Of course, we know the comments under YouTube videos, where questions are answered and discussions arise. But when a video is ‘extinguished’, these disappear from view. With ‘Communities’, YouTube offers a space where creators can constantly engage with their fans.
Such a place was still missing, discovered youtube when they started talking to creators and their fans. To keep the conversation alive in the comments and Community tab Creators felt the pressure to constantly come up with new video content, they said.
Creators also told us they wanted more control over their communities, from deciding who can post to setting clear guidelines for behavior. They need the ability to take a break without feeling guilty, knowing their community can momentarily continue in their absence.
“A community is a group with (personal) common characteristics and a common goal,” Tom Dellepoort and Kirsten Wagenaar previously shared in this article.
Their further definition is: “The agreement between members on certain aspects is what distinguishes a community from other groups such as a panel, sounding board or network. Not every group that is formed is automatically a community. People have to actively choose to be a member of a group to make it a community.”
Only subscribers can post
This will soon be the case on YouTube as well. To give creators more control, only subscribers to the specific YouTube channel will be able to post something in the new environment. Posts, comments and the usual moderation options will continue to exist with Communities.
YouTube is currently testing a few channels focused on topics like fitness, cooking and gaming. In addition to the direct contact with the video creators that is now possible, the experience so far is that more personal stories are also being shared. Communities will be available to more creators in early 2025.
Header image source: Chayjitti Hongmanee / Shutterstock.com
Source: www.frankwatching.com
