Google has made yet another improvement for YouTube and this one involves the broken commenting system. Now you can see your video comments right on YouTube in the left column when you’re in the “Video Manager” section. Hopefully this will move to the Channel page as well some day. Below you will find a tutorial as well as an entertaining conversation with the Hot blog Tips’ Hangout Crew (video).
Watch on YouTube
YouTube Comments Update January 2014
To See Your YouTube Video Comments
Table of Contents
First, go to your channel’s “Video Manager” section.
Go to “Community” and then “Comments“. There you will see tabs for Published, Pending and Marked as Spam. Use these tabs to navigate between comment sections to respond as needed.
To Set and Adjust Your YouTube Channel Comment Settings
Automated filters: This is pretty straight forward but it’s a good idea to take care of it. You can set-up your automated filters for your YouTube channel comments in just a few minutes. You can add connections to the “Approved users” list via their +G name/handle or their email address. You can even include entire Google Plus circles to the pre-approved comment list and that seems like a super easy way to keep things organized.
Default settings: Here you have three options for both new videos and your channel overall. You can allow all comments, hold all comments for review, or disable comments altogether. Keep in mind, your channel’s automated filters will override these default settings.
Your YouTube Inbox
We still have the old inbox and that is below the “comments settings” link in the left column. Personally, I could do without that entire email inbox and rarely bother with it.
Need More YouTube Comment Notifications?
We didn’t touch on this in the video, not directly, but you can setup both email and mobile notification through your Google Plus account. Simply go to your YouTube Channel, profile or Google Plus page and click on your avatar on the top right in the header. Then click “Page Settings” for your page/s and “Account / Google+ settings” for your G+ profile.
Now click on “Receive notifications” and then “Posts“. The last option under “posts” says, “Shares or comments on your content across the web (for example, your YouTube videos or your blog)”. Tic the email, phone or both of them for YouTube comment notifications.
On A Lighter Note
Okay, that was a little technical but I hope it helps someone. On a lighter note, Sheryl is wrong… I mean she disagrees with me that the drop-down “jingles” bell notifications shouldn’t disappear once seen. You can watch the off-topic conversation on the video but I’d be interested in your thoughts on the matter.
Action Step
That’s simple, set your YouTube comment settings and interact with your viewers. Personally, I recommend you add regular YouTube engagers to a special Google Plus circle and reciprocate often, both on YouTube and Google Plus.
Your Thoughts?
Do you love the new YouTube comment system or do you think they should have stayed on Google Plus? What would you like to see with YouTube comments? Do you think I’m sexy? Are you seeing less spam? More interaction and sharing? Let us know in the comments below, your opinion counts on this blog.
About Brian D. Hawkins
So glad that I could help you out on this. I am sure that one day, you will see that I am right…or not.
I think the new YouTube commenting system is going to make a lot of people very happy and they will all stop complaining! ROFLOL!
Like we were mentioning yesterday, promotional comment spam is actually up. That took me by surprise. Troll spam is down though and I think as more and more people report marketers for spam, that should settle down as well.
Hey Brian and Sheryl,
I enjoyed the video and your friendly debate about the notifications – although I’m not sure who I agree with on this and here’s why. You have your Google+ page connected to your YouTube channel and I have my profile connected. Notifications for profiles can be seen in multiple locations – like Gmail or when we open blank tabs. So I think that if you were getting notifications on your profile instead of your page you would moderate them differently. Also I’m not sure if either of you is using your Smart Phone to check notifications, but I never check them on the phone.
As far as the new comment moderation page for YouTube goes, it’s great to have but still a little buggy. I approved all the pending comments (which went back 2 years or more) and I was very alarmed to see comments from my Google + Page sitting in moderation!! How crazy is that?!
But the bug was that I went back a few hours later and nearly half of the comments that I approved were back in the pending area. I had over 140 comments in pending which I got down to zero, now I have 60. At this point I don’t want to approve them again since they are all old – and maybe YouTube will fix the bug soon.
Thanks you two!
It’s funny Ileane, just as I clicked the reply link on your comment I heard your name from a hangout I’m listening to. You had the first question in the video on blog’s commenting systems:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c07a5grn8rlqoimlvrk2q0ka360
I hope Google gets that fixed, we’re busy enough without moderating the same comments multiple times.
Yeah, I was really happy that they put my question on first because that was my intention. 🙂
That worked out pretty good. Jason is one of my podcasting buds and people are a little worried about him since he is in the Ukraine right now. Say a prayer for his safety.
Thanks Brian!
Hi,
It’s definitely an advancement in Youtube comments system. Some users seem to be criticizing this update, but it looks more optimized with less spam.
I agree Samantha, I guess some people resist any kind of change, good or bad.
Hi Brain,
Thanks for this informative post. It is really valued here. You have given us this awesome explanation for enabling this new youtube comment system for our channels. Thanks a lot.
I think this is a great idea, though I have to say I didn’t have any problems with it being on G+. I have to say I think Sheryl’s right about Mr. Jingles, in that if I do something on the Nook and I go to the laptop those messages are still there, just not highlighted as waiting to be read. For me, they only disappear on whichever item I happen to be using.
Taking Sheryl’s side again, huh Mitch? lol Actually, I did notice exactly that during the last week since that video. I’m not saying I’m wrong, just that Mr Jingles is waiting for me from device to device. 😉 I do still believe he’s a valuable tool.
Maybe it is some kind of improvement but it is still not as handy as before. I do not understand why they changed something that worked really fine. Of course i understand that they wanted to promote G+ and YouTube is their product now and can do with it what they want. But come on!
That’s a common complaint Damien. I guess I hated the old system so much I would have been fine with them even removing it completely and just not having a comment system on YouTube. I feel the trolls were destroying the experience for me as a user, not so much as a channel owner.
I personally think Google+ comment system has ruined my YouTube experience. It was a useless integration and had no need to be integrated. I wish I could reinstate the comment system.
There definitely seems to be both extremes Anchit, some people love the change and others hate it. I like the fact that there are less trolls but they seem to be making their way back anyway. I know I find enough of them on my blog.
This is a and awesome move by Google after announcing so many bad news/updates for search engine marketers especially the not provided and the Webmaster Tool bug where search query is not showing since 26th of September.
Trolls beware!