Google is preparing to turn its video streaming site YouTube into a social network of sorts, to counter growing opposition from video on Facebook and other services, according to a report published Wednesday.

VentureBeat claims that YouTube is developing a service currently going by the name of Backstage that will allow YouTube users to share photos, polls, links, and text posts with their followers in addition to their videos.

The new service is said to be launching before the end of the year or possibly fall, with an initial release of the service to select popular YouTube accounts before it is rolled out fully to all users.

Updates in Backstage will allegedly appear in a timeline similar to that currently offered by Facebook, and those using the service will be able to offer Backstage-only videos that will offer a way for YouTubers to share exclusive content with fans.

In what could be an interesting twist, posts made on Backstage may also be made available to share on other services, for example, a funny picture shared on YouTube could be sent to Twitter, Facebook, or other services, setting up YouTube to become a hosting service for content a la Instagram or Imgur.

Competition

YouTube’s potential move to become a social network comes during a period that could be described as a gold rush for video views, which is being led by Facebook but sees other players in the mix including Snapchat Inc. and Twitter Inc., all of whom are chasing traffic by enhancing their video offerings.

While YouTube remains the default outlet for video online, Facebook has seen growth in video of 66 percent over the last 12 months and the latter’s push into live video, in particular, has been far more successful than YouTube’s late entry.

The good news for YouTube is that it’s not too late for the service to evolve into a social network of sorts, even if it will never replace Facebook. Becoming a social network will deliver more eyeballs and the ability for YouTube stars to be able to use the service to communicate more directly with their fans.

That said, Google doesn’t exactly have a great record with social networking, having delivered a number of failed services over the years — the last being the still flailing and waiting to be put out of its misery Google+. Adding social networking features to an existing service that has a massive existing user base both in terms of content makers and viewers is a different prospect, and it’s doubtful even Google could mess it up.

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