YouTube Publishes New ToS

American video-sharing platform YouTube updated its terms of service due to begin on December 10. While the updated terms are as much more readable as they claim, one of its subsections brought up content concerns.

Under Suspension & Termination, Google enumerated a possibly harmful reason for deleting your account. The video streaming site claimed it could ban those who are “no longer commercially viable.”

Small Content supporters questioned the decision due to subjective wording. Some commentaries claimed its parent company Google can easily remove creators they don’t like if they don’t offer monetary value.

Some say it creates “awful possibilities” for content creators with less than 10,000 subscribers. Those whose livelihood depends on their accounts fear the company might take away their source of income.

YouTube said it would notify creators with the reason for termination or suspension unless it violates the law. They will supposedly provide enough time for users to export corresponding videos from the platform.

The terms of service also included age restrictions for use and clarified how Google uses your content and comments. The site offers a section to explain parents’ responsibility for what their child sees on the platform.

YouTube Finally Revamps the Homepage

YouTube pleasantly surprised its users with its long-overdue redesign. Your desktop homepage contains higher resolution previews and improved information, giving users more control over their preferred content.

Users can now see channel icons below previews on the homepage to help them identify different channels.

The streaming site also removed some of the “content shelves” where it organizes videos by channels and topics. Instead, it will show videos categorized by breaking news and top news, depending on its relevance.

Androids can select preferred topics at the top of their screen, enabling users to customize their home feed. Google claims the company pledges to bring the feature to all operating systems.

The platform also rolled out a video queue option that lets users set the queue of which videos can play in order. The site had a similar feature long ago with a playlist, but the said queue disappears after you play them.

Additionally, the platform also added a “Don’t recommend channel” option in the desktop homepage. The feature enables users to refuse to see the channel on their homepage but can still come up in search.

Some of these features are already on mobile, but YouTube says it’s currently experimenting with these designs for easier navigation.

YouTube Stickers!

YouTube recently launched its new feature, Super Stickers, aimed at Creator fans who want to show their support. However, creators need to operate a monetized channel with more than 1,000 subscribers first.

The inspiration for Super Stickers came from Twitch’s emotes and cheermotes. The stickers resemble chat emojis rather than personalized cheermotes and gems.

Google claimed the feature would span different categories like gaming, fashion, food, and more.

There were eight distinct Super Sticker packs offered by launch available in English, French, Japanese, and Portuguese. Said packs include “Hi, Popo,” “Energetic Lemon,” and “Bushiba.”

Super Stickers are one of the few ways the streaming site showed support to expand creators’ monetization opportunities. They also rolled out merchandise shelves under videos and expanded channel memberships with tiered levels.

The company hasn’t announced how well these helped the platform. However, “thousands” of channels have reportedly doubled their revenues from memberships, merchandise, and Super Chat.