A
male
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:My wife suggested to me a new project we should take on as a couple; I've nothing against "new project for couples" as a goal, but this specific one I have worries about.Me and my wife have always been into financial matters; we're no Scrooges, but we do read the financial websites and things like RedFlagDeals and watch CNBC etc. and financial news.It's not our only passion (we've got cookery, and would have done travel had it not been for this pandemic, and my wife's into glamour photography and modelling; she's equally as good on the other side, taking photos as she is modelling).My wife wants us to run a TikTok channel discussing financial issues, Redflagdeals discounts, buying a used car etc. and scams as topics of discussion in a way that makes it interesting for the audience in an easy-to-understand manner and she thinks it'll be good for our relationship.She told me "darker and edgier, more serious tone" is the tone she's aiming for; it's a serious topic so you can't joke about retirement or financial stuff or redflagdeals discounts.I'm worried because I think the TikTok audience won't appreciate it and there's been controversies over TikTok's security.She told me she's seen how Holly H on TikTok (a British celebrity) has 16.5million fans and that she was inspired by her.My wife said it's not about the likes but about trying something new.But in reality, would people find a financial/used car review TikTok something that alienates the audience who visit that site?Admittedly, I don't know that much about TikTok or vlogging, and my wife doesn't. She does know about marketing and public relations to a degree, but her knowledge on it's a little bit rusty since she had a career change in being in PR for a hospital locally, then changing career again in April 2019 to work as a freelancer (she can't entirely work from home for this).We haven't had any major argument that's a blow-out over this (I.e. us screaming at each other), and yes, while we do have disagreements, they've mostly been over trivial/inconsequential things; we're generally on the same page for issues like finances, retirement etc. and wanting to be child-free (being Uncle John and Auntie Jenna, not our real names, just pseudonyms for here is enough), while not 1:1, it's close enough.My worry is that this new passion project could be problematic for a number of reasons and my wife's not really fully understanding TikTok; while she understands the technical side of things there, it's a case of less so for the social media side of it (but I'm guilty of that too).I'd welcome any advice as she's said to me she wants to do this but doesn't know where to get advice. Reply to this Question
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Fancy yourself as an agony aunt? Add your answer to this question! A
female
reader, Honeypie  +, writes (22 February 2021):
 As long as she doesn't suggest giving up your jobs until you have a "tik tok" channel that is VIABLE I don't see the issue with giving it a try.
However, Tik Tok is being banned in many countries so there isn't a whole lot of "security" in a job like that. Youtubers have seen revenue go down too. And then add cancel culture. WHAT if you two say something that SOUNDS political and not pro-whatever?
In general I feel people wanting to make a living doing "that" using themselves as a "brand" per se, are so often self-absorbed and self-centered. They try and set themselves up as some kind of oracle or guru and I find that gross.
But I have seen MANY artists - people who actually CREATE stuff - taking the time to TEACH others (on YouTube) as a welcome addition to the Internet. I like learning new stuff, WHO doesn't!? It's easy to get down a rabbit-hole of, I don't know, resin pouring... even if it's something you'd never want to do. Watching CREATIVE people can be a joy.
Would I watch someone discuss financial issues? It depends, in general I think I would seek financial help from a PERSON in PERSON. But I might not be your target audience.
I think it could be beneficial to do some research into HOW you build on that platform, before you invest too much time and money into it.
41% if tik-tok users are 16-24. So probably NOT (yet) so into listening to retirement info. but there is (supposedly) a growing number of adults getting into tik-tok too.
All I know about tik-tok is the dumb videos my kids like to show me and laugh about. and the scams associated with the platform. That is it.
Do some research. Try it out, give it x amount of months and if it doesn't work out, at least you tried.
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