YouTube is always changing, and more than just tweaking its recommendation algorithm, the service is always trying to find ways to bring its billions of users new and compelling features. Sometimes, though, that means gatekeeping stuff, and picking and choosing who gets access to what. This week, we’re learning about an effort to make one tool a lot more accessible. You should now be able to interact with more of your favorite channels than ever, thanks to a more widely-available Community tab.
In the past, only creators with over 500 subscribers had access to the Community tab, ostracizing those with smaller, but still dedicated fanbases. Google is now removing that bar entirely, and all creators who opt in to advanced features will have access to the Community section. Any channel can sign up for those through YouTube Studio, so it won’t be exclusive to any type of content creator.
Once a channel enables these features, then you’ll be able to comment on different types of posts in the Community tab, including polls, quizzes, images, and more. Given that not all YouTube channels previously had this feature, it’ll be interesting to see how this affects comments on certain videos. Community posts could conceivably draw engagement away from video content, but they do offer interested fans a chance to chat, debate, and senselessly argue in a more communal spot.
YouTube has also been experimenting with a personalized tab for channel homepages that would bring a For You section to them. These tabs aren’t available on many channels, but they still mark Google’s interest in suggesting better content to viewers.
As YouTube continues to offer a sea of different types of videos, Google still wants to make sure that most of what’s available on the platform isn’t harmful to people struggling with their mental health. As we just learned earlier this week, moving forward, all videos depicting different types of food-eating disorders will be age-restricted, preventing kids from viewing content that may give them harmful ideas.
