The YouTube comment section is a weird place. As much as we’d like to avoid it in some cases, sometimes we just have to contribute to a discussion. However, YouTube threads aren’t very well organized – so how do you tag someone to make sure they know you are talking to them?
Not long ago, you’d be able to type “+” and the name of the person you wanted to tag. This would have created a tag with a link to the person’s Google+ profile. However, if you try this today, you will see that this doesn’t work anymore. Some other users were just as confused as I was and have asked about this in the Google product forum
This is the answer they received:
“YouTube is in the process of disconnecting Google+ from YouTube, and one of the features that will not work anymore is tagging with the + symbol.”
So, unfortunately, this means that tagging on YouTube is, in fact, not possible anymore. The only way to still tag someone in a legit way is to hit “reply”. This, however, isn’t always our intention: Maybe we want to create a post that tags several people, or we want to tag someone in a post that’s not a reply to them. In this case, there’s nothing we can do.
Is it going to stay this way?
Let’s hope not. The YouTube commenting system really needs a ton of work – and not just in when it comes to tagging . So in the best case, the reason why Google removed G+ is because they want to implement a new solution. In the worst case, we’re gonna be stuck with this underwhelming comment system for a long time.
In any case, this article will be updated if anything about the tagging feature changes.
Thanks, I just tried tagging someone on youtube in about 5 different ways, won’t work. Surely there’s another way? Anyway good lookin’ out, money.
i am jaw dropped you can’t tag someone/a business etc. .. like wtf? we can send a TESLA into space but we can’t TAG SOMEONE ON YOUTUBE?????? SMFH
Um, clicking “reply” doesn’t even work like that. You can’t even reply to sub-comments any more on YouTube. You can only reply to the main comment and manually type out the username of who you’re replying to in plaintext so it’s clear who you’re addressing. Truly a pathetic and dysfunctional system. YouTube feels like they have a monopoly so they don’t care about user experience, or fulfilling basic functionality, or having features of simple, important convenience. Quality and customer satisfaction is a concept beneath them. “Our users would like to reply to each other in the comment section? Who cares? They’ll just have to figure out some method to manually do so themselves.” Unbelievable. What a trashy low-quality company.
I was going to make this point too. Sometimes (SOMETIMES) when you click reply it actually tags that person, putting their user name before your text and sending them a notification that you are replying to them but so rarely. Its luck on my end whether or not this works and seems to work better in the youtube app. 🙁 Very frustrating because sometimes I would like to try and have conversations with these people about what they had to say or ask them questions. Youtube Fail.
I couldn’t agree more with you. So frustrating.
Too bad Youtube doesn’t seem to care about their users…
Their customers are their advertisers anyway, so it’s no big surprise — but their users runaway…?
But where to? Vimeo, of course — but I doubt there’s too many people willing to do that, amongst the few people actually aware there’s competition…
So Youtube can keep doing whatever they like, noone will do anything against it.
Google+ has indeed created a nightmare for anyone wanting to tag and/or respond back to a specific individual on YouTube. However, I feel a sense of urgency when it comes to Google resolving this ongoing issue as quickly as possible. The reason I say this, is because the Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has recently warned that Russia is *already* interfering in the 2018 midterm elections and that the U.S. is ill-prepared to combat it! That goes for Russian Trolls not only invading FB and Twitter but also on ‘YouTube’ as well. I know this to be true because I for one ran into Russian Trolls on YouTube during the last election! So yes, I feel it is imperative on Google’s part to allow American Youtubers to *easily* tag individuals in order to cut down on the confusion of whom we are addressing. Please Google, now more then ever, we really need your support on this ongoing YouTube issue…
Kathy, I agree this needs to be fixed and is so bloody frustrating to everyone day youtube users. However, I’m at a loss as to what on earth this has to do with an election in America let alone what it has to do with Russians???? Geez, paranoid much? Lol