Peggy K's Creator News

If you are using a Brand Account identity for your YouTube Channel or Google+ Page, you can - and should - use Google Takeout to download an archive of your content.  Google+ Page content needs to be downloaded before consumer Google+ shuts down on April 2, 2019 . A Brand Account lets you have a brand, business, organization identity on Google that is different than your personal Google Account identity. Brand Accounts can have multiple Owners and Managers, who sign in to their own Google Account to manage the Brand Account and any Google services on that Brand Account. Currently the only Google products that officially support a Brand Account identity are YouTube, Google+ and Google Photos. Google Takeout lets you create an archive of your content stored by Google. If your data is important to you, it's a good idea to create an archive periodically: Consumer Google+ will shut down by April 2, 2019 and all Google+ Page content will be deleted (NOTE: your Brand Account a...

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...

Note: as part of the shutdown of consumer Google+ on April 2, 2019 Google+ custom vanity URLs will no longer be supported . Any links that use Google+ vanity URLs, including Album Archive, will no longer work.  When you set up a Google+ Profile or Page, the link to the profile uses an impossible to remember 21-digit user ID.  A Custom URL lets you use a link that's easy to remember when you are promoting your Google+ activity. If your Google+ Profile or Page is eligible for a Custom URL, you will see a banner on your Profile or Page's profile.  You will then have the option to claim the offered Custom URL. The offered Custom URL is usually based on the name of the Google+ Profile or Page. You will not have the option to request a specific Custom URL. Also note that Google+ and YouTube now have separate Custom URL systems. Adding a Google+ Custom URL does not create a YouTube channel Custom URL, which has different eligibility requirements. Read on for...

If you are a business owner, pseudonymous vlogger, band, non-profit organization or gamer, you may not want want to use your Google Account personal name for your YouTube channel. To use a different identity, you can create a YouTube channel on a Brand Account . A Brand Account can have have multiple managers and owners , making it a good solution for collaborative YouTube channels. A Brand Account channel is not hard to manage. You sign in to your Brand Account channel using the same email and Google account that you usually use to sign in to YouTube. And you can switch between channel identities by clicking your channel icon at top right. October 2017: New Google My Business listings are no longer created on a Brand Account. April 2019 :  All Google+ Pages will be deleted with shutdown of consumer Google+ on April 2, 2019.  This will NOT affect Brand Accounts or YouTube channels.  Only the Google+ Page and its content will be deleted. You can  download your Go...

As of February 5, 2019 it is no longer possible to create a Google+ Page. All existing Google+ Pages will be deleted  with the shutdown of Google+ for consumer accounts  on April 2, 2019.  Back up your Google+ Page data  before then! -- original article -- If you want to use Google+ as a brand, business, organization, band or any identity other than your personal Google profile, you can create a Google+ Page . A Google+ Page is linked to a Brand Account , which can have multiple managers. Brand Accounts can also be used for YouTube channels, Google Photos and Google My Business listings. Google+ offers the same features for Google+ Pages and Google+ Profiles. A Page can create and participate in Communities, run Events, and, of course, share, +1 and comment on posts. If you have an existing Brand Account (for example created with your business or brand's YouTube channel ) you can add a Google+ Page to your Brand Account. Sign in to Google+ (pl...

Update: Starting in August 2021 all new Brand Accounts can only be used for YouTube and will have a (limited to YouTube) label. This change will not affect existing Brand Accounts.  Update: When consumer Google+ shuts down on April 2, 2019, all Google+ Pages will be deleted . This will not affect your YouTube channel or the underlying Brand Account.  If you use a brand name, business name, band name or any name other than your personal Google account name for YouTube or a Google+ Page, you likely have a Google Brand Account.  Some Google My Business Locations created before October 2017 may also have a Brand Account. You can manage your  Google Brand Accounts  in your Google Account Settings, independently from Google+, YouTube, and Google My Business. If you'd like to just dive in, open myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts to get started. Manage your Brand Account on the Details page Brand Account Owners and Managers will have slightly different opt...

Now when you create a new YouTube channel, the new channel will not be connected to Google+ unless you want to use an identity different from your main Google identity. New YouTube channels use the name and profile photo from your Google About Me page ( aboutme.google.com ). Note: As of the end of 2016, you can create a new YouTube channel for your Business or Brand without Google+. Learn more here:   Create a YouTube Channel for your Brand, Business, Organization or Band Create a new YouTube channel without Google+ using your Google account name   Reasons to use or keep a Google+ Profile (some features require G+) Create a YouTube channel with a business or other name connected to a Google+ Page What happens to YouTube if you delete your Google+ Profile? What if your channel has never been connected to Google+? Confirm your name!

This week the new Google+ launched , with a snappier interface, redesigned profiles and simplified features. The new Google+ is “focused around interests” with an emphasis on Collections and Communities. It’s still a work in progress, and you can opt in (and back out) on the web by simply clicking a link. Where is everything? Hangouts can be accessed at hangouts.google.com , in Gmail, and using the Chrome Hangouts app or extension. Events are available in the Android Google+ app and the Classic G+ interface Hangouts on Air can be scheduled starting from hangouts.google.com or YouTube Live Events, or by switching back to Classic G+ Links to Google+ Photos “highlights” and albums redirect to Google Photos, meaning you can only access your Blogger and Hangouts image albums in Picasa Web Albums. There are more details below. If you try the new Google+, be sure to send feedback to Google+ directly to let them know what you like, dislike and which features are essential ...

Note 2: All Google+ Pages will be deleted with the shutdown of consumer Google+ on April 2, 2019. T his will NOT delete the Google+ Page's Brand Account or any associated YouTube channel. Download your Google+ Page's data before that date. Note 1: As of January 25, 2017, Google My Business no longer supports Google+ Brand Pages. In addition, Google+ Pages and YouTube channels are now separate Google Services on a Brand Account. You can find all your Brand Accounts at  myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts If you deleted a Brand Account, follow the instructions here to restore it: Manage your Brand Account If you only deleted your Google+ Page or only deleted your YouTube channel, there is no way to restore it. -----Original Article ----- A Google+ Page is like a sub-account of your main Google account. It lets you use a different identity for Google+ or YouTube than your main Google account identity or real name. In September management of Google+ Pages was moved ...

1-Aug-2019: Hangouts on Air shut down completely and removed from YouTube Live. 1 3-Sept-2016: It is no longer possible to set up a Hangout on Air on Google+.  You can still  create a regular Google+ Event in the Classic Google+ interface and add your live stream video . 15-Aug-2016: It was announced that Hangouts on Air will be moving from Google+ to YouTube on September 12, 2016. After that date all Hangouts on Air will have to be run from YouTube Live Events. Learn more in the YouTube Help Cente r. 17-Nov-2015: The new Google+ web interface does not include Events or Hangouts. That means to set up a Hangout on Air in Google+ you either need to switch back to "classic G+" or, if you are hosting the HOA as a Google+ Profile,  start at hangouts.google.com and select "Hangouts on Air" in the left menu. Hangouts on Air set up in YouTube Live Events are not affected. ----- A Hangout on Air is an easy way to broadcast a live discussion or performance that can...

Google+ Brand Pages represent brands, organizations, bands, YouTube channels, online-only businesses, and even people who want to be able to manage their identity from multiple accounts. The recent update of the Google My Business dashboard has changed the Google+ Brand Page creation process. You can create a new Google+ Brand Page starting from several places on Google: 1. Start from Google My Business (business.google.com/manage/) 2. Start from Google+ (click the "Pages" option in the left menu plus.google.com/dashboard ) 3. Start from your  YouTube All my channels  page to create a channel and Page together   ( www.youtube.com/channel_switcher ) 4. On mobile devices, use the Google My Business app Or, you can jump right to  business.google.com/create/brand I've outlined the process below - if you would like more detailed instructions, read on! How to create a Google+ Brand Page at Google My Business ( detailed instructions ) Sign in at bu...

This week Google announced new hardware, updated services and sites, and fabulous features! This week Google held a press event to announce new Nexus phones, a convertible tablet, new Chromecast, and some sweet updates to Google Photos (including chromecast support and (future) shared albums). The new Nexii will work on Google's Project Fi network. You can get your questions about Project Fi answered in the new official Project Fi Help Forum ! This week was also PubCon in Las Vegas . AdWords announced new ad types on YouTube, Gmail and search, and AdSense launched the Certified Partner Program. Plus HTTPS is now available for Blogger blogs, there is a new Google My Business dashboard for Local and Brand Pages, you can post to the top of Google+ Collections, Google Profile blue heads are going away and more! Watch the full September Google Press Event (Google on YouTube)  Image: from the NASA Project Apollo photo archive on Flickr

Update April 2, 2019: Consumer Google+ shuts down , and all Google+ Pages will be deleted. Download a copy of your Google+ Page data with Google Takeout before then . Update February 5, 2019: It's no longer possible to create a Google+ Page Update October 2017:  Google My Business no longer creates a Brand Account  along with a business listing, which means there is no way to connect Google+ or YouTube to a new listing. Update May 2017: Google My Business  no longer automatically creates a Google+ Page  along with a business listing. Update January 2017:  Google+ Brand Pages are no longer supported  on the Google My Business dashboard.  Update August 2016: Google My Business  Insights no longer include Google+ Page information , and the  Google My Business app no longer supports Google+ Pages . ----------------- Google is rolling out an improved "Google My Business" dashboard for Local Pages and Brand Pages. The new dashboard is at G...

This week's updates will enhance your productivity on your phone and tablet. Also learn what to do if the Google Chat plugin won't run in Chrome, how to effectively complain when Google removes your favorite feature, and a (perhaps) good estimate of the public posting activity on Google+. Read on for this week's updates, tips and articles.

Despite the April Foolishness this week there were some great updates, including Google+ Photos appearing in Google Drive, faster phone calls in Hangouts and AdSense for Malay blogs and websites. Read on for my roundup of this weeks tips, articles and posts on Google+.

Update June 2016: YouTube no long requires linking to a Google+ Profile or Page. Instead your YouTube channel is either on your main Google Account or a Brand Account . The transfer process works the same way, just think "Brand Account" for every mention of a "Google+ Page" below. Update March 2019: This process still works, but with the shutdown of consumer Google+ on April 2, 2019 , there are only Brand Accounts, not Google+ Pages.  I have updated the text to refer to "Google Account" instead of "Google+ Profile" and "Brand Account" instead of "Google+ Page".  Don’t want to comment on YouTube with your real name? Or is your channel connected to the wrong Google Account or  Brand Account? Now you can move your YouTube channel to a different Google identity. New! YouTube has just launched a channel transfer tool that allows you to move your YouTube channel to or from a Brand Account. YouTube Help Center: Move YouTub...

This week's tips, news and articles about YouTube, Google+, Blogger and Hangouts.

Are you signed in as the owner of your Google+ Page or YouTube channel? or are you merely a manager?   A Google+ Business Page and the YouTube channel connected to it can have up to 50 managers, but only one owner. While managers can share posts, write comments, and upload videos it is important to be able to sign in as the owner of your of Google+ Page and channel because there are some features and options only available to owners : add and remove managers transfer ownership of the business Page and its connected YouTube channel transfer your YouTube channel to a different Google+ Page or Profile reset the password to sign into the Google+ Page and channel directly (required for some 3rd party apps and services) Hopefully you have set up your Google+ Page and YouTube account so that you have access as the owner.  But if it does turn out that isn't the case, you still have options for finding - and possibly signing in to - the owner's Google account. ...

Ever since  the new YouTube custom URLs  were introduced, YouTubers have wanted to also have the equivalent shorthand vanity URL - one without the /c/ in the middle.  Now channels with a new-style custom URL automatically have the equivalent shorthand URL. A shorthand vanity URL - one without a /user/ or /c/ - is useful to use to promote your channel. In the past, that short URL was most often based on the /user/ URL for the channel. Now that's changed. Shorthand URLs are  now based on the new /c/ custom URL , not the old /user/ URL. If your channel's old and new custom URLs are different, you should check to be sure the old shorthand URL still leads to your channel. Not sure if your channel has new-style custom URL set? Check your channel's Advanced Account Settings ( https://www.youtube.com/account_advanced ). Why does my old shorthand vanity URL now direct to the wrong YouTube channel?

Update April 2, 2019: with the shutdown of consumer Google+, Google+ custom URLs will no longer work. This will not affect YouTube custom URLs. Update  April 5, 2017: you can now remove Custom URLs, and add a new different Custom URL.  Learn how to change your Google+ Custom URL . Update December 16, 2016: YouTube Custom URLs are now independent of Google+ Custom URLs ( Official Announcement ) Go to  www.youtube.com/features  to see if your YouTube channel is eligible for a Custom URL. Learn how to add a Custom URL to your Google+ Profile or Page . Update 10/13/15: now only 100 subscribers are required for custom URL eligibility, rather than 500 subscribers.  Update 3/4/15: you can now check the custom URL set for your channel in your channel's Advanced Account Settings ( https://www.youtube.com/account_advanced ) Update 2/26/15: shorthand vanity URLs are now based on the new /c/ custom URL, rather than the old /user/ custom URL. More d...