as a retiree, and I’ve had many experiences while living in Italy and reading about Italian culture, so I won’t be copying or competing with Larry.

You can watch my debut video here: We bought a house in Tuscany