Stories feature was a format introduced by Snapchat. But when its popularity seemed to be obvious, Stories have then been adopted by Instagram, Skype, Facebook, Messenger and others, even some dating apps.
And if that wasn't a huge blow for Snapchat that popularized it in the first place, the feature is also making its way to the video-streaming service YouTube.
YouTube's version of Stories, is called 'Reels.' While it's clear that Reels is a spin off of Snapchat's Stories, it's not entirely an exact copy.
First of all, Reels don't live at the top of the app. Other platforms that have copied Snapchat's Stories have put their own versions of Stories up and prominent on their respective apps.
But for YouTube, this isn't the case. Instead, the video-streaming service is putting it on a separate tab on the creator’s channel.
Similar to Community itself, it's up to the viewers if they want to see them or not. This is where viewers have the option to abide or neglect the feature. So here, the Reels feature don't have that same experience like Stories on other platforms, where they weren't as welcome.
However, if users engage with Reels, YouTube will take that engagement as a signal that users are expecting them more often.
This can trigger Reels to show on YouTube's home page as recommendations, said YouTube.
The second distinct approach to Stories with Reels, is that Reels is introducing a video format that allows YouTube creators to express themselves and engage with fans, without having to post a full video.
And unlike Stories on other platforms, YouTube creators can create multiple Reels which won’t expire.
This is where the differences end.
Using Reels, video creators can shoot a quick video, which can be as long as 30 seconds each, then add filters, text, music and more. Including some YouTube-made stickers.
Initially launched in beta, Reels is an expansion of YouTube Community tab that is open to all creators with over 10,000 subscribers.
YouTube Community that was introduced earlier, is like a mini social network within YouTube’s larger social network. Community lives on a creator’s channel in its own tab, allowing them to share updates using text, photos, GIFs, polls, and more.
The audience can then thumbs up or down the content, as they do videos, and also comment on the posts.
Also to Community, YouTube is changing how posts work and how they are displayed to viewers. With the update, creators' most engaged viewers will see Community posts in their Home feed on YouTube, even if they’re not subscribed to the channel.
YouTube also said that notifications are optimized so fans aren't anymore spammed with every new Community post.
YouTube said that it’s experimenting with a beta version of Reels with a limited set of creators before expanding it to more people. So the final product may end up looking different
