Why YouTubers should Love GooglePlus

YouTubers mostly hate Google+


I'm not going to try and explain in detail why YouTubers hate Google+. Mostly it was bad-to-no communication from Google which left YouTubers feeling alienated.

If YouTubers took a look at Google+ now, are there still reasons to hate it?

Moreover are there reasons why smart YouTubers might use Google+? Yes there are, plenty. I'll make the case for a few of those reasons in this article.

But first ... What is YouTube?

YouTube is a Google service that is used via a Google account. 

Unlike most Google services YouTube is run under it's own brand. Meaning it is run under it's own name and it's own domain: YouTube.com

But it is still a Google service just like Maps, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Analytics, Gmail Or InboxContacts, Hangouts, Google+ etc etc etc .... 

But YouTube is different!!!!!!!!

YouTube is one of Google's services that has a higher element of "identity" than some of the other services. 

For example: people can add content to Google Maps but most people just pull information from Google Maps, i.e. get directions and when they look at a place on Maps and see a picture of that place, or even a video, they aren't generally interested in who added it. 

Whether a Google service has a high level of "identity" like YouTube (and Google+) or a lower level of identity (like Google Maps) the identity used is the Google ACCOUNT identity - aboutme.google.com

All services use the same (account) identity. But ...

Some people, for whatever reason, might be comfortable using their "real name" on emails but not feel comfortable using their real name across all of Google services on the same account. Especially for the more public facing services where they are encouraged to upload content and interact with other users, like YouTube (and Google+)

They may wish to use a different name than their personal account name set at aboutme.google.com.

What those people can do is use a "brand account" under their main account, and have a different public name for services like YouTube (and Google+) but all under their one standard Google account, still with just one username and password.

Ok, so what have we got so far?

So far we've established that your "YouTube identity" is actually your Google Account identity, either with the same name or a different "brand" name. But this doesn't yet explain why you should love and use that same identity on different Google services like Google+ ... apart from the fact that it's a bit silly to hate the idea of your "YouTube identity" on a different Google service.

So what could you do extra with your identity on Google+ that you might not be doing now which could bolster and benefit that same identity over on YouTube?

Well, you are probably already doing them: encouraging your audience to connect with you across other platforms ...
  • Follow your account on Instagram - For photo updates
  • Follow your account on Twitter - For realtime updates
  • Support you via Patreon - For exclusives or whatever ...
  • Etc etc ...
While that is all well and good, why aren't providing your YouTube audience access to those same benefits which they can follow with the same account and identity which they subscribe to you on YouTube with?

Share none-video-stuff with your YouTube audience using the same identity that you use on YouTube.

Here are some examples.

These example may not resonate greatly with you, most don't focus primarily on YouTube.
But, in the same way that it would be silly for YouTubers not-to-use Google+ it would also be silly for these accounts not to use YouTube at all!

For reference the entities used as examples:



I won't focus on how those identities are using, to a greater or lesser degree, YouTube. I assume people reading this article are mostly YouTubers who are not currently using Google+

Instagram Examples

Personally I no longer update my Instagram account.
There I am using using Google+ instead of using instagram. People can share my posts on Google+ and they post automatically on Twitter too.

With the "Happening London" entity I have a different approach.

For "Ford Europe" I do something different again.

Twitter Examples

I do use Twitter natively, but I additionally send All my personal public Google+ posts to my personal Twitter account automatically using Friends+Me. I do the same for "Happening London".

As well as automatic shares like this one, I also do native posts on Twitter which point to Google+. Share a link to a Google+ Collection (mine), or share the occasional link to a Google+ post from others (like I might link to any web page).

Patreon Example

If I was asking my YouTube supporters to support me on patreon I could create Google+ circle called "My Supporters" then create a Private Collection shared just with my supporters. In that I would put special updates for my supporters as a regular than you.
Patreon supporters could even turn notifications on for that collection so they were notified right away. You could have regular "Fireside Chats" with your most ardent supporters all with the same identity you both use on YouTube.

More things ...

There are lots of other things YouTuber could do with their identity and audience on Google+, for example Communities, public and private. The opportunities are limited only by your own imagination.

Summery

There is no doubt that Google messed up early on, as far as what was communicated, but there is no reason now why YouTubers should still hate Google+. In fact there are plenty of smart reasons why YouTubers should love and use Google+!

If you've read this article and still don't have a clue about what I've tried to explain feel free to ask your related questions in the comments!

Did you find this article interesting or useful?
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