YouTube makes foray into social networking world with new ‘Community’ feature

YouTube has finally made its foray into the social networking world with the launch of a Community tab for channels, allowing creators to connect with their audience without publishing a new video.

The beta version of this new feature is now live which will allow viewers to engage with their favorite creators and build a stronger bond, without having to leave in search of a suitable competing platform, such as Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

This move by YouTube is aimed towards empowering creators with the tools to build a mini social network connected to their channels, and revolving around their video content.

Notably, the tab also provides a notification system for viewers to stay up to date with the latest updates of their subscribed channel. Also, content creators can now dispense important information and news about an upcoming event or livestream. They can share the same in the form of text posts, images, GIFs and other content, which the audience can then react and comment upon.

This gives channels an easier and lightweight ways to engage with their fans, more often in between uploads, in real time, said Kiley McEvoy, Senior Product Manager, YouTube in a blog post. YouTube viewers will be able to see creator’s posts on their smartphones via Subscription feeds.

“Community is a special release for us because it represents the deepest product collaboration we’ve ever done with creators like you. We started by inviting creators in early to develop, in partnership with us, the tools they wanted to better engage with their fans,” said Kiley McEvoy, Senior Product Manager at YouTube.

YouTube is working a whole new bunch of features to make its platform more engaging. According to Android Police, YouTube’s in-app messaging feature was spotted by several Android users. This means, that YouTube app users might soon be able to chat with friends, from within the app.