YouTube feature is added to Google+
Now we can watch the Nyan Nyan Cat all the time!
YouTube, the Google owned video sharing service, joined the Emerald Sea sometime last night, bringing with it a sexy new design custom built for Google+ as well as an incredibly easy to use functionality.
It’s not as seamless as Facebook’s automatic social graph sharing, but that might be a good thing for many users. Unlike music, video content can include highly non-fictional subject matter, including documentaries, how to videos, and more … all of which users may or may not want to be shared automatically.
Why are YouTube videos on Google+?
If there’s one thing that occurs in just about every office building, it’s the sharing of video content. Google+ just made this a lot more social, as YouTube is kind of reserved for YouTube aficionados, video bloggers, and trolls. Effectively bringing the conversation away from YouTube and onto Google+ enables people to share videos, post comments, and explore more freely, as your activity is directly linked to your profile … meaning you’re less likely to run into comments from negative Nancies and trolls.
How to find that one video you saw once?
The search box makes it easier than ever to find what you’re looking for right from your Google+ profile. Less time navigating through multiple websites, pages, and tabs … more time spent finding that one video you saw once. If the video was a hit and there are a ton of copycat versions and renditions available, you’ll be able to see which once your friends voted +1 on, making it easier for you to find the right video.
There’s nothing worse than realizing you’re not watching the right version of the video after a minute in.
To find a video, hover over the YouTube logo near the upper right hand side of your profile (just below your name, notifications, and settings area). Hovering will prompt the search box to jump to life, quickly presenting you with the search box pictured to the right. Search for your favorite video … it doesn’t have to be “nyan nyan cat forever” but I highly recommend it.
Sharing the Nyan Nyan Cat is easy
When you find the video you like, hit the share button, and a new post will be created with the video automatically linked. At thics point, you can add your comments to the box and control who sees the video.
In the screenshot below, I’m sharing it with anyone that looks at my profile as well the people in my circles … I mean, who doesn’t want to watch this life-changing video!?
Share a video with me on Google+
If you haven’t already, head over to my profile on Google+ and circle me — we have to stick together! Once you’ve done that, give the YouTube video feature a whirl and share a video with me.
Christopher Rice is a publisher, entrepreneur, and abstract artist in Santa Monica. He’s a founder of Wearabl, editor of CreativeBlogger, and creator of Gumball. Friend him up at Twitter | Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest |
To be totally honest, I think Google have’nt done a really good job with the development and implementation of “Google+”. I know they were inspired by the success of facebook, but the “Like” button works well in facebook because there is a personal interaction between the user and who they are liking. When using “Google+”, there is no real conectivity between users.
Yeah, there’s definitely some features missing that you get pretty much everywhere else, including the wall … the place where people can post. I wonder if this is all part of the design though.
Because there’s no way to post on a brand’s wall … the network will be cleaner and free of spammy messages — something Facebook has serious problems with. You can still connect with other users in the comments sections of posts and you can always use the + symbol in your actual post if you want to ping someone.
I can’t stand seeing all the marketing material being hashed around on some of my pages over at Facebook … it’s just rude, so I’m diggin’ the new approach. I think over time this will prove Google+ as a place where brands can really control their brand, instead of battling to keep sucker-fish brands away from their following.