Peggy K's Creator News

It’s finally time to say goodbye to Hangouts. On November 1, Hangouts on the web (hangouts.google.com) will start redirecting to Google Chat. Hangouts hasn’t been available on mobile devices for months, and Hangouts video calling was replaced by Meet in 2020. Hangouts on the web was the last place it was available. As I publish this, just after midnight Pacific time, Hangouts is still available, but that is likely just for a few hours longer. I made a Goodbye Hangouts video, looking back at how Hangouts changed over the years, and how we got to where we are today. I’m not going to repeat it here. Watch the video ! But I do have a few additional thoughts. I think those of us who are fond of Hangouts, and will miss it, aren’t thinking about the Hangouts of the past few years, but rather Hangouts in its heyday (say 2013-2015). Google+ Hangouts was social. It was designed for “Hangout Parties” and being able to connect with anyone who had a public Google+ Profile. Hangouts video cal...

As 2019 draws to a close, I wanted to take a look back at the top changes in the Googleverse for Creators of all sorts. My top 2019 creator updates: Shutdown of consumer (and public) Google+ Retirement of Hangouts on Air The new YouTube Studio  YouTube policy updates around harassment, violence and misinformation Tools for resolving YouTube video copyright claims  Development of a mobile-friendly Blogger Updated AdSense account interface and new ads features Google removed a number of outdated, redundant, and perhaps little-used products and features. While some will be greatly missed, products like Inbox and Allo let Google develop new features which were eventually incorporated into their more established counterparts before they were shut down. There has also been an increased focus on products aimed at businesses, from the Google+ successor  Currents , to Hangouts  Meet  and  Chat , and updates to  Google Sites  and  ...

2019 brought many changes for YouTube creators, from the new YouTube Studio and stricter policies, to the removal of direct messaging and the last lingering Google+-related features. YouTube truncated subscriber counts and tried (but mostly failed) to change how the verification badge was awarded. Plus lots more. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki shared three letters to creators this year, in  February ,  April , and  November . They are the best way to get a sense of YouTube's priorities: "supporting creator and artist success, improving communication and engagement, and living up to our responsibility." These are the biggest changes in 2019: The new YouTube Studio  The new Live Control Room and demise of Hangouts on Air Removal of YouTube DMs  YouTube policy updates around harassment, violence and misinformation New tools to deal with copyrigh t claims New ways for YouTube Partners to earn money Other to channel and creator features Limited featu...

In 2016 my review of the state of Google's messaging was subtitled " Yes, still Hangouts ".  And so I'm a bit surprised to be saying, once again, yes, still classic Hangouts. Hangouts was originally Google's all-in-one messaging app. It had video calling, text chatting and  SMS text messaging. Now it's a perennial joke that Google seems to spawn new messaging apps every year. But that's a bit tired as Google has clarified its messaging strategy . Hangouts Meet and Hangouts Chat are video calling and text conversations aimed at businesses. Like classic Hangouts, these are linked to your Google account (currently G Suite only).  Classic Hangouts will be around until consumer users are migrated to Meet and Chat. Duo and Messages are video calling and text conversation for consumer users. They are linked to your phone number and designed for use on mobile, even though they can be accessed in a  web browser. Ah, but, what about in-product chats? G...

If you ran a Hangout on Air live stream this week, you may have spotted a new notice when you clicked the "Start Broadcast" button that states "Hangouts on Air is going away later this year," and suggests trying YouTube's webcam live streaming option. Update August 1: While you can still see scheduled Hangouts on Air in YouTube Live Events, the Start Hangout On Air button is greyed out, and if you move your cursor over it you will see Hangouts On Air has been discontinued. Update July 15: The notice now says "Going away on August 1st". Make sure you don't have any HOA live streams scheduled after that date. "Hangouts On Air is going away later this year.   For quick streaming, try  YouTube.com/webcam ." Observant folks probably already knew this change was coming. The YouTube Live Event setup page has recommended trying the simple "Camera" webcam streaming for months, and t he YouTube Help Center article about Hangou...