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Why it matters: YouTube Communities allows creators to form mini-social networks on their respective channels. While third-party sites like Patreon and Discord are safe for now, one could see YouTube beefing up this feature to compete more directly with those sites.
YouTube held its annual "Made on YouTube" event and announced several new features for 2024. Chief among those is Communities, a feature that may provide mild competition to Discord.
Communities is a space for YouTube creators and their fans to interact in a forum-like setting reminiscent of apps like Discord. Fans can create content and posts inside the creator's Community space. Each post has a comment section similar to what Facebook provides. It's almost like creators can form their own mini social media network.
Creators have full moderation rights to protect their brands, but it does allow a more direct relationship between YouTubers and their fan base. Creators can set guidelines regarding behavior and content to avoid things getting out of hand. This feature is limited to the channel's subscribers to make it more exclusive and reduce random trolling.
The feature isn't to be confused with the existing Community tab, which allows people to comment on posts the creator made. YouTube Head of Design Whitney Taylor wrote that most conversations in the Community tab revolve around recent videos. Communities tries to foster general conversation about topics that interest the creator. For example, a TechSpot Community may see many people posting about PC gaming, parts, or help with specific builds.
"Another consistent theme was the desire for belonging – people want a place where they feel included and understood by like-minded peers," Taylor wrote. "We recognize the importance of balancing vibrant engagement with an environment where you can express yourself authentically, whether you're sharing something, asking a question, or just hanging out."
YouTube is already testing Communities with a "small, varied set of channels." One example had a cooking-centered creator challenge fans to try new recipes, with many people posting pictures of their concoctions. Another example involved a community of women sharing progress photos on their fitness journey.
Communities is an intriguing way for YouTube creators to build their fanbase without constantly creating content themselves. From a business perspective, it keeps viewers on YouTube instead of forming communities on external websites like Discord or Patreon. More engagement on the site could lead to higher ad revenue and Premium subscriptions.
That said, Discord still offers several features that YouTube Communities doesn't have (for now), such as creating different rooms (channels) to focus on various topics. Discord also allows server owners to create special hidden channels limited to specific users, like Patreon subscribers. Communities are open to anyone who subscribes to the channel, but this could change down the road.
While the company is still testing with a small group of creators on mobile devices, it plans to expand access to additional channels by early 2025.