Weekly Update: May 30, 2020 - YouTube, COVID-19, Groups

To all the 2020 grads out there: congratulations! This is a rough time to be launching the next stage of your life, but hopefully things will get better.

The big news this week is that venerable Google Groups is rolling out a new interface. Plus there are a number of small updates this week for video creators, webmasters, business owners and more.

Video and Live Streaming

• YouTube Poll Cards are being discontinued as of June 10. You have until July 10 to download your poll card data. Why the change? Poll cards were “rarely used”. 
  
• Video Chapters are rolling out to all channels. Add timestamps in the video description (starting with 0:00) and markers will appear at the bottom of the video player. This makes it easier for viewers to jump to specific sections of your video.
• If you watch YouTube videos on your Android phone, you will now see optional topics in your subscription feed, including “Today”, “Continue Watching”, “Unwatched”, “Live” and “Posts”. The YouTube app for iOS devices have had this feature since January.
• Are you satisfied? YouTube’s Creator Insider talked about how they try to satisfy people who visit YouTube by recommending content people find interesting and enjoyable. To do that they try to understand how people feel about the videos they are watching, which is no small task.
• YouTube has a new page with detailed information on their COVID-19 Medical Misinformation Policy. It’s quite extensive, and the message is clear: if you deny the coronavirus exists, discourage medical treatment or social distancing, or claim there is a cure, your video may be removed and result in a community guidelines strike. Meanwhile Facebook is leaning more heavily on warning labels, as is Twitter (leading to a recent spat with President Trump).
• Instagram is testing two new ways for (some) creators to monetize their live streams. IGTV videos from a small group of creators will start showing ads. And starting next month, they will begin testing Badges. Fans will be able to purchase Badges during live streams that will make their comments stand out, and unlock special perks. These will be rolling out slowly during the coming months.
• Facebook’s NPE (“new products and experiences”) team launched Venue, a new app where sports fans can watch live events with expert commentary (with each commentator in their own “venue”), be notified of memorable “moments”, and connect with other fans. Venue’s first sports partner is NASCAR, so if you’re a fan you may want to give the app a try.
• Tangi, the experimental DIY video social sharing app, now has a mobile app. 
• June is #StreamWithPride month at Twitch in celebration and support of LGBTQIA+ creators and their communities. There are special custom emotes, front page streams, charity fundraising, Watch Parties, and more.

Communication

• There is a new Google Chat progressive web app, which replaces the current desktop app. Google Chat is currently only available to G Suite customers, but should eventually replace Hangouts.
• WebRTC and WebM are 10 years old.These Google-lead open source projects helped create video streaming technology that allows browser-based real-time communication. And that’s why you don’t need to install a plugin or special software to video call in Google Meet or Facebook Messenger.
• Facebook’s NPE Team launched the CatchUp app, which lets you see which close friends and family members are available to chat. You can launch a group call right from the app.This is currently being tested in the United States.
• G Suite users can now use Google Voice in Gmail, letting you make and receive calls right from your inbox. No word on whether this option will be available to consumer users.
• Twitter now lets you schedule Tweets on desktop. But scheduled Tweets apparently are not synchronized across devices.

Webmasters

• Google announced that they will be making Search ranking changes that incorporate “Core Web Vitals”, including how quickly pages load, responsiveness and visual stability. This isn’t happening immediately - Google says they will provide at least 6 months notice - but it’s not too soon to check how well your site performs. To help do that, the Speed report is now part of the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console.
• Starting with Chrome 84, sites with abusive notifications will automatically be enrolled in the Chrome quieter notifications UI, and Chrome will show a notice to users that the site may be trying to trick them.
• Chrome 84 will also resume SameSite cookie enforcement, which was paused in April. This is working towards the goal of making third party cookies obsolete.

Productivity

• A new version of Google Groups is rolling out. It has an updated interface, improved settings, and new filtering and search options and more. Groups hasn’t been updated in a long time, and this looks like it will be a significant improvement over the old interface.
• It’s now easier to adjust the look and feel of Gmail on the web. You can change and preview different interfaces, inbox types, and display options without leaving your inbox.
• If you have an Android phone, you can share locations that don’t have an address with plus codes in Google Maps. Just tap on the blue dot to share where you are.

Business

• Google is offering small businesses a number of new tools in the face of COVID-19. Businesses can add links for donations or to purchase gift cards, add online service bookings and indicate if they are temporarily closed. There are also new attributes like “curbside pickup” and “no contact delivery”. Plus virtual kitchens can now verify their businesses in Google My Business.
• Facebook Shops is a new feature that lets businesses sell products online. And later this summer Instagram Shop will let you shop on Instagram. Shop shop shop!

What’s happening this week?

• The free 10 day “We are one” global film festival starts today. There are short features premiering from around the world, plus talks about the creative process with directors, actors and storytellers.
• The live Android 11 Beta launch that was scheduled for June 3rd has been postponed. The event has not been rescheduled yet.
• YouTube is hosting a star-studded virtual graduation party for the Class of 2020 on June 6th at 3PM ET, with headliners President Obama, Michelle Obama, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, BTS, Lady Gaga, Maluma, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Megan Thee Stallion and much more. It’s bound to be a celebration.

That’s all the updates for this week. Subscribe to get the Weekly Update in your email inbox or favorite feed reader every week. Miss last week’s update? Get it here.

Image: It’s graduation season! New graduates throwing their hats in the air, by Pixabay on Pexels. Free for commercial use.