Does Google have plans to turn YouTube into a Facebook pretender? According to a report by VentureBeat, yes. Dubbed YouTube Backstage, the feature will bring a social media element to the video sharing and hosting site.
The report suggests that Backstage will let users share “photos, polls, links, text posts, and videos with their subscribers”.
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Much like Facebook’s Timeline, Backstage’s content will also be displayed in reverse chronological order, and will become an integral part of the YouTube channel layout. It’s set to gain its own top tab too.
YouTube Backstage will bring Facebook-like content to Google’s video platform
This isn’t simply a cosmetic change for YouTube though. Backstage seems to merge the video sharing platform with Google’s luke-warm Plus platform. Ultimately, it will turn YouTube into a Facebook rival more than ever before. There’s no real indication of what will happen to Google Plus though.
Interestingly, YouTube Backstage’s posts will be sharable on other sites (including Facebook), so Google isn’t planning to lock down the platform’s content to YouTube.
YouTube Backstage is expected to debut by the end of the year.
