DAN Responds

[SlugLife]

As a content creator I can tell you that is not true. We don’t get paid for views at all. You get paid by youtube if people watch the ads and click on the ads. And it’s not much money either, it’s pennies. The real way content providers make money is though sponsorships and affiliate links. Dive Talk doesn’t do sponsored videos (at least I have never seen one) and most of their videos are not monetized

They had an Orcatorch sponsorship for a number of videos. I don't remember any other sponsorships or affiliate links, though though I haven't watched everything they've published.

However, everything else is correct to my knowledge, I haven't seen them do anything else to monetize their content.

 

[L13]

Depending upon your location, you should NOT call DAN first. If you can arrange your own transportation by activating the EMS, you should do that. To do otherwise will waste valuable time. Ideally, two calls can be made on the injured divers behalf simultaneously, but do NOT ever assume that when you call DAN they are immediately working with local people to get your transport started.

I have first hand experience with this, when I was assuming that we call DAN first - which we did and I assumed they would start the ball rolling on transport or at least tell me they are NOT doing that while they keep me on the phone asking for superfluous information. Eventually had to hang up, get evacuation request started, then called DAN back. Treatment was consequently delayed and the diver was permanently paralyzed. Not such a good outcome. This is not a minor detail.

Totally agree!

In all our training (rescue diver, first res ponder, etc.) we are taught to call 911, or the local equivalent immediately!

But, as soon as anyone is available to do so, DAN should be called next.

In this case, neither call was made for hours. Given their location, I think driving to the hospital was the best equivalent of calling 911 in this case.

 

[L13]

They had an Orcatorch sponsorship for a number of videos. I don't remember any other sponsorships or affiliate links, though though I haven't watched everything they've published.

However, everything else is correct to my knowledge, I haven't seen them do anything else to monetize their content.

I would bet money that they get money from this:

DiveTalk Edition Eddy Flippers

Ported blade flipper design Spring straps Lightweight for travel Stiff and powerful Close to neutral in water

www.deep6gear.com

And there is nothing wrong with that! (unless they make a video about how another brand of fins almost killed them, which they haven't).

 

[L13]

my reading of the whole incident is that too many people have unrealistic expectations for what DAN covers and can provide for the fees they charge. The dive accident is secondary coverage where they did exactly as advertised by reimbursing for costs. If you want immediate medevac service, go pay for Global Rescue.

DAN also markets that they do immediate medevac, as well as secondary insurance. Their customers should reasonable be able to expect both. And DAN's statement with regard to this incident says that Woody should have receive it from them.

 

[L13]

What he spent on one emergency evacuation is about twice what I make in a year.

How can you afford to live in the US, let alone dive as much as you do on < $4k a year (or <$ 20k if you're include everything he prepaid)?

 

[VikingDives]

However, everything else is correct to my knowledge, I haven't seen them do anything else to monetize their content.

I don't generally watch their videos because I do not like them, but they have over 300k subscribers and are making money from their content. Just a quick skim of their YouTube page shows links to their merch shop, which they host, an affiliate link to Orcatorch, a link to Kit, which allows them to earn affiliate revenue from purchases, their Facebook group where they can mention things like Woody's swim school and their meetups...

I can't be bothered to look at the rest of their stuff, but I think it's pretty naive for anyone to believe they are just making content out of the goodness of their hearts.

They would be foolish if they weren't doing things to make money from their channel, and I don't begrudge them for it.

That is not to say that I endorse what they do, because I think they do more harm than good, but every city has a couple of clowns that you will show up at a party if you pay them. The internet is no different, the clowns are just monetized differently.

 

[cerich]

I would bet money that they get money from this:

DiveTalk Edition Eddy Flippers

Ported blade flipper design Spring straps Lightweight for travel Stiff and powerful Close to neutral in water

www.deep6gear.com

And there is nothing wrong with that! (unless they make a video about how another brand of fins almost killed them, which they haven't).

Yeah they do, in total disclosure, they were diving our FLIPPERS before they were getting any money.

If it helps, Bert our office/warehouse/ops manager hates those flipper sets because it's extra work

 

[Joneill]

How can you afford to live in the US, let alone dive as much as you do on < $4k a year (or <$ 20k if you're include everything he prepaid)?

I was thinking exactly the same thing!

 

[boulderjohn]

Here is an example from my experience with ISO 9000 to show how an individual acting within a system can invalidate the entire system.

When the director of a program in our district was promoted to another position, she immediately contacted her excellent assistant director to tell her and to encourage her to apply for the newly vacated director position. The district's strict protocol was to announce the position and then have a specific period for people to apply. No applications are accepted after that. The HR person then checks each one to be sure everything is complete and the candidate meets the requirements for the job. Then a list of qualified candidates is sent to the hiring committee. Simple. Impossible to screw up, right?

When the former director saw that her former assistant was not on the list of applicants, she called her to ask why she had not applied. The shocked assistant said she had applied within an hour of the position being opened. The former director went to the HR person who handled the applications to see what had happened, and she learned the process that person used to check applications.

1. When the online application arrived, she printed a copy and set it on a spot on her desk.
2. When the next one came, she set it on top of it.
3. Each succeeding application was placed on top of the stack.
4. When the application period ended, she started to process them, starting at the top of the stack and working her way down.
5. When the time allotted for her to process the applications ended, she stopped checking, no matter how many remained to be done. That means the ones who applied first were not processed and could not be considered for the position.

That HR employee, it turned out, had been using that process for all job openings for years. That means that for every job opening for years, the people who applied first were never considered for the position. For most people, that might seem unthinkable, but she saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. There was nothing in the SOPs telling her to do anything differently. Nowhere did it say that every application had to be processed.

 

[Wookie]

Here is an example from my experience with ISO 9000 to show how an individual acting within a system can invalidate the entire system.

When the director of a program in our district was promoted to another position, she immediately contacted her excellent assistant director to tell her and to encourage her to apply for the newly vacated director position. The district's strict protocol was to announce the position and then have a specific period for people to apply. No applications are accepted after that. The HR person then checks each one to be sure everything is complete and the candidate meets the requirements for the job. Then a list of qualified candidates is sent to the hiring committee. Simple. Impossible to screw up, right?

When the former director saw that her former assistant was not on the list of applicants, she called her to ask why she had not applied. The shocked assistant said she had applied within an hour of the position being opened. The former director went to the HR person who handled the applications to see what had happened, and she learned the process that person used to check applications.

1. When the online application arrived, she printed a copy and set it on a spot on her desk.
2. When the next one came, she set it on top of it.
3. Each succeeding application was placed on top of the stack.
4. When the application period ended, she started to process them, starting at the top of the stack and working her way down.
5. When the time allotted for her to process the applications ended, she stopped checking, no matter how many remained to be done. That means the ones who applied first were not processed and could not be considered for the position.

That HR employee, it turned out, had been using that process for all job openings for years. That means that for every job opening for years, the people who applied first were never considered for the position. For most people, that might seem unthinkable, but she saw absolutely nothing wrong with it. There was nothing in the SOPs telling her to do anything differently. Nowhere did it say that every application had to be processed.

Things like this are ubiquitous throughout the admin world.

I specify parts for navy ships.

I am good at what I do, and spend time with drawings and specifications to get define exactly my requirements. I then go to 3 vendors to get quotes to meet exactly the requirements. I put together a package for the buyer including the original drawings, the specification with part numbers, catalog numbers if applicable, the quotes (The buyer cannot use my quotes, they are merely information for who is interested in supplying the parts), and I also get the money set aside in an account to pay for the parts.

I've has a certain request in for 3 months. They buyer went to the ship builder (the most expensive option, and one I never suggested) to request a quote. The ship builder, who knows me personally, sent me the RFQ which contained perhaps 10% of the information I had gathered, none of the catalog numbers, and only a partial listing of the parts needed.

The ship builder will provide a quote for the parts and will win, because the buyer won't bother with all of the legwork I did. I am well compensated to provide the information to the buyer in an effort to save the Navy money. Sigh.