Peggy K's Creator News

March is done, and April is upon us. Happy Easter weekend to you who celebrate!  This week we said hello to new features in Google+ and YouTube, and goodbye to Picasa, plus much more. Google+ introduced a new features that lets you subscribe to highlights from Communities and Collections. Instead of getting notified of all new posts, you will get a daily digest of the “top” new content.  Google+ is also continuing to work towards making the same features available across all platforms. Both Android and iOS Google+ apps now let Community moderators remove, report, ban and optionally remove recent content with just a few clicks.  YouTube will be launching an ads policy compliance confirmation checkbox for monetizing videos - no more accidentally (or “accidentally”) monetizing non-advertiser friendly content. This puts the burden on Creators to make sure that their videos follow the Partner Program policies, rather than counting on YouTube to not display ads on videos t...

Spring has sprung! Live streaming is easier, content policies are tighter, and more. YouTube launched a new easy way to start live streaming on your desktop computer with just your webcam. You don’t need encoder software or special hardware. It’s great for Chromebook users , or anyone else who wants to live stream with just a few clicks. However, it is very basic - no event scheduling, screen sharing, lower third overlays, extensions or apps. If you want more features, you’ll still have to use the Stream Now option with encoder software, or a Hangout on Air. Up until now you could maintain two sets of channel subscriptions - one on “regular” YouTube, the other on YouTube Gaming. This week regular YouTube and YouTube Gaming subscriptions are being combined. If you notice new channels suddenly appearing in your subscription list, that could be the cause. YouTube also announced new policy around content featuring firearms and firearm accessories. Starting in mid-April, YouTube will...

You don't need any special hardware or software beyond a web browser and webcam to live stream on YouTube. A Chromebook and an internet connection is all the gear you need. YouTube has two live streaming options you can use on a Chromebook or almost any desktop computer:  the new quick and easy "Webcam" option and the older Hangout on Air live streaming events. Which option you choose depends on the features you need. Feature Webcam Streaming Hangout on Air Supported browsers Chrome Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox (may require plugin) Schedule Event No Yes Set custom thumbnail Yes No Multiple participants No Yes Manage live chat Inside live stream window (or pop-out chat box On video watch page (or pop-out chat box) Screen sharing No Yes Overlays and apps No Yes, if the host has an associated Google+ profile (Hangouts...

Happy St. Patrick’s day! I hope your beer is cold, your hearth is warm, and your music is lively. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was interviewed by WIRED Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson at the SXSW Interactive Festival last week. She talked about fighting “fake news” and a new initiative that will link to Wikipedia on videos about popular conspiracy theories . Also touched on are the 10,000-strong human team that Google is building to review content, improving comments, and finding and promoting quality educational and news videos. You can listen to the presentation “Navigating the Video Revolution in the Digital Age” on the SXSW website or watch the video on YouTube . The Google+ iOS and Android mobile apps were updated to bring closer parity between the platforms. There aren’t any totally new features, but Android now has a white navigation bar, prioritized plus mention suggestions and the ability to “delete, report, and block” spammers or otherwise bad commenters. Google post...

If you have ever followed a bad link or typed in a URL incorrectly you have landed on a 404 "Page Not Found" Error page. For your Blogger blog, the default is a generic message: Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist. Blogger "Page Not Found" message shown in different Themes The format depends on your Blogger blog's Theme, but the message is the same. But it's more common that sites use a custom error message, with a friendly greeting, navigation links or a search box, and funny, cute or interesting images. Custom "Page Not Found" messages on Reddit, YouTube and Tumblr How create a custom "Page Not Found" message for your own Blogger blog. Create your error page as a Draft Blogger Blog post Copy the post HTML  Open your blog's Settings > Search Preferences Under "Errors and Redirections" click the option to "Edit" Custom Page Not Found  Paste in the HTML of...

This week there are updates for YouTube Creators, Webmasters, Android Developers and more. YouTube announced new metrics (impressions and unique viewers) and personalized recommendations for Creators in the new Dashboard in YouTube Studio . These should be available to all channels within a few weeks . Eventually they will also be available on the Classic Creator Studio Dashboard . This week YouTube Creator Insider talked to a manager of policy for the advertiser-friendly guidelines, and discussed how those policies are implemented. It’s a must-watch for YouTube Partners. And in related news, a judge ruled YouTube is not obligated to display any advertisements alongside your videos. ” in response to a lawsuit brought by a couple of filmmakers unhappy with changes in YouTube ad policy. Google Duo - the 1:1 mobile video calling app - now lets you leave a video or audio message if the person you’re contacting isn’t available when you call. Make a good impression if you want them ...

If you have a business, organization, band or brand you can use Google's products to post content and interact with your customers, colleagues, members and fans. Currently you can use a Brand Account identity on YouTube and if you have an older Brand Account, for Google Photos. Update May 2023: Before you decide to use a Brand Account, note the updates since this article was originally published in 2018. The signs are that Google is likely moving away from using Brand Accounts for brand and business identities. Brand Accounts are currently useful for managing multiple YouTube channels with a single Google account, but not really anything else. Update September 2022: Brand Accounts with direct sign-in using Hangouts will not be able to use Google Chat, so will lose access to conversations when Chat completely replaces Hangouts on November 1, 2022.  Update July 2022: Business Groups will no longer be able to own or manage Brand Accounts as of August 1, 2022. Members of the Bus...

March has come in like a lion, with a torrent of updates for YouTube, Hangouts and more. You can now watch a replay of the YouTube Live chat along with the live stream archive. The one limitation: you lose the chat replay if the video archive is trimmed. Super Chat purchases during YouTube Live streams can trigger real world events . Perfect if you want your fans to flash your lights. You can now location tag your YouTube videos when you live stream or upload a video on your mobile device. Discover videos by filtering search results by location or by clicking a location tag. Location tagging and search are currently only available on mobile devices. YouTube Creator Studio, Analytics and Dashboard are getting a major redesign. YouTube Studio Beta is available to all creators and is now the default experience for some users. You can still switch back to Creator Studio Classic, but if you do, be sure to send feedback to let YouTube know what’s missing.  YouTube Stories (fo...