YouTube is headed additional down the TikTok-ification rabbit gap, however this time it may very well be form of a great factor. The Google-owned video platform is introducing “handles,” a not-so-new, new manner for creators on the positioning to uniquely determine.

Each channel will quickly have it’s personal @deal with that may be tagged in feedback, video descriptions, and neighborhood posts. These handles may also seem on person’s channel pages, and on Shorts posts (once more, much like how TikTok handles at present seem on movies), in response to the corporate’s Monday announcement.

“Unlike channel names, handles are unique to each channel,” the corporate mentioned in a video explaining the change. This implies that handles might grow to be a fast approach to extra simply confirm the identification of an account on the platform, and keep away from movies from rip-off, dupe, and imposter channels. Currently, multiple YouTube channels can share the identical title.

The firm will likely be rolling handles out in such a manner that sure, extra outstanding YouTubers get first dibs. Platform presence, subscriber depend, and up to date exercise stage will all be factored into the order wherein customers obtain their deal with invite. Creators will get a notification when it’s their flip to create a deal with, and everybody can have the choice to decide on their very own @ by November 14, in response to Google’s FAQs on the topic.

A person’s chosen deal with will then grow to be a part of a customized URL, that can be utilized to direct viewers to their channel. Previously, customized URLs have been solely obtainable to accounts with greater than 100 subscribers, however now YouTube says each channel can have one. If an account already had an current, custom-made URL—that title has been robotically reserved for that account as a possible deal with, nevertheless creators can have the possibility to go for a brand new deal with, if most well-liked, as quickly as they obtain notification from YouTube Studio.

Handles may also grow to be a shorthand approach to talk all through the platform by way of feedback, posts, and tags. “Handles will replace channel names throughout the comments section – in the case of both the comment author and someone is mentioned in a comment, they will both be identified by their handle,” clarified YouTube spokesperson Jess Gibby, in an e mail to Gizmodo.

Worth noting is that beforehand, feedback in YouTube confirmed up below peoples’ Google account title—typically only a particular person’s full title. Last 12 months, the corporate made it easier to separate YouTube channels from Google accounts, however the transfer to handles will doubtless make it moreover simpler to take care of your remark part privateness.

The transfer to @handles can also be actually a approach to additional appeal to content material creators away from TikTok and in the direction of Shorts. Last month, YouTube introduced new methods for Shorts creators to monetize their videos by way of advert income, in distinction to TikTok the place customers don’t obtain any cash from the commercials that play earlier than or after their movies.