This week you can explore the ocean or become a Stadia Founder; Apple announced software updates, new features and hardware; and there was much furor around changes in - and enforcement of -YouTube policy. Plus so. many. updates.
Image: Underwater world by joakant from Pixabay
- Take a moment to explore the oceans. There are new underwater Street View images available in Google Earth. And to remind us that we humans aren’t alone on Earth,Pattern Radio Whale Songs is a new site that lets you visualize and explore recordings of whale songs. Maybe we will learn what they are a saying?
- Google Earth for Chrome now shows clouds and weather patterns from the past 24 hours.
- Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference was this week. There were a bunch of announcements, including updated iPhone photo editing software (you can now rotate video!), new features for iPads that let you use it as a second display for your Mac, the death of iTunes (replaced by Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts), and the pricey redesigned Mac Pro. If you use a Mac, iPhone or iPad, be sure to check out the update links I’ve collected below.
- Apple also announced a new “Sign in with Apple” button for websites and apps. Apple will generate a random email address for each site you sign-into, forwarding any emails to the users real email address, making it harder to track you and your personal data. It’s not clear, however, what happens to your sign-in credentials if you choose to leave the Apple ecosystem.
- On Sunday there was a major outage of Google services, including YouTube, Gmail and Google Drive, primarily affecting the northeastern United States. Google has apologized and published a brief overview of the incident: YouTube had a 2.5% drop of views for one hour, Google Cloud Storage saw a 30% reduction in traffic, and approximately 1% of active Gmail users had problems with their account. With more than a billion active users, that 1% represents millions of affected accounts. It also hit other sites using Google’s Cloud services, including Shopify, Discord, Snapchat, and Vimeo.The cause was a configuration change that was applied to more servers than should have been, which lead to serious network congestion. To learn more about what happened, check out the article.
- Ahead of next week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (AKA E3), Google released more information about Stadia, its new cloud gaming platform. You can now pre-order the “Founder’s Edition”, set for release in November. It comes with a game controller, Chromecast Ultra, and three months of “Stadia Pro” for you and a buddy. The Stadio Pro subscription will be $9.99 per month and include Destiny 2 and other free games “released regularly”. There will also be a free tier, that has lower game resolution, lower quality sound and no included games. If you are interested and in one of the supported countries, take the speedtest to see if your internet connection is fast enough to support Stadia gameplay.
- Dark mode is rolling out in the Android Google Photos app.
- In 2012 Google acquired Nik Software, which produced the “Nik Collection” of image editing plugins and Snapseed photo editing tool. Google eventually made the formerly pricey collection of plugins free, and then, in 2017, announced there would no longer be updates. Fans of the Nik Collection were relieved when it was acquired from Google by French photography company DxO. This week DxO finally released a significant update. Nik Collection 2 has 42 new presets, RAW photo editing and more.
- Snapseed (still owned by Google) got an update for the iOS app this week. Sadly Snapseed for Android hasn’t been updated in almost a year.
- YouTube Live Control Room now has a real time viewer activity widget that shows Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Memberships information.
- If your YouTube channel is eligible for Memberships, you can now publish members-only videos, members-only chat when streaming from mobile, and create an intro video for new members.
- All YouTube Partners now have access to the Copyright Match Tool that helps you find re-uploads of your video content and easily request the videos be removed. Get an overview of how it works from Creator Insider.
- YouTube launched the new manual claim tool for Content ID users. Claimants now need to provide a timestamp to indicate where they own the content.
- YouTube Analytics Day is coming. For one day YouTube will default to YouTube Studio for Analytics data. They want everyone to give it a try and send feedback ahead of the permanent switch from classic YouTube Analytics to Studio later this year.
- Google’s Webmaster Central has posted a series of videos on SEO myths. Check it out!
- Google is adding visualizations of earthquakes, hurricanes and floods to Google Maps, to help in times of crisis.
- If you are interested in following Google’s updates and announcements on Twitter, check out this list of Google’s Twitter accounts compiled by Robert Wallis.
YouTube’s Policy Controversy
This week was marked by controversy around YouTube’s Community Guidelines and their enforcement.
On Monday the New York Times published a damning article describing YouTube has having an “open gate for pedophiles”. YouTube responded with an article detailing their actions to “protect kids”, including shutting off comments on videos featuring kids, not allowing kids to live stream without an adult, and improving their algorithms that detect predatory behavior. Unlike other policy actions around video content, these changes have focused on protecting young creators from predatory viewers.
Meanwhile, Vox reporter Carlos Maza called on YouTube to take action against Steven Crowder, an “edgy” right-wing pundit who has repeatedly used homophobic slurs and remarks about Maza’s ethnicity in his videos, while claiming it’s just “political comedy”. Crowder’s fans apparently take it upon themselves to directly harass Maza every time Crowder mentions him. On Tuesday, after an investigation, YouTube announced that while Crowder’s videos are “hurtful”, they do not violate their Community Guidelines because the offending language is not “the primary purpose” of the videos. The next day YouTube also decided that there was an “ongoing pattern of egregious behavior” that was harming the YouTube community, and so removed Crowder’s channel from the YouTube Partner Program.
Amidst the controversy around Crowder’s content, YouTube announced an update to their hate speech policies. The Community Guidelines now prohibit “supremacist” content including claims that one group is superior to justify discrimination, any promotion or glorification of Nazi ideology, claims that one of the protected attributes (including age, disability, ethnicity, race, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status) makes one physically or mentally inferior, and content that denies a well-documented violent event took place (such as the Holocaust or Sandy Hook shootings). Videos with such content may be removed, and channels could be terminated or removed from the YouTube Partner Program.
Crowder and his fans, plus some conservative pundits and politicians, think that they have been unfairly targeted. They are calling the demonetization of videos affected by the new policies the #VoxAdpocalypse, blaming the updated hate speech policy on Vox and Carlos Maza (despite the only apparent connection is the timing).
Maza, Vox, some Googlers, and many others are upset at YouTube’s seeming lack of enforcement of their existing policies around hate speech and harassment, especially in the light of YouTube’s previous failings in supporting LBGTQ creators.
For its part, YouTube says they will be reviewing and updating their current harassment policies over the coming months, which is a good thing. But there is confusion around what educational, journalistic and historical content will be allowed under the new policies. YouTube still has a lot of work to do to improve consistency in policy enforcement.
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Read on for more updates and tips for business owners, webmasters, YouTubers and more.
Amidst the controversy around Crowder’s content, YouTube announced an update to their hate speech policies. The Community Guidelines now prohibit “supremacist” content including claims that one group is superior to justify discrimination, any promotion or glorification of Nazi ideology, claims that one of the protected attributes (including age, disability, ethnicity, race, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, veteran status) makes one physically or mentally inferior, and content that denies a well-documented violent event took place (such as the Holocaust or Sandy Hook shootings). Videos with such content may be removed, and channels could be terminated or removed from the YouTube Partner Program.
Crowder and his fans, plus some conservative pundits and politicians, think that they have been unfairly targeted. They are calling the demonetization of videos affected by the new policies the #VoxAdpocalypse, blaming the updated hate speech policy on Vox and Carlos Maza (despite the only apparent connection is the timing).
Maza, Vox, some Googlers, and many others are upset at YouTube’s seeming lack of enforcement of their existing policies around hate speech and harassment, especially in the light of YouTube’s previous failings in supporting LBGTQ creators.
For its part, YouTube says they will be reviewing and updating their current harassment policies over the coming months, which is a good thing. But there is confusion around what educational, journalistic and historical content will be allowed under the new policies. YouTube still has a lot of work to do to improve consistency in policy enforcement.
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Read on for more updates and tips for business owners, webmasters, YouTubers and more.
Image: Underwater world by joakant from Pixabay
Upcoming
- June 11-13: E3 Expo 2019. Watch on IGN. Watch on Twitch.
- June 16: Deadline to apply for YouTube NextUp India NextUp for Artists (for creators with original songs)
- June 18: Google Partners Academy on Air: The basics of Google Shopping
- June 19: Women of Publishing Webinar: Planning for Growth
- June 30: Deadline to apply for YouTube NextUp India #WomenToWatch and NextUp for Gamers
Exploring the Oceans
- New views of beauty and fragility in underwater Street View (Google)
- Taking Google Street View underwater (Adobe)
- Whale songs and AI, for everyone to explore (Google blog)
- Whale Songs and AI, for everyone to explore (Google on YouTube)
Stadia
- Become a Stadia “founder” with our first collection of games (Google)
- Stadia Connect 6.6.2019 - Pricing, Game Reveals, Launch Info & More (Stadia on YouTube)
- Google Stadia will not be available in Hawaii at launch (9to5Google)
- Google’s Stadia Gaming Platform To Feature Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Other Ubisoft Games At Launch (Ubisoft)
Apple WWDC 2019
- WWDC 2019: Everything Apple announced at its annual developer conference (The Next Web)
- Apple introduces privacy-focused ‘Sign in with Apple’ button for sites and apps (The Next Web)
- Apple announces iPadOS, making its tablets more like laptops (The Next Web)
- Holy shit! iPads will now support USB drives (The Next Web)
- Sidecar lets you use your iPad as a second display for your Mac (The Verge)
- Apple reveals Catalina, the latest version of macOS (The Next Web)
- Apple shares its vision for macOS 10.15 Catalina: Cross-platform apps are key (Ars Technica)
- Dark mode is coming to iOS 13 (The Verge)
- Apple will soon kill off iTunes and, with it, an entire era of music history (Ars Technica)
- Apple breaks up iTunes, creates separate Podcasts, TV, and Music apps for macOS (The Verge)
- Apple now lets you share songs and movies with friends via AirPods (The Next Web)
- Photos on iPhone is about to look completely different (TechCrunch)
- iOS 13 will let you rotate your recorded videos without installing extra apps (The Verge)
- Apple restricts ads and third-party trackers in iPhone apps for kids (TechCrunch)
- Apple gives Maps a major rebuild, includes Street View-like 3D imagery (TechCrunch)
- Apple Announces the Upgradable Mac Pro Everyone Has Desperately Wanted for Years (Vice)
- Apple announces all-new redesigned Mac Pro, starting at $5,999 (The Verge)
- Apple’s HomePod speaker will be able recognize who’s speaking to it with iOS 13 (The Verge)
- iMessage to support profile photos — including your new Memoji personalized with makeup and accessories (TechCrunch)
YouTube Policy
- On YouTube’s digital playground an open gate for pedophiles (New York Times)
- An update on our efforts to protect minors and families (YouTube)
- YouTube’s policies to protect kids
- Our ongoing work to tackle hate (YouTube)
- YouTube updates hate speech policy to cover supremacist content, Sandy Hook denialism and more
- FAQs: Update to YouTube’s Hate Speech Policies (YouTube)
- Taking a harder look at harassment (YouTube)
- Google's LGBTQ employees are furious about YouTube's policy disasters (The Verge)
- YouTube creators aren't surprised company won't enforce harassment policies (The Verge)
- VoxAdpocalypse, the conservative rallying cry against YouTube, explained (DailyDot)
- An open letter to YouTube’s CEO (Vox)
- Activists lobby for Google’s removal from San Francisco Pride festivities at Board Meeting (TubeFilter)
YouTube and Video Creation
- YouTube and ticketing provider AXS: Never miss your favorite artist on tour again (YouTube for Artists)
- *NEW TOOL* DETECT & PREVENT re-uploads of your YouTube videos | Copyright Match Tool (Creator Insider)
- Channel Memberships, Studio Beta Features, and Manual Claiming Improvements! (Creator Insider)
- Groups & Comparisons in YouTube Analytics (YouTube Creators)
- A day with the new YouTube Analytics! (TeamYouTube)
- Subscriptions, Copyright Match Tool, VR and more | May 2019 TeamYouTube Roundup (TeamYouTube)
- YouTube NextUp is back in India with 3 special editions for the very first time (Google India)
- Meet the angry gaming YouTubers who turn outrage into views (CNET)
Go Live
- YouTube Live Control Room now has real time viewer activity widget that shows Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Memberships information. (Creator Insider)
Social Media: Facebook and Instagram
- Influencers you don't follow will soon be in your Instagram feed (CNN)
- Facebook introduces Avatars, its Bitmoji competitor (Techcrunch)
Social Media: Twitter
- Twitter makes it easier to manage multiple accounts on desktop, mobile.twitter.com, Twitter Lite, and Twitter for Windows (Twitter)
- Twitter updates platform manipulation and spam policy (Twitter)
Google Photos and Photo Sharing
- Google Photos dark mode rolling out to Android Pie and Oreo (Android Police)
- Nik Collection comes back to life with new presets, raw support (Nackblog)
- Snapseed update for iOS devices (Apple)
Google for Businesses
- Google My Business launch: Real-time local Posts Insights (Google My Business)
- Google to acquire Looker (Google Cloud)
- Google Fully Rolls Out Q & A Auto-Suggest Answers (GatherUp)
- Google Strips Local Business from Organic SERPS (Mike Blumenthal)
- Scrolling Local Brand result in Google Search results (Mike Blumenthal)
Bloggers and Webmasters
- Google now has Mobile/Desktop selector for the Rich Results Testing Tool (Google Webmasters)
- Google is clamping down on sites that spam with multiple search results (Android Police)
- Google launched View My Manual Actions History tool in Search Console (Search Engine Roundtable)
- A video series on SEO myths for web developers (Google Webmasters)
- JavaScript: SEO Mythbusting (Google Webmasters)
- FreeCodeCamp Moves Off of Medium after being Pressured to Put Articles Behind Paywalls (WPTavern)
AdSense and Advertising
- Understanding Policy: Shocking Content (AdSense on YouTube)
- Meet Optimization Score, Your Personalized Guide to Improving Your Google Ads Account (Google Ads)
Made by Google, Android, Google Fi
- Android Q Beta 4 and Final APIs! (Android Developers)
- Rise and shine: new smart alarm clock features with the Assistant (Google)
- Google is lobbying for Android exemption from the Huawei ban (Android Police)
- Improved app quality and discovery on Google Play (Android Developers)
- Learn about home automation with Ben Perlmutter (Tinkering with Tech)
Productivity
- An update on Sunday’s service disruption (Google Cloud blog)
- Smart Compose available on Gmail Android and iOS (G Suite Updates
- Updates in Maps and Search to help during times of crisis (Google)
- Google Maps gets real-time speedometer feature in multiple countries (Android Central)
- [Update: Shutting down this summer] Google is preparing to shut down the Trips app (Android Police). You can use Google Trips app features in Google Search and Maps.
- New in Chrome 75: Reduced latency on canvas, web share gets better, and more! (Google Chrome Developers)
- Stable Channel Update for Desktop (Chrome 75) (Chrome Releases)
- Chrome for Android Update (Chrome 75) (Chrome Releases)
More around the web
- When Paradise Burned: the women of Paradise, California (Vogue)
- The unlikely origins of USB, the port that changed everything (Fast Company)
- The IA Client – The Swiss Army Knife of Internet Archive (Internet Archive)
- Kick off the Women's World Cup with Google (Google)
- Catch up on the Cricket World Cup with a little help from Google (Google)
I still depend on your Weekly Updates, Peggy. Just wanted you to know how important your hard work and sharing is to those of us who follow you. :D Keep making us smarter and more informed.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sheila, that means a lot to me!
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