New Videos and Credits

Hello Patreon supporters!

I just sent my latest video off to the editors. Normally it takes them a week or two to edit a video, but this will be my longest one ever (about SUVs and pickup trucks 😬), so it might be a bit longer. We shall see!

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

The last thing I do when I send off a video to the editors is to make the Patreon list for the credits, which is getting to be a problem, so I wanted to open it up to a discussion.

I have been doing credits at the end of my videos for several years now, and I like the idea that my Patreon supporters names are visible, but I'm running into several problems.

First, the list is so big that it's nearly unreadable in the video. And it's taking more of my editors time to compile and format it each month, too.

Second, the credits always bring problems. Sometimes people's names get left out due to glitches at Patreon or human error, and people can get upset about that. 

Also, some people don't realize that the name in the credits is always your name as written in Patreon (so make sure it's how you want it!) but that sometimes ends up with people sharing their real name, that they didn't want to share. And similarly, some people sign up not realizing that their name will be in the credits, and by the time they find out, it's too late to change it! I don't like "doxxing" people!

And finally, the list is generated weeks before a video goes out, so it's guaranteed to be out of date when it launches, which always generates a few messages to me for each video release by people who joined recently and are upset that their name didn't make the "cut".

The real issue here is that by having the credits "burned in" to the video, they can't ever be changed or updated in case a mistake is made, and it's becoming quite a painful process each month as there are now hundreds of names in the credits.

I feel like something needs to change, but I'd like your opinion.
What are your thoughts on this?

I have a few ideas:

1. We could leave it as is. It's painful and time-consuming, but people like it.
2. I could host a constantly-updated list on my website (say, notjustbike.com/supporters) that I refer to in every video. (<-- my preference)
3. I could do away with credits entirely.
4. Credits could be only for Train patrons and above (doesn't really solve any problems except that they're too small)
4. Something you suggest in the comments, below!

For the record, I am not going to change anything about the credits for at least six to twelve months. This is just planning for the future.

My gut feeling is that credits will need to eventually be phased out, but I don't know when or how, so please let me know your comments!

Thanks so much for your support!