Last Thursday, popular video site, YouTube, launched a redesign. The feedback on this change has been mixed, with many individuals scratching their heads at how to use the new website. The popular video sharing website introduced a “fresh coat of digital paint” on the website, as a way of making the website simpler. If you’re still confused by all the new features, we are here to help you navigate through the new YouTube.

Layout and Interface

The homepage is the first major change that a majority of YouTube visitors will notice. As you can now see, the home page layout pulls the user’s focus toward the left sidebar. On the side, you see the various social additions YouTube has added. You also see a list of your subscriptions in alphabetical order, for easy reference. However, more customization can be found when clicking “see all”.

This page shows you a full list of your subscriptions. If you want to unsubscribe to a user, just click “subscribed” and you’re done. If you favor certain subscriptions, you can click the thumbtack. This will bring their name(s) to the top of the list. The left side also shows you recommended channels and YouTube’s recommend videos list (trending, popular, and various genres). Yes, it will still recommend people you are already subscribed to, so don’t think it’s a glitch.

New Social Integration

The new layout now allows you to link Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Each network will show various videos shared between your friends/followers. This isn’t full integration, so you can’t update your status or add friends. Some individuals feel that the social networking integration adds to the video watching experience. Videos viewed directly from YouTube’s social networking integration help YouTube generate income. For the user, social integration allows for an organized way of seeing the funny and interesting videos shared in a flood of status, updates, and tweets.

The Channel Features

The new profile design disregards the previous designs and backgrounds creating a brand new design. To keep the same look, you may have to make minor changes to the design. The “about” section is now on the right side. It is smaller than before, so to keep it aesthetically nice, you may want to change your profile bio to fit in, or you’ll have text cut off (unless the user clicks “more”). Below, there is a section that shows you profiles linked to the account. In this case, linked profiles automatically are sent to the respective profile when clicked.

The featured tab will show your main featured video, the feed tab shows any information you share with your subscribers (favorite, liked, shared videos, new uploads etc). Videos section shows all of your uploaded videos. There are various layouts you can choose from. The first choice is creator, showing your featured video and your playlists below. The second is blogger, chronological feed of your videos and activity. Networker layout shows your featured video and the channels in your YouTube “box”. Live layout is geared more toward individuals who broadcast live and “everything” shows all of this in one.

A Vlogger’s Take

At first glance, I had some obvious objections to the new YouTube design. It’s apart of human nature to not like drastic changes. However, the new YouTube layout was a necessary change, signaling YouTube’s new focus. YouTube is now focusing on allowing individuals who create quality material to shine. There were a couple of instances where I made some minor mistakes. For example, when attempting to create a bulletin, I actually commented on my own profile. All in all, just like with Facebook, after individuals get used to it, they’ll appreciate the new layout.