Peggy Ks Tips and Tricks

2015 was a busy year at Google. Alphabet became the new parent company with Google just one of its subsidiaries, and naturally that was followed by a new Google logo. There were retirements (Helpouts), major launches (Google Photos, YouTube Gaming) and big changes (Google+, Hangouts).

If you want the big picture, read on and check out the 2015 timeline. I've also put together more detailed overviews of the changes to Google+, Photos, Local Businesses and Pages, YouTube for viewers, YouTube Creators and Partners, live streaming, Hangouts, Blogger and AdSense.

What happened in the Google universe in 2015? 

This year's biggest change? After half a year of streamlining, Google announced that Google+ is no longer the "social layer" across Google products and services. Instead it's going it alone, with a more "focused experience" and an emphasis on content. To that end, 2015 saw the launch of Collections and the ongoing separation of Photos, Hangouts, Local Bu…

Google, Twitter and Facebook look back at 2015. YouTube introduces Donation Cards, Project Fi offers data only SIMs, new Google+ updates for desktop and iOS, and Open Live Writer now supports Blogger. Plus updates and tips for Live Streamers, YouTube Creators, Google+ Collectors, AdSense Publishers, readers, travelers and Nexus lovers.

Image: Christmas Cookies by Kristin Ausk on Flickr, shared under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license

So.many.updates! Shared albums on Google Photos, Featured Post gadget on Blogger, Trending videos on YouTube, new emoji in Android 6.0.1, Reminders in Google Calendar, plus updates for the Google+ web preview, YouTube Gaming, AdSense mobile ads, the Pixel C Android tablet and much more.

It’s that time of the year...
Jingle all the way to Santa's Village (Google Blog)Celebrating what you created, watched and shared in 2015 with #YouTubeRewindAnd the top ads of 2015 on YouTube are...YouTube Rewind Now is the time to sign up for the Christmas Bird Count!

Image: Purple Finch from The birds of America : from drawings made in the United States and their territories (1840) by : Audubon, John James and Bowen, John T.,

This week there are tips for small businesses, new options to view photo spheres and take VR photos, improvements in the new Google+, and easier ways to add images to your Blogger blog and bookmark Google image search results. Plus get tips and updates for AdSense publishers, YouTube creators, live broadcasters and more.

Image detail from stereograph of woman viewing a stereograph:  "The stereograph as an educator - Underwood patent extension cabinet in a home library." (1901)