So here is what you need to know if you are a video publisher. And if you are someone that shares videos, before you start commenting anywhere just know that now your comments could be visible on YouTube! Read on to find out more!
Changes in YouTube Comments
1). YouTube/Google believes that you should see the “Comments you care about first“. So, the comments at the top of the list will be from people in your “Google+ Circles, creators, and from popular personalities.” – What if I don’t care what popular personalities think, Google?
2). Comments that have many likes and replies will rank highly (hmmm, obvious this will be scammed and spammed).
3). You will be able to choose “Newest First” if you are interested in seeing the most recent comments, which is kind of how it works now.
4). One thing that I think is good is that replies will be threaded and following conversations will be much easier.
5). Publishers, you will now see comments from more places or for those that share, your comment will now be seen from more places! If you post a video/channel on Google+ your comments will appear as comments on YouTube, marked “via Google+”.
6). You will now have more control over comments with comment moderation. “You can report any comment for spam or abuse. If you’re a creator, you can also use comment moderation tools for comments on your videos or your channels.”
7). You will now be able to choose who can see your comment. Typically the default is your comment will be viewable on YouTube by anyone. Now you can have a more private discussion by sharing your comment to specific people or Google+ circles.
8). You can now share your comment as a post on Google+. Again, you can choose who you want to see the comment on Google+. Keep in mind that you comment will be “visible to those on places such as the Google+ profile or page connected to your channel“. You can disable sharing a comment on Google+ by unchecking “Also share on Google+” below your comment before you post it.
9). The ability to use rich text is now an option and could be a freaking nightmare as far as readability…or not. Bold, italics and strickthroughs are now available.
10). This one shocks me, because it is Google. You can now add URLs in your comment and it will show as a link. I am sure it is nofollowed.
11). Comment notifications are now available and you can receive them on both on your computer and your mobile devices.
Need more info?
Google has spelled out all the changes for you here. (Yes, I used “here” for anchor text! Take that Google 😉 It is Friday…
