Peggy K's Creator News

  This year saw a number of updates for publishers and clear trends going into 2024. AI Everywhere AI tools are all the rage, of course. People are using ChatGPT, Bard, Bing and other tools to brainstorm, generate outlines, create images and (for better or worse) even write full articles. That is sure to continue. Not surprisingly, there are also new settings for blocking the bots that scoop up public content for training AI models. Read more about AI tools, Google Search and auto-generated content . Social Media and the Fediverse The other interesting trend is the fragmentation of social media and the rise of the Fediverse. Changes at Twitter (now X) have spurred the creation of a number of other social media platforms. Currently at the top of the heap is Meta’s Threads, Bluesky is still invite-only but has a number of active communities, and Mastodon keeps on going in its low-key way. I mention those platforms specifically because they are moving towards federation. It’s...

  In 2023 YouTube expanded the YouTube Partner Program, simplified channel design, launched features for live streamers, and updated YouTube Studio and Analytics. There were far too many new features to discuss here, so I’ll only cover my favorites. Expansion of the YouTube Partner Program The big update to the YouTube Partner Program was the creation of a Fan Funding tier with lower eligibility requirements. Channels that meet the new eligibility requirements can apply to have access to Memberships, “Supers” (Super Chat, Super Thanks, Super Stickers) and YouTube Shopping. at least 500 subscribers 3 eligible video uploads in the past 90 days at least either 3000 hours public watch time in the past year or 3 million Shorts views in the past 90 days Once the channel meets the full YouTube Partner Program eligibility requirements (at least 1000 subscribers and either 4000 hours public watch time in the past year or 10 million Shorts views) it will be el...

  The launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 triggered a rush for all the big tech companies to launch generative-AI tools. Some were likely already in development, like Google’s “Smart Replies” in various products. Others may quietly disappear once the novelty wears off. This also seems to be connected to the new availability of a few new free web-based graphic design platforms, which I love. The current generation of AI text tools seems to be useful for brainstorming, generating ideas and pulling concepts out of longer texts. They aren’t great for generating content that requires accuracy, and even summaries of existing texts are often riddled with errors. It’s quite clear that AI doesn’t really understand anything. Unfortunately the new tools are fast and easy to use to generate plausible-looking, but incorrect text. And that is being used by spammers, dubious SEO experts, and lazy folks to post tons of low quality text. It’s not clear how Google, Bing and other search eng...

Here we are at the close of 2023. Where has the time gone? This year generative AI tools are everywhere, the old Twitter died and social media became more fragmented, YouTube launched new features for creators and viewers, bloggers have more tools and more. To celebrate, this is a roundup of 2023 highlights and expectations for 2024. If you would rather skip my personal updates and get right to the creator updates, start with these articles: 2023 in Review: Generative AI everywhere 2023 in Review: YouTube monetization expanded, channel redesign and more creator tools 2023 in Review: Updates for bloggers, website owners, and AdSense Publishers 2023 in Review: Chat, Meet and Google Workspace I hope you and yours have a fantastic new year! Creator Weekly News This year I published 46 issues of the Creator Weekly News, available on my blog or in my weekly email newsletter . At this time last year, I was scrambling...

Amazon Cloud Drive is no longer supported and files will only be available for download through December 31, 2023. If you are affected, you should have received several notification emails starting in October 2022. Uploading files to Amazon Drive was deprecated in January 2023. From the FAQ : A: Yes, on October 31, 2022, the Amazon Drive app will be removed from the iOS and Android app stores. On January 31, 2023, Amazon will no longer support uploading files on the Amazon Drive website. You will still be able to view and download your files until December 31, 2023. I did not even know I was an Amazon Drive user, but I do use the Send-to-Kindle option to send documents to Kindle. Note that the Kindle file uploads will continue to be available in your Kindle settings.  Amazon Photos will also continue to be available. If you have any trouble downloading your files, you can contact Amazon support for assistance. How to export your Amazon Drive files ...

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Winter is here and the year is winding down. There are a few updates this week, but not too many. I’m looking forward to next week when I can wind down and reflect on the past year. Next week I’ll have a recap of the year for you all. As a side note, I’ve been starting to shift my social media time from X to Threads and Bluesky . I haven’t really settled into either, but my X feed is starting to look a bit bare, and I’m not missing much there. I'll see how things go after the new year. Top news and updates this week YouTube makes it easier to moderate live stream comments. Live stream to X (Twitter) from StreamYard or Streamlabs. Migrate your Google Podcasts to YouTube Music (US only). Google Analytics 4 integration with AdSense. New version of Bluesky adds profile RSS feeds, visibility when signed out. Flipboard starts testing ActivityPub federation. Substack has a Nazi problem. Read on for details and additional updates! ...

I keep thinking that this must the week that the tech folk will finally go on holiday, but once again there are a ton of updates this week for YouTubers and other video creators, live streamers, bloggers and more. Top news and updates this week Meta’s Threads launched in the EU and started testing ActivityPub integration. YouTube Partners can now gift 10 Memberships per month, free of charge (but not yet available to channels on a Brand Account). YouTube Partners can give Members early access, before a video goes public. Twitch is retiring Squad Streams in favor of Stream Together, which is available in beta (to everyone!) Twitch simplified their policies around sexually themed content, allowing some content as long as it has a Sexual Themes Label. The Twitch Homepage will no longer recommend labeled as Drugs, Intoxication, or Excessive Tobacco Use; Violent and Graphic Depictions; Gambling; and/or Sexual Themes. Instagram Live Producer is now available to all professional accounts, a...