July 30, 2023: I haven’t forgotten the need for criminal justice reform and other issues related to the incarcerated and returning citizens. The reality is that I am still working a forty hour job, and providing content for two YouTube channels (https://www.youtube.com/@WayneTDowdy3/about and https://www.youtube.com/@straightfromthepen/about) that I hope you will subscribe to and choose to receive notifications of my latest videos. I do thank you in advance!
Today I spent over two hours reconstructing a previous blog I wrote in hope of inspiring others to Fight for Change (Fight for Change by Wayne T. Dowdy). During the transition/migration from StraightfromthePen.com being hosted on WordPress.com to FastComet.com, a lot of the photos didn’t come with the migration process, or I did something to damage the contents by using a plugin (SMUSH) or other program.
In Fight for Change, several letters I used to support what I wrote failed to appear and were not in my Media Library, so I had to find them in another area of my massive database to update this important blog.
Now that I have a larger audience on social media platforms, especially Quora.com and YouTube, I can push some of my political agendas as time permits. Feel free to contact me if you have a submission you would like for me to consider or a suggestion. Thank you!
Today I experimented with a new app to convert text-to-speech and didn’t succeed at what I planned on doing with it on my YouTube channel, @straightfromthepen, but I did learn how to use the program. I am sharing this audio clip I created from my personal magazine, Essays & More Straight from the Pen, which may be purchased on Amazon.com and from numerous other sources, in paperback or as an eBook. I will include the Amazon.com link after the audio clip I hope you enjoy.
Authority from Essays & More Straight from the Pen
Here is an excerpt from Videos Made At Walmart on https://straightfromthepen.wordpress.com. Ironically, I added the following content to the original post Walmart Videos. After I posted it on the other StraightfromthePen, I decided it was worthy of its own space. Please share! Thank you.
Inflation: Another Name for Corporate Greed
In my opinion, what the world is dealing with now is not some imaginary compilations of numbers labeled as inflation. Being StraightfromthePen, I call it as I see and believe it to be: the problem is Corporate Greed, period!
At the bottom of this post and in my response to a Comment on StraightfromthePen on YouTube, I show Walmart’s gross profit as reported January 31, 2023, as a record $147.57 BILLION US Dollars.
Walmart is only one of the Villains’ driving up our cost of living. My plan is to delve deeper to find some of the others inflating their prices under the guise of “INFLATION” to increase company profits. Follow me on YouTube @StraightfromthePen to see what I find. Thank you!
Supporting Data Walmart Gross Yearly Profit
“Walmart’s 2021 gross yearly profit increased 7.3% from the previous year to $138.84 billion. In 2022, the company’s profits rose by 3.54% to hit $143.75 billion, while annual gross profit for the year ended January 31, 2023, was $147.57 billion, a 2.65% rise from 2022.” BusinessMarketAnalyst.com
The following two charts come from Statista.com and may be a little too technical for the average viewer, who may not want to dig that deep to reach the same conclusion simply shown above.
Shopping at Walmart is a great place for me to make YouTube videos. Two of these three on @straightfromthepen did really well, but neither can compete with the first short I did on @WayneTDowdy, SHORT SHORTS IN WALMART
This is my answer to one of the comments received: “Thanks for the comment. Because of the individual prices of the fruit and quantity one would have to purchase, he or she would actually need more money to buy the items necessary (grapes, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, and apples). “My point is that with so many Americans struggling with paying for the rising food costs, and Walmart ‘s gross profit margin rising each year ($147.57 BILLION reported 01/31/2023, which was an increase of 2.65 percent over 2022’s record $143.75 BILLION), rather than to prey off of their customers with inflated prices, sell food at a lower cost. Thanks again for the comment.” [See below for supporting data.]
TOO EXPENSIVE(originally posted as TOO MUCH FOR TOO LITTLE)
This is the first Short video I did in response to the high prices in stores that many Americans are struggling to pay. I began getting more views with these type of posts beginning with this one:
Maybe this is the niche I need to pursue. Then again, maybe it will be one of the niches I use on my way to becoming a YouTube Star. Whatever the case may be, I am still searching for the video to make that will top the success of Short Shorts in Walmart.
Thanks for helping me achieve that dream by liking and subscribing to my YouTube channels.
Supporting Data Walmart Gross Yearly Profit
“Walmart’s 2021 gross yearly profit increased 7.3% from the previous year to $138.84 billion. In 2022, the company’s profits rose by 3.54% to hit $143.75 billion, while annual gross profit for the year ended January 31, 2023, was $147.57 billion, a 2.65% rise from 2022.” BusinessMarketAnalyst.com
In previous experiments with artificial intelligence, I used BING (Dr. A.I. Bing Redemption – STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN). This time I used a different A.I. service (ChatGPT) but the result was still the same: A.I. Can’t Get It Right, when it answered the question, “Who is Wayne T. Dowdy?” (All search engines contain volumes of information about me, Wayne T. Dowdy, including links to the YouTube videos displayed if searching Wayne T. Dowdy on YouTube.)
Wayne T. Dowdy is a writer, speaker, and advocate for criminal justice reform. He is also a former federal prisoner who served 31 years in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. While in prison, Dowdy became a prolific writer and self-educator, earning a GED, a paralegal certification, and numerous vocational certificates. He also wrote several books and articles, including “Essays & More Straight from the Pen” and “UNKNOWN INNOCENCE: Four Stories of Americans Who Served Time for Crimes They Didn’t Commit.” Since his release from prison in 2019, Dowdy has been actively involved in advocating for criminal justice reform and helping others who are still incarcerated. He has been featured in various media outlets, including The Washington Post and The Marshall Project.
Q. What are some of the vocational certificates that Wayne T. Dowdy earned while in prison?
Wayne T. Dowdy earned several vocational certificates while he was in prison, including:
HVAC Technician: This certificate trained him in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Building Maintenance: This certificate taught him skills related to building maintenance and repair, such as plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry.
Forklift Operator: This certificate trained him in the safe operation of forklifts and other types of heavy machinery.
Computer Technician: This certificate taught him the skills necessary to repair and maintain computer hardware and software.
Business Management: This certificate provided him with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage a business, including accounting, marketing, and human resources.
These vocational certificates helped Dowdy develop a wide range of skills that he could use to support himself and others after his release from prison.
None of the stated “vocational certificates” are correct.
I did serve almost 31-years in federal prison, but not for a non-violent drug offense. Armed band robbery and associated charges are violent offenses.
I like this sentence: “While in prison, Dowdy became a prolific writer and self-educator, earning a GED, a paralegal certification, and numerous vocational certificates.” But it is not true, either. I did not get a GED, as I already had college credits when I began (I did get more while in the last time).
I am knowledgeable in law and helped get someone out of prison; however, I am not a paralegal, even though I did write “Violent Crime Misconception,” parts of which was used by an attorney to get a friend out of prison.
I am the author of Essays & More Straight from the Pen and Unknown Innocence but the latter is not about what A.I. claimed. Find the books on Amazon.com or at your favorite bookstore or eBook distributor.
For more about the activities of Wayne T. Dowdy, check out my other website, WonderfulThingsDone. Be sure to see the Amazon discounts available by clicking on the two banners on the About WonderfulThingsDone page. Thank you!
On YouTube and any other form of social media or writing-related content, the content provider must find an audience to become successful. YouTube offers analytical features for creators to use to determine the content viewers and subscribers like.
Thus comes the title, “Search for Audience” for this short blog post with an embedded YouTube Short (content less than 60-seconds). If you have a preference for the YouTube or blog content on StraightfromthePen, please do not hesitate to express your opinion. (If you DO NOT want any comment or feedback posted publicly, let me know and I won’t approve it for posting on here.)
In the last twenty-eight days, according to the average YOUTUBE SUCCESS rate for new YouTubers, I am beginning to shine, but am still a work-in-process.
I listened to one YouTuber who now earns a six-digit income, who said it took one year to get the first 100 Watch Hours. I feel blessed to have over 100 in the last 28-days on my main channel (@WayneTDowdy).
A.I. Bing Doesn’t Communicate Well
To verify the above statement about “average YOUTUBE SUCCESS rate for new YouTubers,” I decide to use some artificial intelligence to get an actual number, but I didn’t find what I wanted. Here is what BING says:
My Question: average time for new YouTubers to get 100 watch hours Sent message. average time for new YouTubers to get 100 watch hours Searching for: average time for new YouTubers to get 100 watch hours
Searching for: average time for new YouTubers to get 100 watch hours
Generating answers for you…
Hello, this is Bing. I searched the web for your query and found some relevant information.
According to one source1, to apply to the YouTube Partner Program, you’ll need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of Watch Time on your channel. And even then, you need to set up an AdSense account and accept all of YouTube’s terms and conditions to move forward with the application.
Another source2 suggests that choosing a topic for your channel that is not too broad or too narrow, creating engaging content, optimizing your videos for SEO, and collaborating with other creators are some of the strategies that can help you grow your YouTube channel.
A third source3 states that the ideal watch time can vary due to a range of factors like the content type and video length. In general, they take 50-60% as a benchmark. If you get an Average View Duration of 70-80%, the video is performing well.
A fourth source4 provides some mathematical examples of how to reach the 240,000 minutes of Watch Time needed for monetization. For instance, they say that you could make 240 videos at 10 minutes long, with each getting 100 views.
I hope this information helps you with your YouTube goals.
vidiq.com
freecodecamp.org
blusteak.com
zachsnyderproductions.medium.com
At any rate, I feel I am off to a great start. One thing that caught my attention on my channel is that the listed start date is October 31, 2011, which is one of the years I was in federal prison. One of my loved ones must have used YouTube on my behalf and created the channel on that date. February 6, 2023 was the date of the first video posted (private).
In closing, I hope you will bless me by Liking, Subscribing, and Sharing my YouTube channels to help grow the channels, and in doing so, know that you are appreciated and are contributing to a worthy cause. Thank you!
Nope, this isn’t about my now having 1.5 Million views on Quora.com, but I am boasting that I do. Please check out my profile page https://www.quora.com/profile/Wayne-T-Dowdy. This blog is about the YouTube Growth I am experiencing.
Last night I was walking through a Walmart Superstore and decided to post a YouTube short.
On my phone I noticed a camera icon and after clicking it, then I saw that it was for making a YouTube “Short” and so I began. Follow the link to LinkedIn to see what happened and where I hope it goes on my journey as a returning citizen who is making a positive difference in the lives of others: LinkedIn
