YouTube testing familiar-looking channel cards with Google+ integration

Google is continuing to bridge the gap between YouTube and Google+ by testing channel information cards - and you can try them out yourself.

Thanks to a tip from the unofficial Google Operating System blog, we can see an interesting new experiment which allows users to view quick information simply by hovering over a link to a channel on YouTube.

Cards tell you who in your circles is subscribed to a channel if you are not.

Strikingly similar to the profile card visible when you move your cursor over a link to a Google+ profile, these channel cards display a channel’s icon, cover art, title, a subscribe button, and other useful information like subscribers who are in your circles. While these cards work for all YouTube channels, if one is connected to a Google+ page or profile, a small button appears in the upper right-hand side which directs you there.

This is convenient not only because it provides quick access to basic channel information, but also to a Google+ page. What’s more, it brings the Google+ and YouTube interfaces even closer together, while keeping them distinctly separate.

A comparison of the YouTube and Google+ cards.

You can try out the new channel cards, which will likely be rolled out to publicly soon, by following these steps:

1. Navigate to http://youtube.com
2. Open your browser’s developer console
• In Chrome or Opera 15, press Ctrl+Shift+J (or Command-Option-J on Mac)
• In Internet Explorer, press F12 and select “Console”
• In Firefox, press Ctrl+Shift+K (or Command-Option-K on Mac)
• In Opera 12, press Ctrl+Shift+I (or Command-Option-I on Mac) and select “Console”
• In Safari, open the Web Inspector with these instructions
3. Paste this code:

document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=0xJL6SMMUyE; path=/; domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload()

     4.  Hit Enter and close the console (refresh the page if it doesn’t automatically)

To remove the experiment, paste this code instead:
document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=; path=/; 

domain=.youtube.com";window.location.reload();

That’s it! The cards should be visible simply by hovering over a channel title or link anywhere on YouTube.

What do you think of the new channel cards? Are there any more features from Google+ you’d like brought over to YouTube, or vice versa? Tell us below!