Andy Hartley | Blogs https://andyhartley.uk/blog Online Sex Education Content Creator en-gb Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:24:05 +0000 Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:24:05 +0000 Return to Making Content https://andyhartley.uk/blog/return-to-making-content Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:24:35 +0000 Andy Hartley https://andyhartley.uk/blog/return-to-making-content I last posted a video on my YouTube channel in February 2022. It actaully did quite well - 400 views when you only have 600 subscribers is a win. There's nothing in that specific video that led me to stop posting to the platform, and I can't put my finger on any other reason other than I just stopped making stuff.

I did have a go at short form content on Instagram and TikTok with the launch of Sex Ed Shorts, and under that banner I have a video of me showing how to do the finger prick STI test that's got half a million views - but again, I just stopped making content.

So what stopped me coming back? I think I thought my content had to be better. It was ... fine, nothing more. The problem was I was a little impatent, and sometimes I didn't want to commit the time - particualrly on a weekly basis - to making the quality of content needed. But there is a solution;

Make less content!

So here we are in February 2024. I've planned this return for about 2 months. I've got myself some new branding (thanks to Evie at Pink Taco Design) and I've got a database of potential videos. Now I just have to make them - but not as often as I used to do.

My plan is simple. Make one high quality YouTube video a month. Well researched, well scripted, well produced. It doesn't have to be Spielburg, but it does have to be good. No more vids written, shot, and edited in 3 hours flat. I'm going to take my time and make it content people want to watch, like, and share. Sound good to you?

So, here we go - back in action.

Andy x ]]> The Problem with Social Media and Sex Positivity https://andyhartley.uk/blog/the-problem-with-social-media-and-sex-positivity Sun, 16 Aug 2020 00:59:35 +0000 Andy Hartley https://andyhartley.uk/blog/the-problem-with-social-media-and-sex-positivity A couple of weeks ago, the fantastic volunteer sex and relationships education organisation Sexplain had their Instagram account suspended with very little explanation. They have been featured in places like The Guardian and Stylist Magazine; partnered with schools, universities, and youth organisations; as well as run an annual event for sex educators to learn and share (which I have attended both times it's been held ... before you know what happened). Their Instagram account is full of positivity, information, and joy, and in no way breaks the community guidelines - however loosely interpreted - not least because even the drawings used in place of real human body parts are hardly what one could call sexual, let alone sexually explicit.

After drawing attention to the account suspension on rival social media platform Twitter - and what must have been dozens, or even hundreds, of items of feedback from individuals in the sex positive community, including yours truly, sent to Instagram telling them they have got this badly wrong - Sexplain finally got their account reinstated a few days later (on National Orgasm Day, no less).

This, unfortunately, is a growing trend on social media platforms. There are many reasons for this, but two stick out to me;
1 - There is an increasing mobilisation of conservative (with a small c) parents against sex positive and other liberal organisations and individuals, who flag social media accounts they find objectionable and then share them with like minded people who do the same.
2 - Governments are taking social media companies to task over "harmful" content on their platforms, resulting in the lowering of the bar for the removal of content or banning of users.

The two together means that some misguided individuals have increased power to get content removed from social media that they don't agree with, and if they group together the more malevolent ones can trick moderation bots into automatically suspending accounts ...

Because governments want social media companies to take down content quickly when it's brought to their attention, they operate automatic moderation tools where if an account or post is reported enough times within a short period, that content is made unavailable on the platform without human interaction. This is a good thing in the main. With the sheer amount of content uploaded to social media every second, the platform cannot possibly review everything, and nor do they want to because that would make them liable for everything published however long it was visible for. The problem is the system can be gamed by big enough groups of people trying to disrupt what they see as the destruction of society as they know it.

Caught in the crossfire are these great sex positive organisations, and when that happens they almost always get reinstated, but imagine if you were an individual who produces sex positive content and you relied on social media to communicate with your audience, and maybe you've just made it your job! Just in the last month I've seen two sex positive people and educators I follow receive warnings for "sexually explicit material" on Instagram, and the offending posts removed. One recently went freelance, so although this a minor issue on its own, there are potential problems coming further down the line if more posts are flagged in this way.

This is a problem that needs solving. Whilst I would always advise anyone trying to make a living out of social media to avoid keeping all their eggs in one basket, inevitably there will be a platform that resonates more with their audience than others. Living with the threat of that platform deleting your account permanently is troubling. To be fair to social media companies, it's hard being a moral arbiter for something so subjective - however much you and I think it's clear what is right and wrong - and if humans make errors, what chance have the computers got?

For now at least, all of us in the sex positive community have to walk the tightrope of continuing to use social media to get our message out, but also not have everything we've got come crashing down because of stepping over a line that keeps being moved by governments and others, depending on where the moral tide is at the moment. The following saying seems to be appropriate here;

Be good, and if you can't be good, be lucky!

Andy x ]]> I'm Giving Away Posters! https://andyhartley.uk/blog/im-giving-away-posters Mon, 27 Jul 2020 02:46:02 +0000 Andy Hartley https://andyhartley.uk/blog/im-giving-away-posters Sign up to my monthly newsletter, and you will be able to claim a free "Consent is a willing and enthusiastic yes!" poster, while stocks last.

A couple of years ago I made an impulse decision to get these made due to a special offer that I came across with the intention of selling them as merch. You might even have seen it hanging up in the background of my videos at the time. That plan went by the wayside, so I'm giving them away.

In the newsletter itself there will be; 

  • My thoughts on recent sex ed news and developments.
  • Articles and videos that I've found that might interest you.
  • The latest info on what I'm planning in the future.
  • And highlights of my content that you may have missed.

Details of how to claim the poster will be in the first newsletter in August. Your postal address details will not be used for anything other than sending you the poster, and records will be deleted once the posters have been sent.

For people based in the UK who sign up you will get the poster sent to you for free! For those outside the UK, there may be a small charge for postage, depending on location, which I'll work out for you when you order your poster, but it will be no more than the cost of sending the poster to you.

I only have 40 posters available to giveaway, and they can be claimed on a first come first served basis. The poster is roughly A3 size, and the frame is not included (sorry).

You can signup to the newsletter here. By the way, you can still signup if you want to get the newsletter but don't want to claim the poster.

Andy x
]]> Welcome to My New Website https://andyhartley.uk/blog/welcome-to-my-new-website Sun, 19 Jul 2020 17:44:58 +0000 Andy Hartley https://andyhartley.uk/blog/welcome-to-my-new-website Welcome to my brand new website - so new it's still got the new carpet smell and the paint is still wet. I may be a sex educator online, but the job I do Monday to Friday, and that actually pays me some money, is as a web developer. Over the last few weeks I've been learning a new system and solving new problems which will help in my professional career as well as my personal projects - because there's always something new to learn in web development.

I built this website partly as a place where I can write blog posts, not only about sex education, but as an outlet for things that don't always fit on my YouTube channel. I was a regular blogger when I was a student (that blog is so old it's actually been completely wiped from the Internet) but the approximately 5 people who read my posts didn't miss it when I stopped.

A blog allows for much more nuance than social media - particularly Twitter - and time to form an argument and present evidence. It's different from video because you can go into (sometimes unnecessary) detail because the reader can skip over it easily if they want. It's also simpler to produce than video as it just requires some time to write it, a bit of editing here and there, and you can even add to it after publication. Videos take time to plan, film, edit, and publish, and once it's out there that's it unless you do a re-record and replace it in its entirity.

This website will also be home to things like giveaways, and signing up to my regular newsletter which I'm launching ... more info in another blog post ... and provide a shop front for all my content. I can also add new things over time, if I can think of anything! I think the paint is almost dry now, so I think I'll leave this blog post here.

Do let me know if you like the website, and thanks for dropping by.

Andy x ]]>