Topic: Google's aggressive push of Google+ via YouTube update

[VladCT]

Don't you think they're starting to get a little overboard with this, what with them basically forcing users to use their Google+ account just to comment?

[Lashen]

I think it's a bloody mess with how they've tried to merge everything.

[Ratty]

Very much a "curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal" moment. Seen this coming for years, google wants some of that sweet, sweet facebook money. Turning the comments into a google+ pissing match (they're ranked by how many "followers" you have on google+ now, as I understand) is just the latest in a long string of things they've been doing to make youtube garbage. Can't preload entire videos, stuttering and autochanging (or never changing) resolution, ads everywhere*. I wish another, better video site would come along and dethrone youtube but I don't think google would allow it.

*I don't see the ads because I use ad blocker, but I know it's only a matter of time until google finds a way around this.

[Mooning Freddy]

I was pissed off by that too. I like to troll and write stupid jokes on the youtube comments, but the last year Google was constantly asking me "do you wish to use your g-mail name on youtube?"
No, I don't, google. The only reason I enjoy youtube is because I can view and comment on videos anonymously. I don't want my friends to know about every stupid comment I post there! 
Lucky I don't even use Google+.

[TheouAegis]

I didn't even have a G-Mail account and it was asking me to change my name. It didn't even count as an ad for AdBlock. (And then Firefox goes and makes shitty ass changes forcing AdBlock upgrades. I wonder if Firefox is owned by Google now or some shit. I wouldn't put it past those greedy bastards.)

[uzo]

The reason for it is simple. You'll think twice about posting rotten comments if they're tied to, and archived on, a public personal account.

As you can tell by their in-page explanations of the change (if you read them), they want to promote more meaningful discussion on Youtube. But since this is the internet I'm not sure anyone will really care.

[VladCT]

If that's the case then I believe they're going at this the wrong way. It's not like you can't create fake accounts anyway.
Anyway, with the way they're pushing this they're just making people who don't give two shits about G+ hate it, and those who already hate it even moreso. Imagine a game you don't care about, and someone pesters you in hopes of making you play it. More often than not you'll end up socking that guy in the face.

[Intersection]

The reason for it is simple. You'll think twice about posting rotten comments if they're tied to, and archived on, a public personal account.

As you can tell by their in-page explanations of the change (if you read them), they want to promote more meaningful discussion on Youtube. But since this is the internet I'm not sure anyone will really care.

Hah! It might be a reason, but it's certainly not the only one.

Google wants a nice, clean, and well-organized system in which they'll know exactly who we are, what we look like, what we search for, what we watch, what we enjoy, whom we share with, and how often and from where we interact. Once all is said and done, Google will be facing a monumental heap of collective data that more than one organization will envy. And the best thing is: we'll be making it possible for them.

So behind Google's self-proclaimed obsession for a "better world", there's a much more pragmatic view of things. Let's just say that they've done quite well in mastering the art of making a situation... profitable.

[Ratty]

The reason for it is simple. You'll think twice about posting rotten comments if they're tied to, and archived on, a public personal account.

As you can tell by their in-page explanations of the change (if you read them), they want to promote more meaningful discussion on Youtube. But since this is the internet I'm not sure anyone will really care.

If they really wanted to "promote meaningful discussion" they wouldn't have hidden the youtube inbox in a submenu, and then made it difficult to impossible to reply with that. This is a stunt to promote google+ as their pet facebook money machine, nothing more. I could understand if it put comments by your friends or people you follow at the top. But using "who has the most followers/friends" as an arbitrary way to "promote meaningful discussion" is laughable. How often do you see someone with hundreds of "facebook friends" who has anything meaningful, or even interesting, to say? Same thing. Google knows the legions of people who've posted "Thumbs up if..." and "X amount of people are stupid for downvoting this video hurhur" comments for years will pester everyone they know into using google+ so their comments will be closer to the top.

Hah! It might be a reason, but it's certainly not the only one.

Google wants a nice, clean, and well-organized system in which they'll know exactly who we are, what we look like, what we search for, what we watch, what we enjoy, whom we share with, and how often and from where we interact. Once all is said and done, Google will be facing a monumental heap of collective data that more than one organization will envy. And the best thing is: we'll be making it possible for them.

So behind Google's self-proclaimed obsession for a "better world", there's a much more pragmatic view of things. Let's just say that they've done quite well in mastering the art of making a situation... profitable.

Yep. Google trades in advertising and information, all our information, same as facebook only bigger. Eventually we'll probably be forced to use our real names on all public forums, perhaps more. Nothin' for it really.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

I have Google+.
However, I never ever ever use it.  Some of my friends have it but I really don't see the point.
I'm on Facebook all the time and, while I don't like it too much, it is convenient to see and reach out to many people I know with it.

For the last year or so, I've had occasional "Do you want to use your real name?" on Youtube when I'd log on.  I'd always say "No" and then they're like "Ok, we'll ask you again later!".  NO FUCKER, DON'T ASK ME AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO TIE MY ACCOUNTS TOGETHER YOU SONOFABITCH, if I wanted to tie them, I would've done so already.

[beingthehero]

The update has also made the comments hard to read. Why can I upvote/downvote some but others I can't? This whole thing seems like a mess.

[uzo]

I didn't say promoting G+ wasn't part of the deal. It's a really nice bonus to the whole package.

[Mooning Freddy]

For the last year or so, I've had occasional "Do you want to use your real name?" on Youtube when I'd log on.  I'd always say "No" and then they're like "Ok, we'll ask you again later!".  NO FUCKER, DON'T ASK ME AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO TIE MY ACCOUNTS TOGETHER YOU SONOFABITCH, if I wanted to tie them, I would've done so already.

Also, Facebook is doing it to me all the time, asking me continuously to write where I work and where I study.
"Michael, your profile is only 50% complete." No, my profile is 100% complete. My work and education is NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS.

[Shiroi Koumori]

They want to go big brother on everyone. 

[Abnormal Freak]

The reason for it is simple. You'll think twice about posting rotten comments if they're tied to, and archived on, a public personal account.

As you can tell by their in-page explanations of the change (if you read them), they want to promote more meaningful discussion on Youtube. But since this is the internet I'm not sure anyone will really care.

Kinda backfired considering you can now post ASCII dick art and hotlinks to any site (including ones with malware).