To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing tech highlights from 2015 that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the
week ending May 9, 2015.
Ten years ago this week, YouTube killed subscription collections.
This wasn't a huge change, and I'll bet most folks don't even remember this feature. But I miss it.
Collections launched in 2013 as a way to group your YouTube subscriptions together by topic. When you clicked the collection on the sidebar you would get a feed of content from just the channels in that collection.
So if you were in the mood for tech videos you could select that collection. Or comedy. Or music. Or Let's Plays of your favorite game. Or videos from the friends you know "in real life". You get the idea.
Why did YouTube get rid of subscription collections? The original announcement was either on Google+ or on the old YouTube help community platform, which are both long gone.
My guess is that not enough people were using it. That's a pretty safe bet, because lack of use is always part of the reason. I'm not sure most people like organizing as much as I do.
Over time, your subscriptions accumulate.
There are more videos in your subscription feed than you can watch.
And some channels you subscribed to years ago you might not even be interested in any more.
Do you want to take time to clean up your subscriptions? Probably not.
On the YouTube Home page you see videos from channels you subscribe to, and others that YouTube thinks you will be interested in. It's based on what YouTube's algorithms have determined you are likely to want to watch.
Recently YouTube has been testing letting you see the "Most Relevant" videos on your subscriptions tab, which seems like a nice compromise between a chronological subscription feed and algorithmic feed. Of course some folks don't like that either.
Tip: If you really miss YouTube's subscription collections, You can use a feed reader (like Feedly) that lets you organize feeds into folders or groups and then add YouTube channel RSS feeds. You don't even need to subscribe to those channels.
Ten years ago this week, YouTube killed subscription collections.
This wasn't a huge change, and I'll bet most folks don't even remember this feature. But I miss it.
Collections launched in 2013 as a way to group your YouTube subscriptions together by topic. When you clicked the collection on the sidebar you would get a feed of content from just the channels in that collection.
So if you were in the mood for tech videos you could select that collection. Or comedy. Or music. Or Let's Plays of your favorite game. Or videos from the friends you know "in real life". You get the idea.
Why did YouTube get rid of subscription collections? The original announcement was either on Google+ or on the old YouTube help community platform, which are both long gone.
My guess is that not enough people were using it. That's a pretty safe bet, because lack of use is always part of the reason. I'm not sure most people like organizing as much as I do.
And it’s not lost on me that YouTube's subscription collections were shut down
just a couple weeks after
Google+ Collections launched. Coincidence? Maybe. Naming things isn't one of Google's strong
points.
Is there a need for subscription collections?
How to find and access your collections,
YouTube Help Center, March 2015
There is a real problem that the collections helped address:
Over time, your subscriptions accumulate.
There are more videos in your subscription feed than you can watch.
And some channels you subscribed to years ago you might not even be interested in any more.
Do you want to take time to clean up your subscriptions? Probably not.
That was true 10 years ago, and it's even more true today
as YouTube turns 20.
Not surprisingly, back in 2015 the people who used the collections used them a
lot, and were really upset by the change.
One poster on Reddit even suggested a workaround of creating a new YouTube channel for each Collection, and then you would switch between those channels to watch videos, which doesn't sound sustainable.
One poster on Reddit even suggested a workaround of creating a new YouTube channel for each Collection, and then you would switch between those channels to watch videos, which doesn't sound sustainable.
To notify people of the change, the banner on the Subscription tab on YouTube
stated:
“On May 20, 2015 we’ll discontinue collections, as we’ll focus on other efforts to make your subscriptions even more enjoyable.”
“On May 20, 2015 we’ll discontinue collections, as we’ll focus on other efforts to make your subscriptions even more enjoyable.”
So YouTube acknowledged that there needed to be some kind of improvement. I'm
not sure what those other efforts have been exactly, but I have some thoughts.
The view from 2025
In 2021
YouTube tested an
updated version of subscription collections.
The solution seems to be a better algorithm.
On the YouTube Home page you see videos from channels you subscribe to, and others that YouTube thinks you will be interested in. It's based on what YouTube's algorithms have determined you are likely to want to watch.
People complain about algorithmic feeds all the time, but the reality is that
unless you have the time and interest to watch every video from the channels
you subscribe to, a good algorithm is going to surface the videos you are
actually interested in watching.
It’s not just YouTube. An engaging algorithm is part of TikTok’s secret sauce. And platforms like Instagram and Threads and Pinterest default to an algorithmic feed as well.
It’s not just YouTube. An engaging algorithm is part of TikTok’s secret sauce. And platforms like Instagram and Threads and Pinterest default to an algorithmic feed as well.
But collections is an idea that hasn't fully disappeared. Back in 2021
YouTube
tested an updated version of subscription collections, but that was never implemented.
Recently YouTube has been testing letting you see the "Most Relevant" videos on your subscriptions tab, which seems like a nice compromise between a chronological subscription feed and algorithmic feed. Of course some folks don't like that either.
Maybe there isn't a solution that will make everyone happy.
Tip: If you really miss YouTube's subscription collections, You can use a feed reader (like Feedly) that lets you organize feeds into folders or groups and then add YouTube channel RSS feeds. You don't even need to subscribe to those channels.
References
The unofficial Google Operating System blog, 14 May 2015: YouTube Discontinues Collections
YouTube Help Center, March 2015:
Collections
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