You’ve probably seen it before: a new video from a popular producer of content gets uploaded. The viewcount shoots toward the skies, then, suddenly, it stops, usually right at 301. The “Likes” are still steadily climbing. What the hell is going on?
This is been one of the internet’s greatest mysteries, but finally, someone has asked the right person. YouTube celeb and frothing numbers geek Grady Haran, a.k.a. Numberphile, spoke with Ted Hamilton of YouTube Analytics. Is there are large global conspiracy? Nope, just a simple question of coding and making sure that nobody’s gaming the system. Cool to hear about what happens on the back end. [BuzzFeed]