Weekly Update - December 23, 2017: Hangouts in Firefox, Webmaster FAQs, Google+ #CreateConnections

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the ‘net, not an update was stirring, not even a reset …  OK, there were a few, but there aren’t likely to be any major updates until January. Here’s the most interesting changes this week.

• Back in March, Firefox stopped supporting browser plugins, which meant Hangouts video calling stopped working. Now, finally, pluginless Hangouts videos calls are possible in the the lates version of Firefox. Hangouts Meet - the version of Hangouts for enterprise G Suite users - doesn’t work yet, but hopefully will be available soon.
• Google started new video series answering Webmasters' frequently asked questions about SEO and search. Subscribe to the Google Webmasters YouTube channel so you don’t miss an episode.
• Google Webmasters also launched a new Rich Results testing tool, and they shared some tips to get your website into shape for shift to mobile-first search indexing. 
• You can also look forward to learning how to improve your Google+ content with the new #CreateConnections tutorial series. Each month an experienced Plusser will provide tips in the Google+ Collections Community, based on their expertise. The series kicks off on January 3rd with travel expert and journalist Monika Fuchs, who will provide tips for creating better travel Collections.
• Facebook is using their facial recognition technology to notify you automatically when someone uploads a photo with you in it, even if you aren’t tagged. You can turn it off, and they assure that the technology will not be used to tell strangers who you are.
• I finally put together a short overview of my trip to the YouTube Contributors Meetup in October and Google Top Contributors Summit in November. Check it out:

Get into the Christmas spirit

• Santa takes off in one day - use Google’s Santa Tracker to keep an eye on him!
• NORAD Santa Tracker
• Watch Vimeo’s holiday video channel
• Talk to Santa! 🎅🏽🎅🏽🎅🏽 (if you have a Google Home or Amazon Echo
• Design your own holiday emoji (and learn a bit about coding) with Made With Code

Image: Christmas lights, by me

Upcoming:

What’s scheduled for the first week of January:

• 31 December: Deadline to post your #2017Moments on Google+
• 1 January: YouTube Paid Channels will be made private
• 3 January: Google+ #CreateConnections: Monika Fuchs on creating better travel Collections
• 9 January: Google Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangout

YouTube and Video Creation

• YouTube’s iOS App Now Dynamically Adapts To Different Video Orientations (TubeFilter)

Go Live

• Instagram interrupts your live video if it detects content being streamed that infringes someone else's copyright (Matt Navarra)
• Instagram Adds Direct Messaging Feature To Help Users Promote Live Streams (TubeFilter)

Google+

• Google+ #CreateConnections, a new series where Google+ experts share their expertise (Rachel Bakker)

Other social media

• Managing Your Identity on Facebook with Face Recognition Technology (Facebook Newsroom)
• News Feed FYI: Fighting Engagement Bait on Facebook (Facebook Newsroom)
• Facebook introduces new tools to fight online harassment (engadget)
• You can now use a third party app for two-factor verification of your Twitter account (@TwitterSafety)
• Twitter begins enforcing new anti-hate speech rules (Ars Technica)
• Internal Emails Show Twitter Struggled To Interpret Its Own Verification Rules While Hunting Trolls (Buzzfeed)
• Reddit launches new mobile apps with support for real-time comments, chat, mod tools and more (TechCrunch)

Google Photos and Mobile Photography

• Google Photos is showing a "Best of 2017" photo book to users in the US and Canada (Google Photos)

Bloggers and Webmasters

• Google Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangout (December 22) (Google Webmasters)
• Google started new video series answering Webmasters' frequently asked questions about SEO and search. (Google Webmasters)
• Goodbye rich snippets, hello rich results (and the new Google Rich Results testing tool) (Google Webmasters)
• Get your website or blog ready for Google's mobile-first indexing (Google Webmasters)

AdSense and advertising

• On February 15 Chrome will stop showing ads on sites with a failing "Ad Experience" (Google Developers)

Hangouts and Messaging

• Firefox once again supports Google Hangouts (finally!) (Serge Lachapelle)

Made by Google, Android, Project Fi

• Project Fi is a top phone plan in Consumer Reports’ 2017 Cell-Phone Service Survey (Consumer Reports)
• Double Stuffed Security in Android Oreo (Android Developers)

Productivity

• Just how far ahead of Apple Maps is Google Maps? (Justin O’Beirne)
• Plan your winter getaway now with new features in Google Flights, Trips, and hotel search (Google Blog)
• Your Search questions, answered selfie-style on Google (Google Blog)

Privacy and Security

• Set recovery options (and make sure they are up to date) for your Google account! (TechCrunch)

More around the web

• Silicon Valley Is Turning Into Its Own Worst Fear (Ted Chiang)
• OK Google (a movie) (Brett Gaylor and Darren Pasemko on Vimeo)
• In China, a Three-Digit Score Could Dictate Your Place in Society (Wired)
• Cyberstalking Victim Francesca Rossi Releases Statement (The Cut)

Updated March 2019 to remove Google+ links