Users have spoken in outrage (as they do with any major change to a a major platform) over YouTube’s recent changes to comments. Main changes include Google+ integration, improved moderation tools and the ability to post publicly or privately. Despite the complaints of some 90,000 who are petitioning, Memeburn makes a convincing argument on the why this is an improvement for YouTube. Among their most salient points are the fact that tying your comments to an identity promotes meaningful discussion–a far cry from the current state–and curation as the video owner and those in your circles are more visible. Brands should be in favor of this change (aside from the improved audience data) as YouTube has moved to become a more premium network a brand would like to associate with. While comments will likely drop as a result of this change, they will be more impactful. In the same way marketers have grown weary of the value of a like, they should adopt the same approach to comments or engagements.
Tag: Like
Publishers Looking Beyond Facebook
Building equity in someone else’s platform has never been the most secure means of operating, so it’s no surprise that some publishers are shying away from putting significant resources into developing fan bases on Facebook. Now that Facebook’s new algorithm limits a social post’s reach to 20 percent of a brand page’s audience, the cooling effect is accelerating. As digital and social media managers begin to understand the effect Facebook fans have on their brands, and what it takes to gain and retain them, many are looking other places for organic fan interaction and brand promotion. This could be the beginning of the end of the “like” era.
