When the video-sharing site YouTube.com was sold to Google, many of its users worried that corporate ownership would restrict the content of its videos. But now one of YouTube's corporate partners is changing the ways that users comment on those videos instead.
YouTube, which is host to many official CBS video clips under an October licensing agreement with the network, has changed its layout for some of the Web pages with CBS videos. Most YouTube videos are embedded on Web pages that allow viewers to read user comments, with some of them listed directly below the video. These comments can range from the coherent ("That was hilarious.") to the, er, less-so ("omg lol!") to the profane.
The comments on many of the videos posted by CBS have now been moved to a separate page; instead of sample comments underneath the videos, a link to "view all comments" takes users to a separate Web page where they can read comments without watching the video at the same time.
CBS began moving and filtering comments on some videos in mid-October, shortly after announcing its licensing agreement with YouTube, in order to remove "profane, unconstructive criticism," and off-topic political vitriol, said Quincy Smith, the president of CBS Interactive.
To many users of sites like YouTube, of course, being profane, unconstructive, off-topic and vitriolic is the point.
"We just want to make sure the front page is a little bit cleaner," Mr. Smith said, adding that comments containing certain profanities are caught by an automatic filter, while the remaining comments are then vetted by someone who works at CBS or YouTube and moved to the separate page. "We thought it was a better user experience, and it gives us a second to weed out the completely unuseful comments."
CBS is not the only content provider on YouTube to filter out "spam" messages from the user comments; representatives from YouTube confirmed that the Web site will often use such filters if complaints are raised.
"CBS continues to be one of YouTube's most important partners, but our community remains what's most important above all," said Suzie Reider, the chief marketing officer of YouTube, in an e-mail statement. "We work with all our partners, CBS included, to provide insight in what content will foster an environment that our community will be most responsive to."
The CBS deal with YouTube, part of many media companies' attempts to exploit the video site that distributed their copyrighted content, has so far yielded positive results for the network. According to an announcement the companies made on Nov. 21, CBS videos were among some of the most-viewed content on the site during the first month of partnership.
Mr. Smith said that CBS was trying to provide the best possible interactive experience for the viewers, noting that many YouTube users' critical comments are passed around the network. "We've got to encourage more feedback," he said. "I don't want to mess with the YouTube experience." MARIA ASPAN
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