Maybe it’s time for SDF to get a YouTube channel

YouTube channel would not really present information in a good way. Plus its probably too much work.
What sdf could really use, though, is what it had 20 years ago. A web resource where all up to date info on PLA would be maintained in an easy to parse way. That too would be a lot of work (still less than a yt channel) but would be more useful.

Totoro said:

YouTube channel would not really present information in a good way. Plus its probably too much work.
What sdf could really use, though, is what it had 20 years ago. A web resource where all up to date info on PLA would be maintained in an easy to parse way. That too would be a lot of work (still less than a yt channel) but would be more useful.

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I have asked for this before, a wikipedia-like resource for Chinese military programs but per PLA-watching standards (what is widely expected to be true, not what we have 100% irrefutable proof that is true as thats extremely difficult when following Chinese mil )

Somewhere where you can show to people and say e.g. "per PLA-watching we think J-20 has X annual production rate".

It's too much work probably but tbh I think it's more of an upfront work and then maintenance should be much easier as updates don't actually happen so often

CaribouTruth said:

I believe its easier to refer to people to read a report than go watch 15 different youtube videos. Easier to vet, easier to avoid sensationalism, easier to avoid "chasing the algorithm" so to speak, more accessible.

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Too much work to be honest. Imo Blitzo's articles in Diplomat are the gold standard. More or less, for important programs you can just read his articles and get a good starting idea of what's going on. It also helps with how he writes, much easier for Western audiences to accept some Chinese mil advancements if they are presented facts in a good way ;p

Slightly tangential, but I would also advocate for "reading lists" with regards to PLA (watching). Something like what Patch had but chosen by SDF and kept somewhat up to date.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LessCredibleDefence/comments/14q1yw0
Different lists could be made to target different levels (beginner, advanced, etc.) of watchers and can include different topics.

If we want the PLA watching community to thrive, such education (especially for beginners/newcomers) will go a long way.

00CuriousObserver said:

If we want the PLA watching community to thrive, such education (especially for beginners/newcomers) will go a long way.

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The mainstream western discourse for current PLA watching:

- PLA filled their missiles with water and used the fuel for hotpot (mistranslation of a idiom)
- Baidi is their 6th gen plane (it's a movie promotion piece)
- PLA regularly overstates their capabilities (almost nothing comes from official channels, all specifications comes from fanboy speculation)

Its basically a fool's errand to attempt to fight against such active disinformation attempts. Look at something like NCD and how it basically destroyed military discourse on Reddit, popularity is detrimental to quality.

Webmaster said:

Its a good idea, something I've thought about as well but who will run it? There is so much happening, collecting and covering all that takes a lot of time and effort.

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@Blitzo or @Deino.

siegecrossbow said:

@Blitzo or @Deino.

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I definitely do not have the energy for that.

Part of the reason why writing my long form pieces every now and then works for me, is I can just write about the actual things which are relevant and interesting rather than trying to cover "everything" to the same degree of competence or detail.

The fact that there is no "schedule" means I'm not on a content mill grind and I think it lets me be more economical and efficient with what I'm actually trying to cover.

It might attract unwanted attention to SDF

The problem with YouTube is that most viewers are only interested in seeing and hearing what they want to see and hear.

It's a source of stimuli for people who want to be told how great their country is and how right they happen to be themselves. Infotainment rather than informed discussion.

So unless you enjoy distorting or outright creating facts for lawlz or clicks, given the effort such an undertaking will likely require, YouTube is probably better left to writers and creators of fiction.

tankphobia said:

The mainstream western discourse for current PLA watching:

- PLA filled their missiles with water and used the fuel for hotpot (mistranslation of a idiom)
- Baidi is their 6th gen plane (it's a movie promotion piece)
- PLA regularly overstates their capabilities (almost nothing comes from official channels, all specifications comes from fanboy speculation)

Its basically a fool's errand to attempt to fight against such active disinformation attempts. Look at something like NCD and how it basically destroyed military discourse on Reddit, popularity is detrimental to quality.

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The point isn't to fight against whatever discourse, but to provide resource for those who are interested in the first place. It's clear that there is a lot of genuine interest in PLA watching despite what you've mentioned.

zyklon said:

The problem with YouTube is that most viewers are only interested in seeing and hearing what they want to see and hear.

It's a source of stimuli for people who want to be told how great their country is and how right they happen to be themselves. Infotainment rather than informed discussion.

So unless you enjoy distorting or outright creating facts for lawlz or clicks, given the effort such an undertaking will likely require, YouTube is probably better left to writers and creators of fiction.

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You actually get the most online views from negative engagements.

Simply presenting bland factual information on the PLA will attract people genuinely interested in PLA watching, and attract even more people coming in to cope and hate because simple actual facts about the PLA would blow their minds and cause a lot of cognitive dissonance.