Peggy K's Creator News

This week Google Photos launched auto-created albums and the option to add maps, locations and text to your albums. Google also made the Nik Collection of professional Photoshop plugins free. Google+ updated Android and iOS apps. Gmail rolled out new security features. Plus there are tips and updates for video creators, webmasters, live broadcasters, and much much more. Contact your loved ones in Belgium and Turkey Free phone calls to Belgium and Turkey via Hangouts, Hangouts Dialer and Google Voice AT&T And Verizon Offer Free Calls And Texts To Belgium Following Terror Attack [Update: Sprint And T-Mobile Too] (Android Police) Image: Detail from "Still life of fruit and flowers with animals" by David de Koninck (late 17th c) (Public Domain)

This week there were a couple nice updates for Google Apps customers: you can now host Hangout video calls with up to 25 participants and you can provide temporary access to a document through Google Drive or Docs by setting an expiration date. And for us non-Apps users: Google+ web preview added the option to search within a Community and improved the search for Communities. The Picasa desktop app was officially retired. You can now allow ads in your AdSense Matched Content units. Plus tips and updates for YouTube, Blogger, AdMob, Small Businesses, Google Photos, Google Maps and more. Image Four-leaf shamrock, the legendary Clover. By 廖翊娟 on WIkimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Spring is on the horizon and change is in the air! This week Google+ launched the Google+Create program to showcase inspiring creators, the Android G+ app now has better Circle Stream access, and Chris Poole (4chan’s moot) joined Google. All Google’s official blogs are migrating from blogspot.com to their own domain - but they are still hosted by Blogger. And the Android N Developer Preview is available - join the Android Beta program to try it out. Other nice updates: Project Fi no longer requires an invite (but it's still US only), YouTube Gaming has improved navigation and is available in more countries, you can export your Google Docs documents in EPUB format, and now it’s easier to plan a trip in the Google Now app. Plus more updates, tips and articles! Image: Xpogo riders synchronize no-handed backflips in Rio, Brazil by Xpogo on Wikipedia, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

This week Google Photos got a major makeover with easier navigation and faster editing and cropping on the web. Google+ updated the iOS app and web preview, which finally shows your intro, tagline and story. And the YouTube Policy Team posted a special note to creators - they are listening. Also new and interesting: “Google Posts” are Google+-like posts that only appear in search results (limited to politicians and a few businesses at the moment), Google Design launches the “Resizer” tool to test responsive layouts, and Google Docs, Slides & Sheets got new expert-designed templates. And there are more tips and updates for YouTubers, live broadcasters, Bloggers, AdSense Publishers, and more! Image: Young Girl Lying Down Looking at an Album, c.1889, Edgar Degas