YouTubers React to YouTube’s New Community Feature

September 14, 2016

  • Source: www.youtube.com / Via: www.youtube.com

  •  YouTube has engendered its share of controversy in the past few weeks over its latest rules regarding advertiser-friendliness and de-monetization of videos. Their latest step might help make up some of the trust they lost with many of their prominent creators.  According to TubeFilter, YouTube’s new feature, Community, launched this week. The feature allows users to interact with YouTubers in real time. The new Community tab functions like a social media platform, in that creators and their fans can communicate freely, with comments being listed in reverse chronological order (that is, newest first).  The feature has been created with input from many of YouTube’s most popular creators, including The Vlog Brothers, AsapSCIENCE, The Game Theorists, Karmin, The Key of Awesome, The Kloons, Lily Singh, Peter Hollens, Rosianna Halse Rojas, Sam Tsui, Threadbanger, and VSauce3. YouTubers not on this list, including many top creators, will have access to the feature in coming months, according to YouTube.  In the interest of productivity, YouTube creators will be able to moderate their comments sections, which have no character limits. Creators will also have the ability to post text, images, and videos, as well as soon having the ability to create polls.  The feature is expected to compete with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, each of which has been a platform YouTubers have interacted with their fans in the past. Says John Green in the above video: “YouTube has always thought of itself as being about video, but for many of us, it’s mostly been about community. I’d argue that the best YouTube channels aren’t just shows you lean back and watch, they’re communities you’re a part of.”  Kiley McEvoy, senior product manager for YouTube, posted in the YouTube Creators blog that the site was looking to “give easier, lightweight ways to communicate with fans more often, in between uploads.”  YouTube’s new feature has gotten the creator community talking. Videos on the subject have been uploaded by the likes of Philip DeFranco, The Key of Awesome, Sam Tsui, and ThioJoeTech, with more sure to come.  What do you think? Whose community are you going to interact with? Let us know in the comments or @WhatsTrending on Twitter.