by Search Copywriter
D. Warburton
D. Warburton
YouTube has announced the introduction of a new feature highlighting channels belonging to account holders that may be real-life acquaintances of YouTube users.WebProNews reports that the new "You may know these people" feature is planned to appear on the YouTube home page when users log in, and will bring YouTube ever closer to the realm of a social networking site. The site has long competed with Facebook in the popularity stakes, and by introducing this social tool - comparable to Facebook's "People you may know" offering - it seems to be taking the next step.
According to YouTube's blog, the feature "shows you the YouTube channels of people who might be your acquaintances, and lets you easily connect and subscribe to them."
The post goes on to explain the friend identification process:
"If you've logged in to YouTube and sent a video to a friend's email address, or if you have your YouTube account linked to a Gmail account, we will use this information to help identify your friends who already have YouTube channels."
A recent study by Yahoo! revealed that 34 per cent of users viewing online videos shared them with friends, family members and associates, and that one in five videos were accessed as a direct result of recommendation through social media. By incorporating the social aspect into YouTube itself, the site will make it easier than ever to share video clips.
On the other hand, the potential of a user's Gmail contacts being granted instant access to their sordid video tastes may not be entirely desirable. Fortunately, YouTube has this covered, as users can opt out of the new service by modifying their account's privacy settings.
YouTube is set to launch the new feature over the next few weeks.
