YouTube will be adding unique account handles for channels, similar to that found on social media platforms
YouTube is going to implement individual account handles for channels, similar to what can be found on other social media platforms, in an effort to boost engagement between content creators and the consumers who watch their videos. You might be more familiar with them under the moniker “@,” which refers to the symbol that comes before a username. After the launch of this feature, you will have the ability to mention other users or content providers in order to “boost [a video’s] visibility and [help it reach] new audiences.” YouTube did, in fact, introduce something very similar sometime in the past. It was possible for creators to mention other channels in the titles and descriptions of videos, and users could mention other users in live chats, but that was the extent of the functionality.
On the other hand, handles will be utilized in a wider variety of locations, including YouTube Shorts, channel pages, video descriptions, comments, and even in the URL of the channel. It would appear that Google is planning to replace custom URLs with handles in the near future. This would be a significant change. On the YouTube Help page, it says that channels can’t make new custom URLs or change the ones they already have, but that these URLs will still work after the new feature goes live.
According to YouTube, the introduction of handles will take place in stages. Creators will be notified during the remainder of October (either through email or YouTube Studio) when they will be able to create their handles, allowing them to claim them before anyone else can. These notifications will take place at various intervals. Channels that already have a unique URL will have the transition to the new system carried out for them automatically. This one-of-a-kind URL will serve as the handle from this point forward.
According to a different help page on YouTube, the selection of which channels are given priority “depends on a number of variables,” including the channel’s visibility on the site, the number of subscribers it has, and the level of activity it maintains. It is reasonable to assume that the most popular channels will launch first. There is also the hope that the handles feature will reduce the number of people who impersonate other channels. YouTube wants to make sure that when you contact a creator, you are communicating with the appropriate person. You have until November 14 to choose a unique handle for your channel; after that, YouTube will generate one for you. However, these handles are not permanent and can be changed at any time. You are free to modify it whenever you like by going to the handle page and making the necessary changes there.
As we take a closer look at this function, we can’t help but get the impression that this is just another attempt to compete with TikTok. It seems only natural that YouTube would ultimately adopt its own version of handles, given that the platform already has its own. Additionally, YouTube Shorts have been met with a fair amount of success. According to Sunder Pichat, CEO of Alphabet, the new video format receives more than one billion views every day. As a result, YouTube has consistently supported Shorts by introducing nearly new features on a monthly basis and allowing users to monetize their own content.
Shorts, in contrast to Meta’s Instagram Reels, is likely TikTok’s most formidable competitor. Both the manner in which YouTube will continue to construct it and the reaction that Meta will have to it will be fascinating to observe. The strategy of coercing people to watch Reels has failed, so we should probably try something else.