YouTube brought one of its mobile features to its website. The video-sharing company hopes that "Messages" would strengthen communication between users.
Messages To The Web
In August 2017, YouTube introduced in-app messaging feature "Messages" for both its Android and iOS users. This feature allowed mobile users to connect with their friends on YouTube and expand their social network. "Messages" will allow YouTube users to connect and share videos on the video-sharing website.
Accessing Messages
When users go onto YouTube's website, they will notice an icon sandwiched between the YouTube apps and notifications. This icon is a world balloon that has an arrow inside of it. Once users click on the image, they would be presented with messages that include invitations from users who want to share videos.
Users can also add contacts through the "You May Know" feature. This list will feature circular icons that are alphabetically organized by first names. The in-app direct messaging system also allows users to share content in private conversations through the "Share On YouTube" feature.
YouTube users can also send out videos, even if they are in a middle of watching a video. Users could send it directly to their contacts to start conversations. They could also go through the "Share a Link" function, which would allow users to share the video on other social media platforms.
YouTube News
YouTube's parent company, Google, announced that it would phase out both their Google Play Music and YouTube Red brands. The company will introduce a new premium service called YouTube Music. This new service would combine YouTube Music with YouTube Premium, which allows users to watch YouTube original series and ad-free videos for $12 a month.
The video-sharing company revealed in an official blog post that it removed 8 million videos from the platform from October to December 2017. The videos that YouTube removed were either adult content or spam videos. YouTube revealed that machines flagged 6.7 million videos and that 76 percent of the videos were removed before it received a single view. YouTube added that its employees would assist machines in manually eliminating inappropriate videos.
YouTube also announced that it would release a whitelisted variation to its YouTube Kids app. This version would help parents and children avoid questionable content. The YouTube Kids variant include videos selected by YouTube employees. Parents had the option to choose between both versions. The decision came after Business Insider published a report of how YouTube Kids recommend controversial videos, which include conspiracy theories and inappropriate depictions of fan-favorite animated characters.
Tech Times reached out to YouTube for a comment on this story.
