Getting Used To the New YouTube Homepage
Some of the more attentive YouTube users might have noticed the “try out the new homepage” button a couple of months ago, but most people were surprised to see that a new YouTube homepage has arrived and it is here to stay. When the beta version was presented, you had the chance to opt in and out of the program, but now we’re stuck with it and we might as well learn a couple of things about the new layout.
Why Did They Make the Change?
It seems that in the past few months, many users ran into certain problems with their subscription box. Some of the most subscribed people on YouTube were getting only around 100,000 views per video instead of the usual million and this is very bad for business. Because it is in everyone’s interest to get those videos on the home page as soon as they are posted, YouTube created a new homepage that keeps everything in check. They will even leave some of the videos you’ve already watched in your subscription box, covered by a foggy effect, until you hit the small “x” button. However, getting videos across is not the only reason behind the change. The new layout is easier to use and different types of videos will appear on different parts of the homepage.
Layout Changes
The first thing you will see on your homepage if you have a YouTube account is the activity of your friends, recommended videos and your subscriptions. The more friends or subscriptions you have, the longer the homepage will be. In fact, you have to scroll down quite a lot and after that, you will notice a “load more videos” button which will double the size of the page. Because things can get pretty hectic in this department since a new row appears every time someone “likes” a video, you should click on the “subscriptions uploads” button and see what it does. It will take you to a clearer page that only contains videos from your subscriptions. YouTube will remember your choice, so you can decide between “subscriptions uploads” and “all activity” and you won’t have to switch between them again.
On the right side of the screen, you will see a large featured video, the list of spotlight, trending, and featured videos. A link to the YouTube blog can also be found there. The browse button will take you to the most popular videos of the day, but if you want to take a look at the most popular videos of all time or check out other user statistics, you need to go to the YouTube Charts page.
The main advantage offered by the new YouTube homepage layout is that you won’t miss videos from your subscriptions anymore. Even if a channel uploads more videos at once, they will always appear on your homepage. However, you will have to scroll down more than most people prefer, especially if you are trying to keep up with the activity of multiple channels.