In move that could clean up YouTube video pages, also called a Hellmouth of crude abuse, by ridding it of people who anonymously post vile comments, Google is asking commenters to provide their real names. This applies equally to users uploading a video.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) now offers users an opportunity to start using their real names on YouTube, drawn from the user’s Google+ account. However, if the user declines the option he has to disclose the reason which may be any one of the following:
- My channel is for show or character.
- My channel is for a music artist of group.
- My channel is for a product, business or organization.
- My channel is well-known for other reasons.
- My channel is for personal use, but I cannot use my real name.
- I’m not sure, I’ll decide later.
It may be noted that Google+ requires a person to use his real name while signing up for an account. The video channel will display the real name and his picture input here. The user would also be shown a side-by-side comparison of the two profiles.
Users also have the option to revert to the username, instead of their real name, any time.
The move by Google is a trade-off between the loss of liveliness and humour, and the gain of clean and constructive content and commentary. It may also have something to do with Google’s announcement at its June developer’s conference, indicating forthcoming improvements in the video channel’s comment section.
Google’s ultimate aim in cleaning up the channel may be to make it a more serious and attractive place for the business community including advertisers and creative content makers. A YouTube spokesman declined to comment whether this move was the forerunner of more moves to follow. But ultimately, most regular users would probably convert to the new system, after getting tired of answering the repeated pop-up question.
