- Google+ launched two new features for Community Owners and Moderators: Community Insights for number lovers and bulk moderation of Community posts for spam haters.
- You can also now more easily rid your posts of spam (yay!) by using the new delete, report, and block option. Poof! Spam is gone, spammers are blocked, and Google+ is better for it.
- And if you really need to find that post your you made back in the summer of 2013, that awesome recipe posted in some community (but you aren’t quite sure which one), or just see all the posts that Mentioned you last week, the new Google+ advanced search operators are for you. There are a number of parameters you can use to search, including date, the type of post, whether it’s in a Community or Collection, and who posted or is mentioned. There isn’t a user-friendly interface (yet?), but the possibilities are powerful enough that I think it’s worth learning how to do it.
- If you are a YouTube Partner, and you’ve checked your AdSense account this week, you probably have seen the notice that AdSense will stop displaying YouTube metrics early next year. YouTube Analytics should have most of the data you’re looking for. What’s missing? For one, YouTube Analytics takes a couple of days to update, and you can only view stats from one channel at a time. Send feedback to YouTube to let them know which numbers you need!
- If you have a website or blog, you should check the brand new SEO Starter Guide from Google Webmasters. It explains what you should - and shouldn’t - be doing to make sure your site is listed in the Google search results.
- Google has been investing in improving smartphone AR, and now we are getting the latest fruits of that labor: AR stickers for Google Camera. Sticker packs include Star Wars, Stranger Things and cute 3D foods and other objects. Currently this is only available for phones running Android 8.1. It’s only rolling out to Pixel phones (for now), but you may be able to install it on your own.
- Finally, there is an update for folks with older Android devices. Google Assistant coming to Android phones running Lollipop and tablets running Marshmallow
Upcoming:
I don’t see anything on the calendar until the new year. Keep an eye on the following sites to see what Google has store for creators in 2018:- Google Webmaster Central Office Hours
- AdSense on Air Upcoming Live Streams
- YouTube Creator Community Events
- Google Partners Live Streams
- Upcoming Google Partners Events
YouTube and Video Creation
- AdSense will stop displaying YouTube metrics early next year
- YouTube Featured Playlists and Videos were retired
- Facebook Sound Collection for Creators had free sound effects and audio tracks for your Facebook and Instagram videos (Facebook Newsroom)
- Facebook News Feed FYI: For Video, Intent and Repeat Viewership Matter (Facebook Newsroom)
- Facebook: Updates to Video Distribution and Monetization (Facebook Media Blog)
- YouTubers Made Hundreds Of Thousands Off Of Bizarre And Disturbing Child Content (Buzzfeed)
Go Live
- More ways to show your favorite live streamer some love, with new Super Chat payment options on Android (BarbaraEMac)
- Microsoft Mixer releases rebuilt live streaming app for Android and iOS (Mixer blog)
- Users Looking for Child Pornography Are Gathering on Periscope, Twitter’s Forgotten Video Service (Gizmodo)
Google+
- New: Google+ advanced search operators (Leo Deegan)
- New Google+ community metrics for Community Moderators and G Suite admins (Leo Deegan)
- Delete, report, and block Google+ comments on your posts in one step (Leo Deegan)
- Google+ update: Bulk moderation of Community posts (Leo Deegan)
Other social media
- Storify is shutting down in May 2018
- Now You Can Follow Hashtags on Instagram (INstagram Blog)
- News Feed FYI: Introducing Snooze to Give You More Control Of Your News Feed (Facebook Newsroom)
- Facebook Sound Collection for Creators had free sound effects and audio tracks for your Facebook and Instagram videos (Facebook Newsroom)
- Facebook: Updates to Video Distribution and Monetization (Facebook Media Blog)
- Here come the Facebook pre-roll video ads (ReCode)
- Facebook News Feed FYI: For Video, Intent and Repeat Viewership Matter (Facebook Newsroom)
Google Photos and Mobile Photography
- Augmented Reality stickers rolling out to Pixel phones running Android 8.1 Oreo (Google Blog)
- Three new photography apps from Google: Storyboard, Selfissimo!, Scrubbies (Research at Google blog)
Google for businesses
- Google Updates GMB Home View for Businesses (Mike Blumenthal)
- Local businesses bring in new customers with Posts on Google (Google Blog)
- It's not enough to just create a Google My Business listing, businesses need to check them periodically! (David Kutcher)
Bloggers and Webmasters
- Google Webmasters has a brand new SEO Starter Guide (Google Webmasters)
- Google Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangout (December 12) (Google Webmasters)
- Google Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangout (December 15) (Google Webmasters)
- New ways to measure your users in Google Analytics (Google Analytics)
- #NoHacked 3.0: Tips on prevention (Google Webmasters)
AdSense and advertising
- AdSense will stop displaying YouTube metrics early next year
- AdSense says “Thank you for being part of the web” (AdSense on YouTube)
Hangouts and Messaging
- Google Duo video call integration with the Android Phone app (Android Police)
- AOL Instant Messenger made social messaging what it is today (MIT Technology Review)
- Hangouts Meet now available in the Google Calendar API (G Suite Developers blog)
Made by Google, Android, Project Fi
- Google Files Go helps you free up space on your phone and share files without using your data (Google Blog)
- Google Assistant coming to Android phones running Lollipop and tablets running Marshmallow (Google Blog)
- Project Fi sends holiday greetings (and free Gogo wifi) (Project Fi)
- Brains, beauty and beats: Google Home Max is here (Google Blog)
- Augmented Reality stickers rolling out to Pixel phones running Android 8.1 Oreo (Google Blog)
Productivity
- Improving Search and discovery on Google (Google Blog)
- New work-focused templates in Google Docs & Sheets (G Suite)
- New categories and languages for templates in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides (G Suite Updates)
- Improving the menus and toolbars in Google Docs and Slides (G Suite Updates)
- Google Maps in Android now provides step-by-step public transit directions (Google Blog)
- Stable Channel Update for Chrome OS (v. 63) (Chrome Releases blog)
- Stable Channel Update for Desktop (v.63) (Chrome Releases blog)
Privacy and Security
- Inside Mirai the infamous IoT Botnet: A Retrospective Analysis (Elie Bursztein)
- The Mirai botnet: from dormroom Minecraft scam to an elaborate click-fraud ring - and almost taking down the internet in the process (Wired)
More around the web
- Patreon apologizes: We messed up. We’re sorry, and we’re not rolling out the fees change. (Patreon)
- Design your own holiday emoji (and learn a bit about coding) (Made With Code)
- Google Tango is Dead, Long Live ARCore (Gizmodo)
- Baauer is ‘taking action’ against FCC chairman for using ‘Harlem Shake’ in net neutrality repeal video (The Verge)
- State attorneys general line up to sue FCC over net neutrality repeal (Ars Technica)
Updated March 2019 to remove Google+ links
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Spam and personal attacks are not allowed. Any comment may be removed at my own discretion ~ Peggy