Google has announced a string of measures that could help to eradicate the notoriously unpleasant stream of comments that tend to sit beneath a large quantity of videos on YouTube.
From this week, instead of seeing the so-called ‘Top Comments’ or just the last remark made in the ‘All Comments’ section, no matter how unpleasant, users will begin seeing more relevant content.
As the company points out in a blog post on Tuesday “recent does not necessarily mean relevant” and thus comments will soon become “conversations that matter to you” if Google’s plan comes to fruition.
Using Google Plus integration, comments from people users know will rise up to the top of the list.
In a post on the official YouTube blog, the company wrote: “Quick taste test. Let’s say you’re watching a video from Justin Timberlake. What type of video comment would be awesome to see: one from JT himself, one from people you care about who love the video…or one from just the last random person to stop by?”
The post continued: “Comments you care about move to the top: You’ll see posts at the top of the list from the video’s creator, popular personalities, engaged discussions about the video, and people in your Google Circles.
“Join the conversation publicly or privately: You can choose to start a conversation so that it is seen by everyone on YouTube and Google , only people in your Circles or just your bestie. Like Gmail, replies are threaded so you can easily follow conversations.”
“You have new tools to review comments before they’re posted, block certain words or save time by auto-approving comments from certain fans. These can help you spend less time moderating, and more time sharing videos and connecting with your fans,” the blog post added.
Could these measures really end the hate? Or are there too few of your friends on Google Plus to really ensure worthwhile and relevant comments rise to the top? Let us know your thoughts in the comments sections below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
