YouTube comment Ghosting

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OutOfPlaceNinja
Posts: 49
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 3:37 pm
Location: USA

YouTube comment Ghosting

Post by OutOfPlaceNinja » Sat Feb 21, 2015 1:39 am

Decided to start this thread to let Troy and all the subscribers who also visit this forum know about comment "ghosting" on YouTube. It is something every YouTuber has likely encountered, without even knowing about it.

A couple of years ago YouTube implemented a spam filtering setup for YouTube comments (around the time they switched to the hideous google+ comment setup). The thought was good but the implementation sucked and still sucks. Basically, the typical YouTuber is limited to between 10-30 comments PER 24 HOUR PERIOD depending on how much they use google+ and other vague factors. If you exceed your limit (which you have no way of knowing of the limit), the remainder of your comments are visible to you, but nobody else. To top it off, if you comment contains a link that is not "approved" (again, no way to know what is approved), it automatically gets marked as spam and it appears to you it was posted but in reality the comment thread original poster or the video uploader has to approve the comment (it has become almost impossible to review a comment or reply that was automatically marked as spam without first approving it). Unless you barely ever use YouTube or are lucky to be using it "right" according to some wizard somewhere behind a desk, most of your comments and replies will never be seen by anyone but you.

This is one reason I have suggested to Troy to promote this forum to his subscribers. This forum is a place where subscribers can go and actually chat with each other all they want without worrying if their posts are going to be seen or not. They only have to worry if their post goes against the rules, is obscene, actually spam, etc.

Everyone who reads this has likely had some of their comments "ghosted". If you are unlucky, your whole account may get marked as a spammer account (even if it's not, it's all automatic) and ALL your comments get marked as spam. I had to abandon one of my YouTube accounts because of this. Due to my high comment activity (nothing spammy, all on topic and legitimate), my whole account was marked and nobody saw any of my comments.

If you want to test if a comment of yours was ghosted: post the comment, wait about 30 seconds (to be sure it had time to post), open a "private browsing window" (if using Firefox) or in some way open a browser window where you are NOT logged into any Google accounts, go to the video you posted your comment on, change the sort order to "Newest first", then look for your comment. If it's not there but is visible when you are logged in, congrats.. your comment has been ghosted.

YouTube has been notified repeatedly by numerous people about these issues since the spam filtering was put in place and YouTube has ignored all complaints. They don't care and seem to have no plans on fixing their broken implementation. Seems it is better to silence fifty innocent people than to let one spammer be heard.

Shootist
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:16 pm
Location: Florida

Re: YouTube comment Ghosting

Post by Shootist » Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:22 pm

Thanks OOPN

I wonder what the heck was going on. What you've indicated is exactly my experience.

Good Day
"Libertarians are such elitists. They think you know how to run your own life better than they do."

techman
Site Admin
Posts: 1329
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 am

Re: YouTube comment Ghosting

Post by techman » Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:12 pm

I had no idea. That explains a lot. I get so many comments in my spam filter on YT. It is so much work its insane. I always wondered how some of my top commenters got into the spam filter without swearing or setting off any sort of filters in YT.

Thank you for sharing that.

The forum is taking off like mad now too. It is a hit.

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