Or host them, if you’re a hot shot yourself
When it comes to livestreamers and their fans, it’s most certainly a two-way street. But as much as one tries, there’sjust no keeping up with people posting tens or hundreds of comments per minute — of which, a lot of them come from spambots rather than actual questioners. So, if you want to actually interact with your audience or idol, YouTube’s got a new feature that will help facilitate everyone’s wants and needs called Live Q&A.
The newly-redesigned YouTube now includes this Live Q&A tool that allows streamers to host dedicated question-and-answer or ask-me-anything sessions during their livestreams (via The Verge). During a livestream, they’ll be able to replace the regular chatbox with a Q&A prompt, allowing viewers to ask questions. When a host locates a question they’d like to discuss, they can pin it so that it’s prominently displayed while they answer it and viewers chat about it. Once a question’s over and done with, another one can be pinned, replacing the one at the top of the list.
When a streamer is finished taking questions, they can switch off the Q&A and go back to the previous chatroom. It’s a system that doesn’t replace what’s currently in place, but rather layers on a different forum that’s fit for purpose, letting content creators cultivate better interactions with their audience.
Of course, users taking part in a Q&A won’t ensure that every question will be replied to — just like chatboxes get thousands of messages, these Q&A sessions will likely get dozens if not hundreds of questions in the case of the biggest creators. But viewers still get a better shot of catching their attention than in a chatbox, though, where their message would be spammed into oblivion in seconds.
If you’re a content creator, you can check out this support thread to know more. And if you’re just a viewer, you can expect livestreams all around YouTube to host Q&As sooner than later.
