Peggy K's Creator News

The Internet Archive is a non-profit online library that includes free books, movies, music and the Wayback Machine. What is the Wayback Machine ? Internet Archive's web archive, launched in 1996, contains over 2 petabytes of data compressed, or 150+ billion web captures, including content from every top-level domain, 200+ million web sites, and over 40 languages. There is an ongoing effort to save a copy of public Google+ content to the Wayback Machine. That probably won't be able to archive everything before April 2nd. If there are specific public posts or pages on Google+ that you want to be sure are archived, you have several options. I've been using the Wayback Machine Chrome Extension to archive some of the Google+ official announcements to create links for my blog won't break. How can you help or archive a copy of your favorite posts? Enter the URL into the form at  archive.org/web/ Use the Wayback Machine extension or add-on in your browser: Chr...

When consumer Google+ shuts down on April 2, your Google+ "Photos from Posts" and "Photos of You" albums in your  Album Archive will be deleted. Google Photos is a separate product, and will NOT be shutdown. Any of your photos that are in Google Photos will NOT be deleted. Photo upload, editing and management were a major draw to Google+ from its launch in 2011. Google+ offered "Instant Uploads " to back up the photos on your phone to the cloud, Creative Kit , which let you easily edit your photos, and later " Auto Awesome" enhancements . (See the timeline at the end of the post for the highlights.) Then in 2015  Google announced that Google Photos would be a standalone product, split away from Google+.  That was a harbinger of doom: just two months later Google announced that Google+ would no longer be a social layer across Google+. The new Google+ no longer included any special photo features, and had a new design where Profiles no long...

The notification bell on the desktop Google navigation bar will disappear on March 7th. You can switch to browser notifications for Google Photos, Hangouts Chat, and Google+ for G Suite.  You will see a message with a Learn More link when you click the notification bell starting today. The notification bell on the Google navigation bar first appeared in 2011, allowing you to access your Google+ notifications anywhere you are signed in to Google. As Google+ was integrated with other Google products, you could get your notifications for Google+ comments on Blogger and YouTube and for activity on your Photos. Peak Google+ integration was in 2013. In 2015, as Google+ split away from other Google products, the notification bell was updated so that Google+, Google Photos and YouTube notifications could be managed separately. And in 2017, shortly after the shutdown of Classic Google+, the notifications under the bell got a redesign, and Mr. Jingles - the Google+ notificati...

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...

Update March 10, 2019: The Google+ API has shut down, and buttons, badges and embedded posts no longer display. If you have code for these on your website or blog, now is the time to remove it. Update February 28: See the latest update with changes that may mitigate the effects for some developers. The Google+ API will shut down on March 7 with "intermittent failures" starting as early as January 28. The  "sunsetting" of Google+ for consumers is scheduled for April 201 9, so it will outlive the API by a few weeks . Google has updated the Google+ Platform Developer site with more details about the shutdown of the platform over the coming months. The Google+ APIs will be completely shut down and cease to function March 7, 2019. There may be "intermittent failures" as early as January 28th. This will not only affect developers, but also website owners who have added Google+ integration features to their site.  And if you use social media management...

With the announcement that the consumer version of Google+ will be shut down in April 2019, some active Plussers want to be sure their Followers find them in their new home. I've seen a few questions whether there is likely to be a way to automatically convert their Followers into YouTube Subscribers. While I'd love to have an additional million subs, I think it's quite unlikely that will ever be an option. In my case, I gained a large percentage of my Google+ Followers when I was on the old Suggested User List shown to users when they created a Profile. I would bet that many of the followers I gained that way haven't used Google+ in years, if they ever did at all. And the folks who follow you on Google+ may not specifically be interested in your videos. So what can you do?  Ask your Google+ Followers to subscribe to your YouTube channel!  RELATED:  How the Google+ shutdown will - and will not - affect your YouTube channel

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...

Blogger will switch all blogs using Google+ Comments to Blogger Comments on February 4, 2019 as part of the shutdown of Google+. Learn more . Blogger offers two different comment systems for your blog. You can use the Blogger comment system, or you can use the Google+ comment system.  They function significantly differently, so it's good to understand what the differences are before you start getting comments on your blog. I'm using the Blogger Comment system here, because I expect a significant percentage of my readers will not be active Google+ users. Here's my suggestion: Use  Google+ Comments  if you expect most of your readers to have a Google+ Profile and you are not concerned about comment moderation. Use Blogger Comments  if you want to allow anonymous posting, or comments from people without a Google+ Profile and you want a variety of comment moderation options. How do Blogger comments and Google+ comments compare? . Blogger Comment...

When you block someone in Google+, Google Photos, Hangouts or YouTube Contacts, you block them across Google. You can view and remove blocked users in your Google Account settings ( myaccount.google.com/blocklist ). Get detailed instructions on how to manage your Google Blocked Users Related articles:  How to block someone on Google+ How to block someone in Google Photos How to block someone in Hangouts How to block someone on YouTube Learn more:  Google Accounts Help: Block or unblock people's accounts

Note: after the shutdown of consumer Google+ on April 2, 2019 you can find and manage your block list at  myaccount.google.com/blocklist Anyone you blocked on Google+ should still be blocked in Google Hangouts, Google Photos, Google Maps and YouTube Contacts. ---- If someone is harassing you, spamming you or you otherwise don't want them to contact you or see your content you can block them on Google+, Google Photos, Hangouts or YouTube Contacts. Blocking them in one product will block them across Google. If you block someone on Google+: you are removed from their Circles, and can't add you back they cannot see your posts made after blocking them (while signed in to their account) they cannot comment on your posts they cannot see your comments they cannot plus mention you you cannot see the content they post if they post in a Community you own or moderate, you will be able to see your post  if you post in a Community they own or moderate, they will be able t...

In March 2019, Blogger will revert all accounts using a Google+ Profile to a Blogger Profile. The first time you sign in to Blogger after the change, you will be prompted to set up your Blogger Profile. Learn more . If you are using a Google+ Profile for your Blogger account, click  www.blogger.com/go/gplusdeprecation-revert-to-blogger-profile  to switch, then  customize your Blogger Profile . Blogger does not require you to blog under your real name. You can choose whether to use your Google+ profile or create a new Blogger-only profile. That means you can use your real name, a pseudonym, or a brand or business name. The only limitation is that you can only use one identity for your Blogger account. If you want to blog under more than one name, you will need to create another Blogger account using a different Google account What is the difference between a Google+ Profile and a Blogger Profile? Google+ Profile Your blog author name links to your Google+ Pro...

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...

Is it worthwhile to promote your YouTube videos on Google+, Facebook or other sites? Check your YouTube Analytics Traffic Sources report   to see your videos' watch time and views from external websites. If you view the External  sources in the Traffic sources  report you can see "traffic from websites and apps that embed your videos or link to your videos on YouTube."  The External sources report is broken down by website and includes traffic from Google+, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, from Google Search, blogs, forums and more. The Playback locations  report lets you see analytics from videos played while  embedded  on an external website, such as Google+ or your blog. It shouldn't come as a surprise that a substantial portion of my YouTube channel's views come from Google+. Here's what I found about my Google+ viewers: 81% of my watch time is from traffic from External sites More than 40% of my External site watch time ...

Note: when consumer Google+ shuts down on April 2, 2019, the Google+ Photos from Posts album in Album Archive will be deleted. If you have photos in Google+ Photos from Posts, be sure to download a backup before April 2, 2019 .  Note: Album Archive will be shut down on July 19, 2023. At that time all old Hangouts images in Album Archive will also be deleted. Blogger will only have the option to insert images from your Google Photos or your blogs.  One of the advantages of using Blogger is that it's part of the Google ecosystem. You can easily insert any image uploaded through your Google account into a Blogger blog post, including images you have shared on Google+ or in a Hangouts chat. Blogger can access any image in your Google Album Archive , which includes all images uploaded to Google through Google Photos, Google+, Hangouts, Blogger, Google Drive and other Google services ( Learn more about Album Archive ).

On December 7th, I joined +Michael Daniels in his Top Contributor Hangouts series to talk about how to get started with the new Google+.  I talked about how to set up your profile, find interesting content, and  post your own content. Whether you are new to Google+ or a long time Plusser getting used to the new interface, you should learn something new.  And if you are still using the Classic Google+ interface, now is the time to give the new web experience a try! Here's the general outline of what we discussed. 1. Setting up your Google+ Profile 2. Populating your Home stream        * Finding and following Collections        * Following People and Pages        * Organizing people into Circles        * Communities 3. Engaging with posts: Plus, Comment, Share 4. Posting          * Create your own Collections      ...

When consumer Google+ shuts down on April 2, 2019, all Events will be deleted. Google+ Events have not been available to G Suite accounts since 2016. - original article -  Starting September 12, 2016 Hangouts on Air are moving from Google+ to YouTube Live. That means it will no longer be possible to set up a Hangout on Air in Google+ Events. But if your audience is on Google+, you will still be able to create a Google+ Event for your Hangout on Air in just a few easy steps. 1. Set up your Hangout on Air at YouTube Live Events ( www.youtube.com/my_live_events ) 2. Copy the video URL from the live event's video watch page 3. Set up a new Google+ Event at plus.google.com/events with the date and time of your Hangout on Air 4. Under Event Options  > Advanced > Show more options  paste the YouTube URL of your Live event The video will be displayed at the top of the Google+ Event page and attendees will be notified when the Event begins. If ...

While most of the images uploaded to your Google account are accessible through Google Photos , the only place to find the special albums created for your Google+ photos from posts, Blogger blogs, Hangouts chats and YouTube channel cover art is the new Google Album Archive . Update March 2023: You can finally access and  manage your blog's images from inside your Blogger account in the new Media Manager . As consumer Google+ shut down in April 2019 , and Hangouts  shut down in November 2022  (and Google Chat does not store images in Album Archive), the only reason to use Album Archive is to access your Google account profile photos and maybe your YouTube channel art (if you can find the album).  Update June 2023: Google Album Archive will be shut down on July 19, 2023. Learn more.   Albums that are only available in your Album Archive include: Google Profile Photos (shared by Google+, YouTube and other Google products). (NOTE: you can now access your Goo...

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...