Peggy K's Creator News

Happy Leap Day! February 29 is a nice bonus 24 hours this month. I know I can use it. This week there are updates and tips for webmasters, new YouTuber Studio features and more. Plus large international conferences are out, and video conferencing is in, hopefully reducing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).   At the top of the news this week is the worrying spread of COVID-19. A number of conferences have been postponed or canceled. This Mobile World Summit, scheduled to place this week in Barcelona, was cancelled . The Game Developer Conference, scheduled for mid-March, has been postponed . Some talks may be lived streamed or otherwise posted on the GDC YouTube channel . And Facebook cancelled their March global marketing summit, as well as the in-person portion of the F8 Developer conference , scheduled for the first week of May. However, as of this writing, Google is going forward with Google Cloud Next in Apri l and Google I/O in May . With more people limiting t

This week Google announced an update to their Terms of Service, detailed how they dealt with policy-violating apps in the Play Store and bad content on Maps, and there are new YouTube features being tested. Plus there are updates for webmasters, bloggers, business owners and more.     Google is updating their Terms of Servic e, to take effect March 31st. You can get an overview of the changes, which seem to mostly be a rewrite to make the existing terms more understandable. Chrome, Chrome OS, and Google Drive are also now covered in the terms. See the FAQ for more details . The exact terms will vary depending on where you are located and your language, so watch for an email from Google with links to the terms that apply to you. Notably, it’s been reported that British users will be moved from Irish jurisdiction to US jurisdiction , due to Brexit, with possible changes in privacy terms for those users. YouTube Playlists will now be private by default . If you want a new Playlist to b

Happy (belated) Valentine’s day readers! This week brings safety, privacy and security features highlighted by tech giants for Safer Internet Day, ghost cowboys and other mashed-up emoji in G Board’s Emoji Kitchen, new notification metrics in YouTube Analytics and much more. You can u se Google Assistant to make your days more romantic any day of the year. February 11 was Safer Internet Day . Social Media sites stepped up with safety and security tips: Google updated the “Be Internet Awesome” program for kids , highlighted how they are making a safer internet for Europe, Middle East and Africa , and provides 5 tips for keeping your account safe . YouTube shared how they are keeping the platform safe , especially for families, with tips on how to flag bad content, how to manage your search and watch history, control the ads you see and keep your account secure. They also recommend families use the YouTube Kids app. Facebook has tips for keeping your account safe , and dealing

This week Google Maps turned 15, and got a new logo and updated features. YouTube and Google announced the election-year steps they are taking to help political candidates and journalists, and to prevent the spread of misinformation. You can have some fun with the Academy Awards on Sunday. Plus there are updates for YouTubers, webmasters, and more. If you go by YouTube trailer view s, Joker will win for Best Picture at the Oscars, with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 1917 as runner-ups. Tenor , Google’s visual expression search engine, will be capturing the Oscars in GIF form. To find and share Academy Award GIFs, search #oscars on Tenor in the GIF Keyboard app (iOS), the Gboard Keyboard (Android), or visit the official Oscars page on Tenor. Check out all the Google Search and Assistant Oscar goodies . Google Maps turned 15 this week . To celebrate there’s new logo , updated mobile app with improved navigation, and they are adding new public transit information including ac

Today the Coalition for Better Ads announced new standards for ads appearing on short form video .  Chrome will stop displaying ads on sites that violate these standards starting in August. It appears that YouTube ad formats are already in compliance. The Coalition for Better Ads sets standards for all types of web ads, with the goal of encouraging less intrusive ads. Less intrusive ads are less likely to drive people to install ad blockers. The idea is a that is a win for site visitors, who aren't blasted by annoying ads, and for creators and publishers, who are less likely to lose revenue when their ads are blocked. They called out three types of ads that are especially intrusive on videos that are 8 minutes or less : mid-roll ads : ads inserted in the middle of videos long unskippable pre-roll ads : ads longer than 31 seconds that cannot be skipped in the first 5 seconds large display ads : image or text ads that are in the middle 1/3 of a playing video or are l

Google Photos is trialing a monthly photo print subscription service. Every month Google Photos selects 10 prints (which you can change), and then prints them and mails them to you. During the trial period, this is free. If your Google Photos is invited to the trial, you should see a banner across the top of the page on desktop. This banner does not appear in the Google Photos mobile app. Not every account is invited. Once a month Google will automatically pick 10 photos from the previous month, based on the theme you have chosen (people, landscapes, or a mix). You can review the photo selection and have three days to make changes. The photos will then be printed on 4x6" matte card stock, and mailed to you. The usual price is $7.99 per month,  but is free for the duration of the trial. The trial is through the end of May or June, depending on where you read (I'm trying to get clarification on that date). You can see the details at  photos.google.com/printsubscripti

Google and Facebook highlighted their privacy tools for Data Privacy Day. When is the best time to review your account’s privacy settings? Today! Plus there are new tools and features for video creators, live streamers, webmasters, and more. Sunday is the Super Bowl, America’s unofficial party holiday. Some people even watch the game! In these troubled times, it’s something the US tech companies can safely have some fun with. Facebook Messenger has new camera filters and stickers , Snapchat has NFL Lenses , and Twitter is attaching a “hashflag” to tweets #SBLIV . You can watch all the creative “big game” ads on YouTube , and Google has tips for using Search and Assistant for game day goodies and keeping updated. AdSense is promoting Google’s Women of Publishing Leadership series . It’s “designed to foster community in the publishing industry, provide access to monetization resources, and enable the future growth of women-led small businesses.” There are four livestream sessi