14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube received a new set of updates that are improving the online video sharing service's offering and, at the same time, they are increasing the browsing experience. First of all, the homepage was updated with thumbnails, allowing you to view the users watching YouTube clips. "Now you can see thumbnails of videos your fellow users are watching in real-time. In addition, the user message center now displays alert notifications for friend requests, new messages, video responses, and videos received to your account," the YouTube team sustained.
Then, the search and the upload layout were redesigned, helping you to manipulate their functions easier. Basically, the upload is now describing every step in detail, providing drop-down menus that allow you to customize the process. Also, the search is now offering two ways of organizing the search results using the "List View" and the "Grid View" buttons.
"We've beta released a new version of our watch page! Major changes include: increased video player size, more videos from that user's channel are more easily accessible, and related videos are more prominently displayed. We also simplified the actions appearing underneath the video player and redesigned QuickLists," the YouTube team described the updates.
In addition, the parent company Google debuted a new TestTube project, Adobe Remixer, that allows you to edit your uploaded clips and customize them. For example, you can add borders, effects and some eye-candy pictures without an advanced knowledge of video editing. As usual, the function is available for free and accessible through an online interface.
Since Google acquired YouTube in October 2006, the online video sharing service received a lot of functions that consolidated its leader position. Take the recently-released beta interface of the website that improves its functionality and adds a few more features for the registered members.