If you’re a business owner with YouTube videos, the comments section can be an effective way to communicate with your audience and build brand awareness. But it can also be a breeding ground for toxic or hateful speech, and it’s important to protect your community from this type of behavior. YouTube has a number of tools that you can use to monitor and respond to user queries, including a unified inbox with comment management. You can also set up a blocked word list and hide comments during controversial campaigns. But while these methods are effective for limiting negative responses, they’re not a comprehensive solution.
The platform is making changes that aim to curb toxic and hateful comments, starting with a warning system for users who leave comments that violate the company’s guidelines. The site will alert users who leave abusive or offensive comments that they’ve been flagged by its systems for removal, as well as block them from posting again after 24 hours. YouTube says this will help prevent hateful or toxic content from reaching a wider audience, which has been a major concern for the company and many video creators.
In addition to a new warning system, YouTube has made it easier for video creators to respond to user feedback. They’ll be able to select specific comments that they want to highlight or “pin” to the top of the comment feed, which will encourage other viewers to respond. The feature will work with any video that has been enabled for commenting.
To do this, a creator simply clicks on the three dots next to a comment and then chooses “pin.” The selected comment will appear at the top of the comment feed until another user clicks on it. This can be a great way to drive engagement with specific comments that are important to your business, such as a question submitted by a fan or a response to a critical comment.
You can also encourage positive commentary by rewarding good behavior with a shoutout. You can do this by responding to a positive comment or asking your viewers to like, share, and subscribe to your channel. But be careful not to overdo it with these requests. Asking for a lot of likes or subscriptions can look spammy and turn off viewers. Instead, try to focus on encouraging dialogue in your videos by promoting engagement.
In a world where YouTube comment moderation is constantly evolving, businesses need to be ready to adapt and take proactive measures to protect their brands. By following these tips, you can ensure that your comments are a safe space for your audience and your brand. Lydia Sweatt is a writer who enjoys balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants in her free time. youtube comment upvotes