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November 21, 2011

YouTube Tests a New Homepage

YouTube experiments with a new homepage that makes it easy to filter the videos from your subscriptions, social networks and your account from the homepage. YouTube calls the new homepage a guide, probably because it recommends new channels. There's even a page that lets you browse popular channels by category, including a list of recommended channels.

The nice thing about the new homepage is that you can click an option from the left sidebar and the corresponding videos are displayed without opening a new page. Now you can quickly access the list of videos you liked or your history, the latest videos from a channel and the most popular YouTube videos directly from the homepage. Unfortunately, the updated YouTube.com doesn't look great when you're not signed in since most features are missing and YouTube emphasizes the "sign in" button.





YouTube also updated video pages. The background is now light gray, just like on the homepage. Buttons are embossed, there are new icons for the buttons and for the full screen/larger player options.


To try the redesigned homepage and the updated interface of the video pages, edit the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie for youtube.com and use the following value: ST1Ti53r4fU. For example, in Google Chrome, go to YouTube's homepage, open the JavaScript console (Ctrl+Shift+J or Menu > Tools > JavaScript Console) and paste the following code:

document.cookie="VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=ST1Ti53r4fU";

Then press Enter, close the console and reload YouTube's homepage.

You can also use extensions like Edit this cookie (Chrome) or Cookies Manager (Firefox). Opera's cookie manager is really advanced, so you don't need an extension to edit cookies.

To go back to the old interface, open your browser's cookie manager, search for youtube.com and delete the VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE cookie.

{ Thanks, Emerson and Mushaf.}

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for half review half tutorial to the new youtube homepage. It sure does look nice, and much much cleaner. I can easily see my different videos now as compared before. Although it kind of loads a little slower for me since the update, but I think that's fine.

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  2. I still cannot believe Google has not embedded the +1 button inside the player! It makes so much sense to have it on the player itself.

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  3. And Youtube got a new logo/icon!

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  4. Really much look forward to YouTube new design as I like redesign which was done for GMail interface, Analytics and Adsense interface and Youtube obviously will continue design pattern.

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  5. I tried the new YouTube layout over the weekend and while I think it looks kind of cool, I don't like that now subscriptions are grouped with liked, favorite, and commented videos not just by me but by friends and subscriptions.

    I liked a video and it now appears on the homepage. I don't need to see that I liked a video! Maybe that'll change, but as it is now it's kind of useless to have that.

    I went back to the old/current layout.

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  6. unlike reader, youtube gets to keep its like button?

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  7. Most likely not Anonymous, integration between Google+ and Youtube will be the same as Google reader, all of Youtube current social features will disappear with Google+ replacing them, but but Youtube much larger number of users (and greater revenues) this will be done a lot slower over several months and we will see loads of prototypes before it is release.

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  8. How do you activate the new hompage on Safari please ?

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  9. all i want is the new layout with the old homepage subscriptions page, thats it

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  10. VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE=PRiXcp9Bc-g is another experimental page

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  11. Very Nice Youtube layout and Design

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  12. I cannot seem to delete items from the homepage.
    After I watch something I cannot delete it. you might want to look into that.

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  13. Good Bye YouTube!
    :o(

    This interface is the worst YouTube ever had!

    Endless scrolling, no close button, new uploads are NOT sorted by channels, no indicator for viewed item, the whole page is _very_ slow - eats up 70-90% of a 2.2GHz P4M when scrolling, and so on.

    These are the main unbearable "features". Many more are messed up. I had about 20 subscriptions and I simply can not follow the new uploads so, for me YouTube just became unusable.

    I simply do not understand what is happening.
    Google what are you looking for?

    The good news is that I found out a workaround: I am not using YouTube subscriptions anymore and switch to RSS feeds from the uploader's sites/blogs.

    Also, being so wrong with their usability, these new YouTube interface might lead to a flourish of new video hosting websites. Diversity is always good for evolution.

    Good bye now dinosaurs, I am looking for the new bloom!
    :o)

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  14. Sorry to say but the new youtube is a big disappointment. It moves away from an average user and wants to please those who pay for it. The new channels are horrible. Is there any other option? Bye bye youtube, I will miss you...

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  15. i don't really like the new layout...

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