How I rate YouTube videos

I don't rate most of the time. If it is a crash video or someone getting hurt, I don't bather. If it doesn't grab me or is just a one off video I wasn't really looking for I don't bother very often. I typically rate videos when I do a goofy search and get goofy results. I typically only rate videos from people and not from organizations.

There are some rules that I seem to follow most of the time. The truth be told, it is entirely an emotional response to the video. If I feel good or accomplished for watching it, it gets a better rating. If I feel tricked or upset, the rating goes down.

Things that move rating up

• Real people doing real things that ended up getting caught on video.
• Laughing at funny things.
• Happy endings. Nothing makes me want to rate a video with 5 stars like triumph. Someone trying something difficult and then achieving it with a "Hazah!" from the crowd.
  
• I love it when I learn things. I like instructional videos even if all I learn is "I never want to do this." or even if they are boring. Just as long as I learned something.
• Action. Do something that made the time and effort of breaking out the video camera worth it.
  

Things that move rating down

• Rap Music. I don't like rap music much. It is appropriate on some videos. It has to really fit the video though before it will not count against the ratting.
  
• Quality counts.
• Too dark or light or hard to make things out.
• Laughing over the sound.
  
• Bad aspect ratio.
• Mobile phone sound and 1.5 frames a second. Why bother?
  
• Bad zooming. Some people should have their thumb taped to their palm when handed a video camera.
  
• Putting people's lives in danger without good reason.
  
• Laughing at people getting hurt or humiliated. I watch crash videos. I do not like laughing at them or others doing so. If someone is caught with their pants down (it is an expression) and laughs along with the video, I don't have a problem with it.
  
• The video doesn't really match the search.
• Advertisements. I'm glad YouTube and people make a living on the service. I'm not talking about deliberate advertising. I hate being sucked in to a video that I thought was cool and it turned out to be an ad. That pisses me off.
• Aftermath videos. I want the action, not the aftermath of action. Sometimes they teach you something so that is good.
• Talking heads bore me for the most part. Put it in a blog or something. This is why I do not watch Sunday morning talk shows or the evening news. The professionals bore me.
• Shaky camera. I know I'm the worse one at this. Still, it counts.
  

Other things that matter

• People I know typically get better ratings regardless of quality. I like being invited in to their world for a moment.
  
• Filming your response by flipping the camera around is on most every video it seems. I know it is common. I have a hard time with it. Some people are good at it and others are terrible. This action does elicit a response from me good or bad. When someone films themselves laughing at something I didn't think was funny, like someone getting hurt, I want to punch them in the face.
  
• Cute animals or animals being animals. Sometimes this gets to me. It does the job of tugging at my heart strings and other times it just turns me cold. Not sure why.
  

Example:

I'm on vacation this week and I'm up at 5:00 watching YouTube videos for no good reason. I typed in the search words "dirt bike snow" and I got the following video on like the third screen of choices. I had been rating videos all the way along tonight. The vast majority of my ratings had been 3 stars or "eh!' The following video got a full 5 stars because I laughed along with the rider. It looked like fun. Heck, I even left a comment. It is the exception, it violates several of the rules, that proves the rules. Besides ... I want a ride!