Having received positive feedback on a ‘Google-wide’ identity offered to new users in March, YouTube is now rolling out the ability to sync your Google+ and YouTube account identities, first in the US and then worldwide.
Having been around since 2005, YouTube has seen the social web grow from a place where users went by unrecognisable names like ‘ilovecatzzz1972’ to one where people are happy just to be themselves.
New users to the site have been offered the chance to create an account based on their Google+ details since March, but now all users will soon be afforded the opportunity to be themselves on YouTube.
This means users can drop a silly username they’ve been stuck with since their teens and be recognised and discovered by their actual given name on the video website.
Knowing that some users may have been taking advantage of the anonymity of a username and posted comments or videos they don’t want associated with their ‘real’ selves, users that link their Google+ accounts will also be given the chance to review past activity and filter anything that they don’t want to be associated with.
The identity change is optional, and any YouTuber that wants to keep their made-up moniker is welcome to do so.
This will be rolled out across the US first, reaching other accounts later, and is currently not available for brands and organisations.
