new youtube policy forcing casters and viewers to Google+ Fran closing EE site

[EEVblog]

I don't think it's about whether or not you can get around it, I think it's more about whether or not you have to. Like I said, Google taking control of as much as they possibly can is just slightly creepy as hell, and if that already bothers you it's not going to feel warm and fuzzy to be required to use one more Google service. Especially when the whole point of that service is to get you to share as much information about yourself as possible.
(Not arguing with you, I see you understand her, just remarking)

Sure, but the point is she is (or was) a youtube content producer. She already had to hand over info to get that youtube account, and fact is if you want the (huge) benefits of youtube as a content producer then that is the price you have to pay. The options are:
1) Leave youtube
2) Stay with youtube, and try to get around the issues (like with the notebook and dedicated account)
3) Capitulate
All three options also have of course the option of kicking up a huge stink while doing it 

The #2 option with a dedicated machine just for youtube would provide no further information about her to google than she already has.

[Seg]

The mistake here is thinking of G+ as a distinct product.

G+ is Google. If you have a Google account, you have a G+ account. If you use Android, you have a Google account.

The real issue here is Google's crusade to kill anonymity.

[JoannaK]

Well.. as an Youtube user (mostly watching, though I did make some videos).. I can always start using and actively promoting things like addblock, Noscript and other tools that make googles tracking attempts a lot harder and less profitable.

Of course when this klind of enlightened activity becomes more widespread, It will become kinda bad for those content makers trying to make their living with the add-laced videos, but they are cohoots with Google (and thus with NSA) so it's in the end decsion each one of us have to make.

PS; At the moment.. Only Gmail and Android phone are even 1/2 necessary for me. Rest are just convinient. If I can't comment youtube videos, well... it's not too much a loss, G+ is joke anyhow and I can use real calendar.

[lnx64]

First up, hello Dave.  New fan here. 
---------------
See, the change wouldn't have bothered me, if it hadn't made replying to some of my channels video comments, impossible.

I have at least a few comments in my videos, where I have to just go and manually contact the person, because clicking reply and typing out a lot of text, only to be told I can't do that, is annoying, especially since it erases what I just typed.  So now I need to remember to copy it first, try it fail?  then go to that persons own channel and send a message.  Oh, and hope they don't have it set so I have to be in their address book to message them, in which case they'll never see my reply..  I can just make a new message in the video and type their name in (like, "@username"), but that won't give that person an alert that I actually replied, and they may never see it.

The old system, never gave me those issues at all, though it was hard getting comments on some of my old videos every day, and repeating the same answers to questions already asked.  That was somewhat improved when they put uploader comments at the top.

[c4757p]

I have at least a few comments in my videos, where I have to just go and manually contact the person, because clicking reply and typing out a lot of text, only to be told I can't do that, is annoying, especially since it erases what I just typed.

When they made the change, they seem to have replaced much of the working code for various features with pure, distilled essence of stupid. I just noticed that time links (1:32) don't work correctly now, it pops open a new tab... I get the feeling none of this was tested. Don't they have a list of things to check when changes are made, so nobody forgets to check things like that?

I can sum up the whole thing with this:

@mikelectricstuf 9 Nov
Hey @Google. Some dickhead has broken your comments system. Please fix it.

[EEVblog]

I am probably totally daft, but how does one reply to comments on a video now? I can only make a new independent comment and can see no way to make a reply.

You need to log in/combine your youtube account with a Google + account.

[lnx64]

I am probably totally daft, but how does one reply to comments on a video now? I can only make a new independent comment and can see no way to make a reply.

You need to log in/combine your youtube account with a Google + account.

Mine is, doesn't work.

Even though one of the comments in my video has a Reply button, clicking it, typing a message, results in this.  I then clicked the regular post box, so you can see it's on Google+ as it offers the option to simulcast there.

[EEVblog]

Sometimes a Reply button shows up.  Sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes when it's there, it just says this, like it does on my channel.

I haven't seen any issues at all.

[lnx64]

Sometimes a Reply button shows up.  Sometimes it doesn't.  Sometimes when it's there, it just says this, like it does on my channel.

I haven't seen any issues at all.

Lucky!!

This video shows exactly my struggles.  I wonder how many people actually run into this issue.  Google searching shows a few, but not all.  But I see no way to report it to Google as a bug.

[Lightages]

I am probably totally daft, but how does one reply to comments on a video now? I can only make a new independent comment and can see no way to make a reply.

You need to log in/combine your youtube account with a Google + account.

I did do that, months ago when it was forced on me. It just doesn't work.

[samgab]

I'm really pissed off about this Google+/Youtube thing.  I don't want a G+ account. I swore off all social networking and cancelled all my accounts of that type: Twitter, Facebook, G+, etc. I like my youtube account though, I have history on it that I want to keep with the username it already has, as a separate entity to my other stuff, ie: Gmail, Gcal. But now I cannot comment on a youtube video without being required to first create a G+ account. So I had the option to keep it as my youtube name, but when I tried that all of my subscriptions and history etc was gone. It's very annoying and frustrating to deal with.
Yes, I know it's all a free service etc, but it doesn't feel good to be forced to join a social networking service you don't want to be a part of simply to make comments on another service. It seems very draconian.
I was initially really frustrated, but now I've just decided that I don't NEED to create content on Youtube or comment on videos, so I'll just retreat to being a silent viewer in the Youtube realm. If they make it so you can't even VIEW some Youtube content without making a G+ account, I'll be really annoyed again... But for now, just being forbidden to comment, I can live with that.

[Stonent]

I am probably totally daft, but how does one reply to comments on a video now? I can only make a new independent comment and can see no way to make a reply.

You need to log in/combine your youtube account with a Google + account.

I did do that, months ago when it was forced on me. It just doesn't work.

I had an issue recently where I went to youtube and all my subscriptions were missing. It turned out there was something somewhere where I could switch between 3 options

Stonent
stonent
[My real name]

And for some reason it had switched from one of the first two to the other and I flipped it back and everything magically reappeared.

[Someone]

If they make it so you can't even VIEW some Youtube content without making a G+ account, I'll be really annoyed again...

Too late, private videos can only be shared with G+ accounts, so videos are now either 100% public or linked to G+ accounts.

[timb]

Correct. It has nothing to do with improving the comments system. Nor does it have a huge amount to do with getting more people using G+ as a social network (although I'm sure the would like that, hence the default ticked "share with G+" option box when commenting).
What it is mostly about is forcing people into a single user login system for everything you do with anything google (and Youtube) related.

I don't think so. They could have just required you to sign in with a Google Account, which is what they've been pushing for awhile now (I always got a box at the top of YouTube pages telling me to use whatever email address is tied to my Google Account instead of my old YouTube username).

Now they're actively requiring your to have the G+ service enabled on your Google Account to comment on YouTube, i.e., they're using the G+ backend to handle all YouTube comments now. This is *clearly* a push to get people using G+ to compete with Twitter.

Google's whole account system is...just a mess. Originally I had a Google Account using my own (non-Gmail) email address. At some point (Google Voice maybe?) they *required* me to signup for a Gmail account (that I'll never use) just to start using newer services. The kicker is that they still send notifications to my personal email address, so what the hell do I need that Gmail account for?! Now the push is to require a G+ account (which also requires Gmail IIRC) for new services.

Google can choke on a bag of dicks. (No, seriously; I hope Larry Page literally asphyxiates on a bag full of flaccid penises.)

[deth502]

afa the "destroying anonymity to stop malicious comments" argument, i dont see how that would work other than maybe for some of the biggest spineless cowards out there.   if your video makes you look like an idiot, im going to call you an idiot. linking to a g+, or facebook, twitter, or whatever account isint going to change any of that.

[samgab]

Just watched Dave's RANT video about this G+ pile of garbage, and I totally agree. 
It's one of the biggest fails I've ever seen Google make... And that's including ummm, what was it, Wave? and Buzz?

Sheesh Google, please just admit defeat and put Youtube back to how it was, but ideally with inbox message replies and nested messages.
Surely you can do the inbox replies and nested messages without forcing users to sign up for lame G+ crap that they don't even want?

Also, another recent G-fail: getting rid of iGoogle, which I was very happy with as a homepage for several years, and had it fine tuned just the way I liked it, but now they've gotten rid of that...

Oh, was that a gentle nibble at the hand that feeds you?

[nctnico]

Just watched Dave's RANT video about this G+ pile of garbage, and I totally agree. 
It's one of the biggest fails I've ever seen Google make... And that's including ummm, what was it, Wave? and Buzz?

I guess it finally happened: the term 'shareholder value' made it into Google's board room.

[Lightages]

So the question is, what other video sharing alternatives are there? I know Dave won't be switching to anything else. He is trapped as it has become a part of his income to live on.

[dr.diesel]

So the question is, what other video sharing alternatives are there? I know Dave won't be switching to anything else. He is trapped as it has become a part of his income to live on.

None, unless Dave went to a subscription based service.  I'd be happy to sign up but we'd lose the vast majority of young players, something that is really nice to help and encourage.  Part of the reason Dave does things the way he does i'm sure.

[Lightages]

Well I have decided to move to vimeo to share my reviews and other information. Yes random people will not find my videos without stepping outside of the google world but too bad for the sheeple and too bad for google. They are shooting themselves in the foot IMHO. I know I count for nothing but if every "nothing" pulled their content from youtube, youtube would be nothing too.

P.S. It looks like vimeo isn't the answer neither.

[G7PSK]

So Google have opened the door for a competitor for you tube. I just have to wait for the launch.

[all_repair]

When they kill reader and igoogle, they terminate people interest on their future projects.  And now this stroke shall open google to lawsuit from apple and microsoft.  And this effective kills off all the benefits of doubts given to google on their do-no-evil pet talk.

Those who are advertising on adwords, halving the budget for the next 3 months, would be a good signal to send to google.  Some heads need to roll or the damages shall be long lasting.

[JoannaK]

If they make it so you can't even VIEW some Youtube content without making a G+ account, I'll be really annoyed again...

Too late, private videos can only be shared with G+ accounts, so videos are now either 100% public or linked to G+ accounts.

Really? Ah well, I thougth they could not make it much worse... Apparently they have unlimited tallent... 

All_repair: Related to you comment. I have started to send private messages to my youtube.favorites to inform that I don't watch/permit adds anymore since I don't want to support Google+. At the message I say that I' sorry since this action will lessen their short term income, but ad-revenue is the only thing that matters to Google.execs ...

[TerraHertz]

It's interesting Fran commenting that Google/youtube is trying to be Facebook. Interesting timing that is, since just very recently ebay also made changes in their site that superficially seem like they want to be another Facebook. Switching the whole ebay 'search' paradigm to 'follows' and 'feed', and some stupid idea that people would want to tell each other what they are 'following' (searching for.)
It's such a retarded, nonsensical idea that there has to be some other motivation at work.

Now suddenly Youtube is doing the same thing. Hmmm....

[elgonzo]

So Google have opened the door for a competitor for you tube. I just have to wait for the launch.

Looking forward for a global/english version of Youku. It cannot be worse than Google+/YouTube, or?