DeAno's Perspective: The Google+ Takeover

Google+ comments are live on YouTube, which is a great thing that provides easier threaded commenting and more control over where your comments go and who can see them, and for the content creators provides more ways than ever to monitor discussions around their videos, stop racist/homophobic trash from ever appearing on their videos at all, makes audience interaction easier and more seamless than ever, and generally provides a better experience for all involved.

This hasn't come without complaints, so I thought I'd go ahead and address the main issue that I see popping up, as well as clear up a critical misunderstanding.

The main issue/misunderstanding that I'm seeing from people goes something like this: "I don't want a Google+ account!  All I want is a YouTube account!"  Let me make this totally 100% crystal clear: There is no such thing as just a YouTube account.  Back in 2011, VP of Product Management +Bradley Horowitz said in an interview with Wired that Google+ is Google.  People either forgot or thought that he was kidding, so let me lay it out for you.  If you think of +Google+ as just a social network or basically Google's version of Facebook, you're not seeing the big picture.  Google+ is the backbone for each and every service/product offered by Google.  Everything from YouTube to Google Calendar to Gmail to Hangouts to Blogger to Android to Maps to Drive - everything ties back to Google+.  To not want a Google+ account is to not want an account on any of Google's services whatsoever - they are one and the same.

If you choose not to use the social aspects of G+, so be it!  No one is forcing you to even touch the stream, and there are millions of G+ account holders that opt not to.  It's there for you if you want it, and if not it's really not that big of a deal.  The important thing that you need to realize is this how it's going to be from here on out.  Google+ is Google, and that's just the way it is.