YouTube Pushes Google+ Integration To Clean Up Comment System
- by Ross Fadner , July 24, 2012
Google has started pushing Google+ integration with YouTube, urging its users to replace their old YouTube user names with their Google+ profiles when posting comments or videos on the video-sharing site.
Now, when you comment on or upload a video, YouTube will ask if you want to “start using your full name on YouTube,” which will mean displaying your Google+ name and photo next to your comments and videos. If you decline, Google will make you select your reason for doing so -- for example: “My channel name is well-known.”
News that Google would try to revamp YouTube’s notorious commenting system emerged last month, when a YouTube product executive hinted that changes to the system would be forthcoming at Google’s I/O conference.
The move toward Google+ integration is widely seen as a first step toward eventually cleaning up YouTube’s notorious comments section for each of its videos -- which is rife with foul language, and sometimes abuse. The idea is that people are less likely to engage in bad behavior when their name and photo are associated with their comments.
Only allowing real names in comment sections has both good and bad points. While it does help calm things down, it also prevents some from replying in heated discussions, out of a very reasonable fear of being tracked-down by some of the real crazies. The better, but more costly, solution is to closely monitor and moderate the comments. Nothing stops a graffiti tagger or nasty commenter quicker than seeing their work vanish from view within minutes.
A very tiny step. Since it's not required users can still comment without accountability. Even if G+ accounts were required it takes less than 5min to make one to shield an identity and your back to no accountability.