YouTube: Google+ Strikes Back

Ever since Google Plus had been introduced in 2011, it's tried to become the next Facebook. Early February 2012 statistics state that whilst Facebook had the average user spending 7.5 hours on Facebook per month, Google Plus only had users spending 3.3 minutes per month (CNN, 2012).

Most like due to their unsuccessful attempt at becoming the next best social network, as of November the 6th 2013 YouTube, a video website owned by Google that has more than 1 billion hits per month (YouTube, 2013), has practically forced it's users to become apart of Google Plus.

How have they done this?

Since YouTube, as well as being a video website, also has a social community where users can leave comments on peoples videos, like and dislike videos, send private messages and even comment publically on other peoples profiles; they know that their community wants to do this and have now required their users to link their account to Google plus (zdnet, 2013).

This hasn't gone down well. Just look at the dislike to like ratio.

Fig 4. Screen captured "Meet the new YouTube comments" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGp8Z8Yb28

This has caused not only an outrage in the YouTube community, but even Jawed Karim, YouTube's original co-founder writing "Why the f*ck do I need a Google+ account to comment on a video?" on his YouTube channel. Not only this, but has changed his video-preview-thumbnail profile picture to one of which stresses his point more so reading "Google+ Sucks".

Fig 5&6. Both: screen captured from his youtube channel jawed http://www.youtube.com/user/jawed

The change has also meant that when linking your YouTube account to your Google Plus, your first and surnames will replace your YouTube usernames, meaning less privacy for all. In fact the only thing a username would do, would be in the URL as an easy way to access ones YouTube channel.

Eventually, just before Google plus did force everyone to link their accounts to Google plus on the 6th of November, YouTube introduced Google pages, a way for users to finally display their original username on comments instead of their personal private names (support.Google, 2013).

This however, from experience, now means that if you originally had a Google Plus account, and are one who wants to keep your personal name private on such a site, you'll now have two YouTube accounts. One with your personal name, which you do not use and one with your Google pages name which you'd preferably use.

Fig 7. Switch to Google+ page identity https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2897336?hl=en

From the picture above we can see that either the user can use it as their Google+ account, Clark Kent. Choose a "better" name with Google Pages, or "Keep" their YouTube username, where they'll have to use Google Pages for that too!

So whichever choice you make, you're forced to connect your YouTube account with Google.

This also means due to way their database works, you cannot reply to YouTube comments prior to the Google+ integration as of 6th of November 2013.

Personally, I'm not too fussed with the way Google Plus' integration with YouTube has turned out. There are some privacy issues, but they can be avoided if you know how to take the right steps. The integration could have been smoother and less chaotic, but it's done now.