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Creators: Get the latest tips, tutorials and updates!

Are you a video creator, blogger, content collector or curator? Subscribe to get news and tutorials for YouTube, Blogger, AdSense, and other creator tools, platforms, social media, and more!  Learn more about me . Last updated January 2025       Subscribe to the RSS feed      Subscribe to Weekly Creator Updates only Subscribe to my Weekly Creator Newsletter by email Creator Weekly Live!  Join me live on Sundays at 10:30 AM Pacific to discuss the week's creator updates.  Watch or set a notification. Watch previous episodes: Tips, Tutorials & Updates       Blogger Tutorials & Updates        YouTube  and  Live Streaming  Tutorials & Updates        Chat and Meet  Tutorials & Update...
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10 Years Ago This Week: Google+ is demoted and split from YouTube Separate

To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing  tech highlights from 2015  that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the  week ending August 1, 2015.   Ten years ago Google demoted Google+ from the social across all Google products to a social platform focused on connecting users with shared interests. Google+ Was the Social Layer Across Google Frame from the official Google video "Google+: Explore Settings", published June 11, 2011 Google+ launched in 2011 to much fanfare . Soon  Google+ head Vic Gundotra was describing  as the "social layer across all of Google's services." "The old Google was siloed; your identity and how you share with your family was different across each product. ... In the new version of Google, we know your name, we understand your circles and we make every service better." It's pretty clear this is part of where Google+ went wrong. People actually d...

Creator Weekly: YouTube Shorts AI Tools, Photos Create, Follow Reddit Keywords

Another week, another passel of generative AI tools. This week there is an experiment with vibe coding, and new creative tools for YouTube Shorts and Google Photos. There are new reports for YouTubers in Analytics and website owners in Search Console. And there are new requirements for UK adults to verify their age to see “adult” content. Plus lots more. 📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email Top news and updates this week The YouTube Shorts editor has a new AI Playground hub for generative AI tools, new AI-powered special effects, and the ability to turn photos into short video clips (not available in all countries). Many platforms are now requiring adult age verification to comply with child safety laws in the UK and more places around the world. Use vibe coding to create shareable mini-apps with Google Opal . YouTube Analytics now shows a breakdown of your audience by watch behavior (Regular, Casual and New viewers)....

10 Years Ago This Week: All you need is the YouTube mobile app

To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing  tech highlights from 2015  that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the  week ending July 25, 2015.   Ten years ago the YouTube mobile app got a major redesign, highlighting subscriptions and with a basic video editor. This was great for the majority of YouTube viewers who primarily used their phone and creators who could upload and edit right on their recording device. The 2015 YouTube Mobile App The 2015 YouTube Mobile app In July 2015, YouTube launched a major mobile app update . New features included:  Home tab with recommendations based on watch history. Subscriptions tab with videos in your subscriptions. Account tab with your playlists, video uploads, notifications and history. Notably YouTube also introduced the subscription bell option, which lets viewers opt in to notifications for all new uploads. Ring that bell!  ...

Creator Weekly: YouTube Hype, Facebook Unoriginal Content, Edits Royalty-Free Music

  Dear readers, I hope you are having a fabulous summer weekend!  This week there are updates for YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Twitch, LinkedIn, Beehiiv and more. 📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email. Top news and updates this week YouTube Hype is expanding to 19 new countries in the EU, Asia and Mexico. (It’s not available in the US or Canada yet). Facebook is cracking down on unoriginal content. YouTube is experimenting with title testing, to go along with thumbnail testing. Twitch added categories at the top of the Clips feed. Edits video editing app added royalty free music, keyframes for stickers and text, and new voice effects. LinkedIn is testing highlighting trends within the (US) video feed. Not surprisingly, current trends include topics like “side hustle guide”. TikTok Songwriter Features launched in closed beta. If you are a songwriter, add yourself to the waitlist. Beehiiv’s slick new website builder is out of beta and available to all accounts. Reddit requi...

10 Years Ago This Week: Are Windows updates really free?

To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing  tech highlights from 2015  that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the  week ending July 18, 2015.   Ten years ago Microsoft launched Windows 10 as a free upgrade. But was it really free? The first free Windows system upgrade The Microsoft Windows 10 upgrade site in August 2015 In July 2015 Microsoft Windows 10 launched in 190 countries as a free upgrade from "genuine" Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices. This was announced as a limited time offer, but the free upgrade was actually available through 2023 . Apple had made this shift in 2013, offering free OS upgrades for life starting with OS X Mavericks . What was the advantage of free Windows upgrades?  Microsoft Ecosystem for Developers in July 2015 Older folks (like me) remember when it was a huge hassle to update your computer's system software. You had to go out and purchase the updated software...

Creator Weekly: YouTube Trending Tab Removed, Inauthentic Content Policy Update, Bluesky Profile Notifications

Dear readers, I hope you are having a fabulous summer weekend! This week there are updates from YouTube, Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon, X, Google’s Veo 3 video model, Gmail, Google Drive and more. 📨 Subscribe to get Creator Weekly by email. Top news and updates this week YouTube is killing the Trending tab, but still has music, podcast and movie trailer charts. YouTube made a minor monetization policy update for inauthentic content. Yes, you can monetize content made with AI tools. TikTok may or may not be creating a US-only app and there may or may not be a deal for it to be sold to US owners. TikTok Sans font is now available to everyone for free. YouTube channels in the YouTube Partner Program can share channel and audience insights with brands and advertisers. There are now 10-year YouTube Membership loyalty badges. Edits by Instagram now has Voice Enhancement, sharing to other apps, more Insights and an improved Imagine tab. Google’s Veo 3 text-to-video model can now g...