According to creator economy expert Lindsey Gamble, YouTube has begun beta testing a new “Community Spaces” feature to foster deeper connections between creators and their audiences. This dedicated area allows creators and viewers to share posts, interact, and engage in conversations outside traditional comment sections.

The platform has granted select creators, including FroggyCrossing, access to the beta version. Users can filter posts within a Community by Top, Latest, and Creator Posts, with options for both public and private communities.

Community Spaces combines elements from various social platforms, offering an experience that blends aspects of Reddit, Instagram Broadcast Channels, and Facebook Groups. According to Gamble, this native feature addresses YouTube’s lack of direct messaging capabilities, potentially enhancing creator-fan relationships.

The new tool may also strengthen YouTube’s Subscription offering if creators gain the ability to paywall access, potentially reducing reliance on third-party platforms like Patreon for community engagement.

For creators, Community Spaces offers insights into audience preferences and feedback. By observing discussions, Gamble believes content creators can refine their strategies, identify popular themes, and experiment with new ideas based on community input.

This development follows YouTube’s recent focus on its short-form post feature, Community Posts. Over the past year, the platform has expanded access to Community Posts, introduced new tools like Polls and Quizzes, and created a dedicated feed for this content type.

As the beta test progresses, YouTube advises interested parties to “stay tuned as opportunities to participate become available.”