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Creators: Get the latest tips, tutorials and updates!

Are you a video creator, blogger, content collector or curator? Subscribe to get news and tutorials for YouTube, Blogger, AdSense, and creator tools, social media, and more every week!  Learn more about me . Last updated April 2024
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Creator Weekly: Ready (or not) for the US Election, YouTube Badges & Ad Defaults, Twitch Labels for Politcal Content

As we head into the US Presidential Election, many online platforms are trying to head off misinformation by limiting political ads, ramping up policy enforcement, or are proactively sharing authoritative information. Will it make a difference? I hope so. There are also updates this week for Twitch, YouTube, AdSense, Google Search, Instagram and more. 🎧 Listen to this week’s newsletter                  📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email Top news and updates this week Everything you need to know about YouTube Badges Update your AdSense email preferences Online platforms are ready (or not) for the US Presidential Election Twitch expands Content Classification Labels to include politics and sensitive social issues. YouTube is changing the default settings for livestream ads. YouTube Partners should check their defaults! YouTube Studio Comments tab is getting a big update. The YouTube Studio mobile app has a redesigned Content tab. Instagram lowers the resolution o

Earn YouTube Achievement Badges by Taking Quizzes, Joining Memberships, Commenting and more

🏆  YouTube now has achievement badges! Two weeks ago YouTube announced a whole slew of new features, mostly aimed at viewers.  One of those new features is achievement badges, which you can earn by taking quizzes, commenting, being an early channel Member, taking courses and listening to music.  Note that the badges are currently only available in the Android and iOS apps, and not on YouTube on the web.  Here's a quick overview , with more details below. How can you earn a YouTube Badge? There are five ways to earn a badge:  Answer YouTube quiz questions correctly (you can get started by taking my weekly quiz! ) Be one of the first people to join a channel's Membership program Complete a course on YouTube by watching all the course videos (find free and paid courses ) Have one of a select set of creators heart one of your comments (no, I don't know which creators) Be a top listener for one of a select

Platforms Prepare for the US Presidential Election

Tuesday, November 5 is US Election day. It has been a very online election season, and many platforms report that they are taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation and promote election integrity. Google, TikTok, and other companies work with Democracy Works , a nonpartisan nonprofit to provide official election and voting information. Google, Meta and Microsoft say they are trying to label and otherwise inform the public about AI-generated deepfakes, but from what I've observed, that has been pretty hit or miss. It's not clear what, if any, role AI-powered misinformation might play in affecting votes or voter turnout. Here is an overview of what the big companies are doing before, during, and after the US elections. The big themes:  Recommending authoritative sources for US election information.  Limiting US election-related ads before and/or after the election.  Blocking election-related queries in AI features on Google and YouTube. Emphasizing policy enforcement

Creator Weekly: Halloween Treats, Canva Updates, YouTube Shorts Polls

Happy almost Halloween! I will have candy for the trick-or-treaters, but I’m not sure about a costume. Maybe I could be something scary like social media? Or maybe I will stick online with the spooky Halloween filters and backgrounds and other treats. There are also updates for YouTube Shorts, monetizing YouTube Partners, Canva, Google Photos and more. 🎧 Listen to this week’s newsletter                  📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email Top news and updates this week Halloween treats from around the web. YouTube Shorts polls stickers. Google Photos shows AI edit details. New AI-powered Canva features, including text-to-image and automated captions. Canva integration with Google Workspace. Filter YouTube realtime views by format type. AdSense ad blocking controls in YouTube Studio. TikTok STEM feed for adults in US, UK and Ireland. Spotify gives podcast creators more control over listener comments. Sitelinks search box in Google Search results is going away. Threads ins

Creator Weekly: YouTube Playlist Collabs, Adobe Firefly Video, Pixel Camera

Hi all! This week YouTube announced a bunch of updates for viewers, Adobe announced Firefly video and other tools, camera updates for the latest Android and specifically Pixel phones, plus updates for Instagram, Threads, X and a lot more. During last week’s live stream, I tried something new. There’s a segment on understanding YouTube Analytics revenue data, based on a question from viewer and reader Braylen. Check it out here and let me know what you think? Should I answer more questions? Do you have a question? You can post a comment or reply to this newsletter to let me know. 🎧 Listen to this week’s newsletter .                 📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email. Top news and updates this week You can now upload your longer YouTube Shorts New YouTube features: improved collaborative playlists, Badges, immersive channel pages on TV, and more. YouTube “captured with a camera” label for unedited video. Updates from Adobe MAX for Firefly Video, Premiere, Photoshop and m

Creator Weekly: YouTube Shorts, Threads Moderation Woes, Meet Beta, Docs Tabs

Happy Saturday all! I hope any of you in Florida made it through the latest storms. This week there are multiple updates for YouTubers, Twitch streamers, and bloggers, plus a major update to Google Docs, an Authenticity app from Adobe and an opportunity to beta test Google Meet features. 🎧 Listen to this week’s newsletter                  📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email Top news and updates this week Join the Google Meet Android Beta Program. YouTube Shorts Templates and Trends rolling out. Twitch added Enforcement Notes to the Community Guidelines. More WordPress versus WP Engine (just skip over that section if you are tired of it all). The Internet Archive is under attack. Adobe Content Authenticity web app and Chrome extension to label and view image and video details. X shifts monetization from ad revenue sharing to engagement. Threads is working on its engagement bait problem. Threads is working on it’s broken content review system for supposed policy violations.