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Week in Review - June 6, 2015: Your photos and videos at Google, Google+ removed from Google navigation bar

This week photos and videos at Google got a closer look, including the new Google Photos, and uploads to YouTube, Maps, Blogger and Hangouts. Meanwhile Google+ was removed from the Google navigation bar, joining YouTube, Maps and Calendar and other Google products in the app launcher.  And there are tips and updates to improve your productivity and keep your account secure. Read on!

YouTube

  • June 15-26: YouTube Creators: take your video productions with the YouTube Production Skills boot camp
  • See the future of YouTube - try the redesigned video player
  • Free unlimited video uploads: Google Photos or YouTube? It depends on how, what, and why you are uploading (G+ discussion of my post here)
  • Import your videos and movie creations from Google Photos to your YouTube channel (G+ discussion of my post here)

Photos

  • Google Photos: free unlimited High Quality photos or Original quality? (Google Top Contributor Program)
  • Google Photos: you can save - or dismiss - suggested collages, animations, stories and movies
  • Your photos on Google Maps: Views will be retired, you will be able to manage your photos through Google Maps and a new Street View app will be launched
  • Also see my Photos-related posts relating to YouTube, Blogger, and Hangouts!

Google+ 

  • Is Google+ REALLY Dying? And What the Heck are Collections? (an interview with Google Community Manager Moritz Tolxdorff at Geeks Life)
  • The share-to-Google+ box has been removed from the top toolbar across Google products
  • The +Name link to your Google+ stream in the Google navigation bar is gone, but you can still get to Google+ from the app launcher, just like other Google services

Blogger and Webmasters

  • Blogger posting: insert an image from Google Photos, Google+ Photos or Picasa Web Albums (G+ discussion of my post here)
  • Do you know where your Blogger blog images are stored? Google+ Plus Photos and Picase Web Albums, but NOT the new Google Photos (G+ discussion of my post here)
  • The no CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA protects your website or blog without requiring users to decipher and type a word
  • English Google Webmasters Office Hours (Hangout on Air video)

AdSense

Hangouts

Google Voice and Project Fi

  • Voicemail anywhere: listen to your Google Voice or Project Fi voicemail in Gmail (Scott Greenstone)

Security and Privacy

  • Google and your privacy: What does Google do with your personal information and data?
  • Are you the product? Google employees don't think of you that way, even if you aren't paying for services (Brian White)

Productivity

  • Reminders in Google Keep will now appear in Inbox by Gmail
  • Updated Google Drive app for iOS
  • Google Translate now lets you listen to the translation a little slower
  • Hundreds of free fonts in Google Docs and Slides
  • Yahoo product housecleaning: Yahoo Maps site to close, but maps will still be integrated with Flickr and other services 
For more, follow me on Google+ or Twitter
Updated March 2019 to remove Google+ links

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