YouTube Axon 10 ProSource: Jason England / Android Central

What you need to know

  • YouTube is launching a new feature called Profile Cards, which it hopes will encourage users to "explore comments, build connections with others."
  • When scrolling through the comments on a video, you can now click on a person's name to launch their Profile Card.
  • This contains information like their name, subscriber counts, and their entire comment history on the channel in question.

YouTube hopes its new Profile Cards (via TechCrunch) will foster a cooperative spirit among the YouTube community and help them "explore comments, build connections with others, and contribute to a more welcoming YouTube overall." However, it's hard to disregard the potential for abuse and generally troll-like behavior that it could also enable.

With the change, clicking on a user's name or profile picture while scrolling through comments on a video will open up their very own 'Profile Card.' Among other things, it shows blown-up versions of their profile picture and name, alongside their subscriber count.

Far more interesting — and likely to be controversial — is the addition of their comment history on the channel, the first time we've seen such aggregation in YouTube's commenting system. While comments made on other channels will not be included, there is still a potential that, given the oft-contentious nature of YouTube's comments section, the change will open up the possibility for trolls to go through a user's previous comment in search of insults and 'gotcha' moments. Conversely, you could turn the tables on the troll by doing some snooping of your own to discover their weird obsession with collecting snake skins.

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The feature's reception has, so far at least, been positive, however, with many smaller channels looking at it as a way to improve their own visibility by commenting on the work of more popular creators. To that effect, a Profile Card also contains a link to view the commentator's channel, as well as the giant red 'Subscribe' button we've all come to love. If you're already subscribed, on the other hand, the Profile Card will show that, too.

Profile Cards are rolling out on Android first, with other platforms set to follow soon. In addition to this, the company is also rolling out a new option to filter videos in your subscriptions feed, though in this case, the upgrade is coming to iOS first and Android later.

YouTube: Everything you need to know