YouTube is undoubtedly one of the most popular video content streaming platforms in the world. Loved by billions of people, YouTube is the perfect place to showcase your skills or post videos that you think are catchy & cute. And since you have invested so much of your time to create the videos, obviously you would want as many people as possible to watch the same.
Having said that, there are times when you (as a video uploader) don’t want the whole YouTube family to watch your video. There can be various reasons that can be categorized in different sections and you want a particular section of viewers to watch the same video. In those cases, you can use the customization settings to make the video available to people as YouTube Private or Unlisted. Yeah!!
YouTube Video Types & YouTube Platform
Everyone is using the same platform (YouTube), yet, many of them are getting reviews in millions & others are in thousands. Obviously, the time, content, video quality, & supporting things matter, however, the video-type-leveraging also plays a vital role that can boost your business (if you are into business). These video types can be as simple as Public to as specific as Private that limits your viewers & let you control your audience.
If you are running a business, there are plenty of questions that go through your mind while posting videos on YouTube. Should I make this public so my friends can also see the video along with the clients? Do I need to make a separate video for clients or share a webinar with them? Do I want my family to see these videos or just the people I’m working with?
So many questions yet you need to find ways to meet all the expectations and publish your videos as well. And the simplest & approachable way is, publishing your videos as Private or Unlisted so you will have full control over the viewers.
What Do You Mean By YouTube Private vs Unlisted?
Since YouTube is a quite popular & big place, millions of users access the platform every hour of the day and it’s still growing. According to the data, it’s the perfect place to let people know what makes you stand tall in the crowd. So let’s understand the video type categories YouTube offers to its users (uploaders):
YouTube Private
As the name suggests, YouTube Private is all about keeping your video visible to a certain number of people (50 in total) . That too, you will need to invite so choose the people wisely before sending the invitation for the video visibility. This goes without say but the YouTube Private videos don’t get listed under video recommendations & search results.
Additionally, it’s not a chain system where the invitees can send the invite link to other people so they can watch the video. Even after saying so, the invitee sends the link to another person, he/she won’t be able to watch it unless they have got the direct link from the uploader.
Also Read: How to Use YouTube in Picture-in-Picture Mode
YouTube Unlisted
Apart from the YouTube Private, another video type YouTube offers is Unlisted that is somewhere between the Private & Public category. Any YouTube video that comes under the YouTube Unlisted video category can’t be seen in video suggestions or search results. However, whoever has the link to the video can watch as well as share the video easily.
That means, in Youtube Unlisted videos, it can work like a chain system where viewers can watch & share the video link to other users as well.
Public
Last but not the least, the Public video category is another section of videos YouTube offers to its uploaders. If you are going ahead with Public type while publishing the video, sky’s the limit for you. You have the whole YouTube world to view your video and more viewers or subscribers is the key to the right direction, we believe. Setting the video’s category Public will bring your video in Google Search results (if someone types in the right keywords). With the right kind of strategic decisions, the Public video category can profit you in many ways.
However, with sweetness comes bitterness & in the social media world, the bitterness has it’s forms in trolls, memes, or mental attack. In case you have posted some compromising videos in the past as Public category on YouTube, your future job possibilities can be lesser or in trouble. And the most important factor while making YouTube videos category Public, even though you delete them from YouTube, they can still be found.
Difference Between YouTube Private & Unlisted
Now that we have got an idea about the YouTube video types, we can take the decision accordingly while publishing videos. Having said that, the above explanation is just an intro to what the video type means. If you are planning to stay on YouTube for a long time & we believe that you do, knowing about them in depth is a necessity. So here we will be talking about the differences between both types of videos, YouTube Private & YouTube Unlisted.
When it comes to social media, the differences can only be measured in the form of what’s it putting on the table. That is why, we will be talking about the advantages you get when you choose either of the YouTube video types to go with. Let’s start with listing down the advantages you get when you go ahead with YouTube Private:
Also Read: YouTube Loading Slow: Here’s How to Fix
Advantages of Creating a Video, “YouTube Private”
YouTube private video can be shared with a particular number of people as well as doesn’t have share features for invitees. So, any content that you believe belongs to a specific group you are a part of & want to share with them only, YouTube Private is the perfect place. Other possibilities can be the secret project or deal your organization is working on or simply a video that’s personal to you, go for YouTube Private. Here are those advantages that can make you go for the YouTube Private more than ever:
1. Own Video Library
Obviously, if you are sharing your personal videos to a limited number of people, those are close to you. And since you have all the control over those videos, soon it will become your own video library. Please know that those videos can be anything from secret project to comic books or art because YouTube doesn’t limit you to not put specific content videos unless they are compromising ones. So whenever you feel like watching them, go to your account and they are easily accessible to you, your own video library.
2. Organization Info Store
Another advantage of making a YouTube Private video is the ease it will bring to you & your colleagues to be on the same page. So in case you are working on a company strategy to achieve something & want a particular group to know about it, YouTube Private is the place for you. Anything from the training videos to management tips & fun meetings, you wouldn’t want everyone to know about them (specifically your competitors).
3. Video Sharing With Loved Ones
In this non-stop world, not everyone you love lives nearby & that is one of the reasons that social media is booming. There are times when you want to share something lovely with your group & you cannot let the whole YouTube family watch it. This is where you choose to go with YouTube Private & send your loved ones the link to watch whatever you have shared. So sharing videos with your family, friends, & loved ones is another advantage you can get with YouTube Private.
4. Storage Space Saving
Not that it’s going to affect you unless you see the RED alert on your device about “not enough storage space to record or download media”. However, when it does, you will start looking for the best & easiest accessible alternatives to store your media. YouTube Private gives you the advantage of storing your personal videos on YouTube directly where you can store as many videos as you wish. Moreover, you are the ultimate decider of who should watch your videos because they need to get the link to watch or else it’s a blank screen for them. So full control over your own videos as well as cleaning out space from the device, I think you just got lucky.
Advantages of Creating a Video, “YouTube Unlisted”
After knowing the possible advantages one can get from YouTube Private, now is the time to know what YouTube Unlisted has to offer. With a few tweaks, Unlisted YouTube videos are about sharing the content with a larger group (than YouTube Private). Additionally, the main feature is to not be found in the search results while someone is looking for the same. So if you want to share some info with a large group of people yet don’t want the video to come in search results, YouTube Unlisted is for you. Till now, you must have found many advantages you can use with Unlisted YouTube videos, however, let’s see the other advantages:
1. Portfolio Sharing With Possibly-Future-Employers
Without a doubt, everyone of us would agree that the Unlisted YouTube category is a gift for users. More than 70% of people are doing jobs in the whole world & they don’t want the current employer to know that they are looking for other options. YouTube Unlisted can help you put in your portfolio in front of prospective employers and your current employer wouldn’t have a slightest idea about it. Isn’t this cool!!
2. Feedback Sharing For Co-Workers
Feedbacks are a very important aspect of running a business (no matter small or big) & it needs to be kept away from people you wouldn’t want to get access to. In case you have a running business where the employee strength is more than 50 people or simply a section you want to share the feedback with, go with Unlisted YouTube videos.
3. YouTube Page Redesigning
Not everyone is too happy with the video he/she made in the starting phase of posting videos on YouTube. So in case you want to untie yourself from those old videos that are embarrassing for you now, the Unlisted YouTube feature is for you. Plus, there are possibilities that the video has been shared or embedded by any of the users and it can be accessed again. So in those cases, if you switch to Unlisted YouTube video, the video visibility will be gone hence no access. Voila!!
Limitations of YouTube Unlisted Videos
Not every feature, app or software is perfect because users have their own expectations & manufacturers cannot amend accordingly. With YouTube Unlisted, one of the limitations is if your video is on playlist, it might appear publicly. Another limitation is a bit riskier because the unlisted YouTube videos get shared on other websites as there is a dedicated website for YouTube Unlisted videos altogether.
How to Change The YouTube Video Privacy Settings
Now that we have learnt about the video types that one can publish on YouTube, it’s important to know how to do so. You need to start the process by logging into the YouTube account & tap on the “Video & +” sign nearby the account profile picture.
Post doing so, choose the Upload Video option from the list & on the same page, you will see the list of making it either Public, Unlisted, or Private.
Choose your appropriate video type accordingly and go ahead with uploading the video on YouTube.
Wrapping Up:
Privacy protection is very important while you are on the internet & one loose end can give you nightmares. From Facebook to Instagram & YouTube, every one of those platforms are popular among users, however, while creating & uploading content, you need to be extra careful. For example, if you want to upload videos on YouTube & control your viewers, set the video privacy settings accordingly.
From YouTube Private to Unlisted YouTube & Public categories define your YouTube family so be careful while doing so.
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Douglas Jones
Very Interesting article about Youtube