[logicallee]

Wow, this is probably the most insightful comment I've read in the past 2 years on HN. Thanks.

It is also a giant market opportunity. If there were a video site for tutorials (in every field) that just show what you want and not emphasize "user engagement" (time on site) instead of, "hey what's up youtube justin here and today we're going to take a look at how to (click, snip, tie, step, whatever). Intro music. So last week we looked at something totally unrelated and a lot of you got back to me with a request for how to do this one simple thing. (Montage of comments asking how to do one simple thing.) Well have no fear because Justin is here. All you're going to need is what you put in the search field, and today for this demonstration I'm also going to put in a totally unrelated product from our sponsor in a vaguely related industry. If you want to check out more information check the links below. Okay, let's get started. So, this is what you searched for. Have you ever wondered how to do the thing you searched for? Like this. Okay ready? This. And, there you have it. Now to finish this up I'm going to also go ahead and do this, this, and this, and.. voila. The picture in the thumbnail. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and if you liked this video be sure to tell all your friends. Thanks again to unrelated products for their generous support. Got anything YOU want to see on this channel? Just leave a comment below. And as always, stay beautiful/fantastic/ amazing/smart/awesome/ productive/strong/etc."

I'm not sure what the right micropayment model is for 5 second tutorials but if some video site found it I would put that URL straight into the browser and search there.

[fegu]

Made me chuckle. Spot on. Also why I only go to YouTube as a last resort.

[piyh]

Being able to open up and read the video transcript has saved me hours

[logicallee]

it's weird, because we pay with our attention. Would people "pay" for a 7 second video that shows exactly what they want perfectly clearly, by watching a 30 second advertisement? Maybe yes, maybe no, but those 7 seconds are more valuable than 2 minutes of filler, during which you have to watch the ad anyway. I think there's room for some kind of micropayment for short tutorials (7 seconds) but I think attention (attention to ads, i.e. sitting through one) might not be it.

[jacobush]

That could be the path that got General AI started... :-P

don't know if I'm serious or not.

Let that A.I. figure out tutorials based on what people search for.

[jerrre]

Maybe a site that uses all existing videos on YT, but points directly to the relevant point?