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Showing posts from May, 2017

Control who can comment on your Blogger blog posts

If you are using the Blogger comment system, you can customize who can comment on your posts, from everyone to no one. You can also choose to moderate comments, rather than having them appear immediately. Customize your Blogger comment options: 1. Sign into Blogger 2. Click Settings  on the left menu 3. Select Posts, comments and sharing 4. Under Comments  adjust Who can comment?, Comment location   and Comment moderation settings 5. Click the orange Save  button at top right Note that if you are using the Google+ comment system for your blog, you cannot control who can comment. You can remove comments after they are posted . Comments can also be completely disabled on individual posts. Read on for detailed instructions: Who can comment? Disable comments Hold comments for moderation Are you using Google+ Comments on your blog? Enable and manage Google+ Comments

Weekly Update - May 27, 2017: Photos, Family, Advertising

The dust has settled from Google I/O and we’re starting to get the announced new features - at least for Google Photos. Here are my top updates this week: Google Photos now lets you Archive images from your Photos screen, and you can personalize Google Photos by labeling your own face. Google Family Groups let you easily share with your family & household: Google Photos, Calendar, Keep, in addition to YouTube TV and Google Play We got a peek at some improvements Google+ is working on over the coming months This week was the Google Marketing Next conference , where they announced updates to “Ads, Analytics and Doubleclick”. The focus was on machine learning and mobile - the same themes (not surprisingly) of Google I/O two weeks ago - applied to marketing. Watch the keynote and read an overview of the announcements. Hangouts no longer supports SMS - except for Project Fi and Google Voice. Plus there are updates and tips for AdSense Publishers, YouTubers, live streamers,

Weekly Update - May 20, 2017: Google I/O, Assistant, Android, AI

This week was Google’s big developer conference - Google I/O 2017. This year’s theme: the shift from “mobile first” to an “AI first” world. What does that mean in practical terms? Machine learning and artificial intelligence are integrated throughout Google’s products.  Google Assistan t will be available on more devices (including iPhones), Google Home is getting smarter, “Google Lens ” will help your phone understand what it “sees”, there are now smart replies in Gmail and Google Photos will make suggestions for sharing. And Google wants to bring the benefits of AI to everyone . Machine learning is used to predict the properties of new molecules and design drugs , improve healthcare , and even help you find a job . They also introduced the Tensor Flow Research Cloud , offering computing power free to allow researchers to explore machine learning projects. Beyond AI, Google may also be making your life more entertaining: they announced a new standalone VR headset (no phone,

Weekly Update - May 13, 2017: Google+ Community Invites, Hangouts Toolbox Returns, Allo Selfies

This week didn't have too may big Google updates (I'm expecting there to be a bunch next week from Google I/O), there are a bunch of tips and news articles to keep you busy. My top updates: Google+ introduced the option to invite people to a Community via a link The Hangout Toolbox app is now available again for Hangouts on Air , at least for as long as the remaining Hangouts video call apps are available. Google Allo uses neural networks to create cartoon selfie stickers You will be able to create your own Google Street View imagery with new 360 cameras  Microsoft Build 2017 was this week , so there’s a look at what is ahead for Windows and Microsoft Are you ready for Google I/O (May 17-19)? Learn how you can tune in remotely. Plus news, updates and tips for YouTubers, live streamers, Google+ers, webmasters, bloggers, AdSense publishers, map users, chatters, web surfers and more. Beyond the Googleverse there’s news for Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and Instagram.

Create a Google+ Community Badge for your blog or website

Blogger removed all Google+ gadgets added to blog layouts on February 4, 2019. Manually added Google+ Badges, Buttons, and embedded posts  stopped working on March 7, 201 9. Google+ Communities let you create a space to interact with other people with shared interests. On Google+ itself, Communities are promoted on the Recommended Communities page and in Topics . However, you might also want to encourage people who aren't already on Google+ to join your public Community. You can do that by embedding a Google+ Community Badge on a web page, blog post or sidebar. It can have different looks: If the Community's cover image is changed, the badge should update automatically. Note that the button on the badge just opens the Community, where the viewer then needs to click the Join  or Ask to Join  button to actually join. If they do not yet have a Google+ Profile, they will be prompted to create one. How to create a Google+ Community Badge 1. Get the Googl

Weekly Update - May 6, 2017: Mother's Day Movies, YouTube, Phishing

It was a relatively quiet week this week in the Googleverse - other than the big Google Docs phishing attack, that is. Keep your account safe! My top updates this week: Get a sneak peek at YouTube's new design, including a dark theme Update to AdSense policy: more mobile web options How Google protects your account from phishing (and how this week's attack worked) Make a nice present for a mother in your life!  Use Google Photos to automatically create a Mother's Day movie Plus there are tips and updates for YouTube, Live Streamers Google+, Webmasters, Maps users and more! Do you know what happened last month? Check out my overview of  April Creator Updates ! I take a look at: Google+ Topics, updates to the YouTube Partner Program, AdSense content policy, Custom URLs, and more. Image: Detail from Mother Galanda by Mikuláš Galanda (Public Domain)