Perhaps feeling Hulu-induced pressure, YouTube announced some changes yesterday that will lead to a…hmmm, shall we call it a “classier” experience than what we’ve become accustomed to on the site?
Firstly, YouTube announced that “videos that are considered sexually suggestive, or that contain profanity, will be algorithmically demoted on our ‘Most Viewed,’ ‘Top Favorited,’ and other browse pages.”
If you ask me, this can only be a good thing.
Taking another step in this same direction though, YouTube also announced a change to what they call “Improved Thumbnails.”
By thumbnail, I am referring to the still image we see before a video runs, which is how viewers pick it out from search results or related video lists and so forth. As far as video search optimization goes, the video thumbnail is obviously a pretty important tool in compelling people to click on your video — sort of like how we choose the magazine off a newsstand based on the cover.
To call this change an improvement though is definitely YouTube’s opinion; I’m sure there are quite a few content producers out there who see it differently.
Here’s why: Essentially, what YouTube has done is to take control away from video content producers with regard to being able to plan their video thumbnail options. That’s because in the past, those three images you were given to choose from once your video was uploaded were not random: They were generated at the frame exactly 1/4, 1/2 and ¾ way through any video.
Well, YouTube apparently got sick of people manipulating their videos to feature a bikini-clad female at the mid-way point of their video (even though the rest of the video was on where you should buy some $2,500 Internet marketing course). 
So, no more. Now the three thumbnail options you are given will be generated “algorithmically” – meaning we no longer have any control over our choices.
This is not a huge deal, as most often, the time you had to spend fiddling with your video in the editing process in order to insure a good thumbnail choice was not worth it (more for your sanity’s sake).
My advice now?
In the end, I would just go with the rule that when you are given three random options for your video thumbnail, your best bet is to choose the one that is the clearest (or in other words, of high video quality), and ideally your choice should have at least a person or face in it. (No, no bikini clad chick required.)
I have just gone and updated YouTube Secret Weapon to reflect this change (we had an entire chapter devoted to this).
R.I.P Thumbnail Control 