Google+ is the main driver behind YouTube's new commenting system that will highlight more relevant comments.
For a number of years, YouTube's commenting system has come under much complaints by broadcasters and viewers. Before today's overhaul, comments appeared on YouTube in reverse chronological order, with the most recent posts appearing at the top of the feed. Which for the most of time, lead to irrelevant spam comments with add little to the conversation. Furthermore on popular videos, comments stretched into the thousands making it impossible to read through it.
It is a big change for YouTube, and it might reduce the number of comments. Although it might also make the comments YouTube does receive better, which I believe would be the better outcome.
In an effort to improve YouTube's commenting, an-all new comments system will be rolling out across YouTube in the coming months, powered by Google+. With more relevant comments raising to the top, deep integration into your Google+ circles and better comment moderation.
For a number of years, YouTube's commenting system has come under much complaints by broadcasters and viewers. Before today's overhaul, comments appeared on YouTube in reverse chronological order, with the most recent posts appearing at the top of the feed. Which for the most of time, lead to irrelevant spam comments with add little to the conversation. Furthermore on popular videos, comments stretched into the thousands making it impossible to read through it.
What's New?
The new YouTube comments aims to highlight relevant comments to you personally, with the hope that you will be engaged to continue the conversation. YouTube will achieve this by moving comments to the top of the list from the video’s creator, popular personalities, engaging discussions about the video, and people in your Google+ circles.
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| YouTube Comments, powered by Google+ |
The way you join the conversation has also changed, allowing you to post publicly or privately. Before, any comment you left on a YouTube video was viewable by all. Now, users can start a conversation so that it is seen by everyone on YouTube and Google+, or only by people in your Circles or even a single person.
Finally, comment moderation has been improved to allow broadcasters to review comments before they are published, block certain words or save time by auto-approving comments from certain fans. This should resolve the issue of spam comments which has plagued YouTube for years.
Google+ at the Heart
According to YouTube's Product Manager, Nundu Janakiram, none of this would be possible without Google+. In an interview with The Verge, Janakiram explained that it has been difficult for YouTube to find a solution for its commenting nightmare. Google+ provided the tools to "surface meaningful conversations", by providing the social layer to YouTube comments.
Before Google+, the YouTube team considered using other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to provide a similar social layer, but that would hand some of Google’s most valuable data to its rivals.
Google+ has allowed YouTube to identify meaningful comments for each user, by using their Google+ circles and highlighting active conversations. Essentially, the comments you see may be very different than the comments another person sees. By putting more emphasis on comments which may matter to you more, should encourage you to comment.
A Call for Change
YouTube broadcasters have been calling for change to YouTube's comments for years, since many video creators have found that while there has been a few interesting comments on their videos; majority have been of hatred and spam.
However, while the new comments will resolve this problem for both viewers and creators, it could create further problems for YouTube. Users may be reluctant to create a Google+ profile and tie their YouTube account to it. Since June 2012, YouTube has been encouraging users to merge their Google+ accounts, today we see the fruits of their labour. Although move, could strike a raise in more content being published to Google+.
The redesigned comments will not come to all videos until later this year. From today, you will start seeing the discussion tab of video creators who have linked their accounts to Google+ and enabled discussions on their channel page.
What do you think to YouTube's new commenting? Tell us below in the comments!
Source: The Verge