While YouTube is dedicated to providing superior video content from a cohort of creators for its users, the company is also focused on building a healthy community around the same. The platform has always allowed the creator’s fan base to comment and share their views on each video in the comments section. But, these comment section could also be the playground for trolls, cyber bullying, and abuse.
Thus, to curb the same, YouTube is today rolling out an update for its comment section, which puts the creators in charge of the comments posted on their videos. This will give them more control over choosing which comments to highlight prominently at the top of the comments section. Once through, these pinned comments can be used to share important info or increase engagement with fans.
In addition, YouTube is further giving the creator — who uploads content, generates revenues for both — importance in the comments system of the platform as well. Post the global rollout of this update, creator usernames will appear under the comment text in a colored box with a check mark. This (possibly!?) customizable color-coded comments will allow users or fans to easily recognize and engage with content posted by their favorite YouTubers.
YouTube is handing over creators with the ultimate power of showering ‘love’ upon their fan following. This is a simple method to show appreciation towards the fans and people who comment on your videos. It will not only allow you to scroll through all comments on your video but also easily engage with the ones you find interesting. This will be rewarding for the fans who follow your channel updates religiously.
To top it all off, YouTube is finally introducing the power of machine learning and natural language processing in the comments section. The Google-owned video content platform has today also launched a comment review system which is currently in beta.
If the creators choose to opt-in, the algorithm will screen all comments on your video and hold the inappropriate ones aside for review. They’ll then have the power to make the final decision to do what they deem worthy of these comments — approve, hide or report. Since the feature is still in beta, it might segregate some comments that you might see as fit for approval. You just need to approve the same and the system will take that feedback into account and get better at identifying the types of comments to hold for review.
Prior to the launch of these comment moderation updates, YouTube has already started modifying the platform and turning the same into a community centred around creators. The company recently launched ‘YouTube Community’ to allow content creators to communicate with their fans(or audience) using text, GIFs, images and more in real-time on the platform.
YouTube has previously also given creators the power to blacklist words and phrases that need to be held for review before being published in their comments section. It has also launched a feature that allows you to delegate comment moderation to people you entrust with the ability to remove inappropriate public comments from your videos.
