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YouTube expands shopping features to combat digital ad slowdown

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According to the Financial Times on November 15, Tuesday, YouTube is adding shopping features to its short-form video service which is like TikTok, as it seeks to broaden its revenue stream, which has been decreased by falling ad spending.

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Image Source: geo.tv

“Viewers in the U.S., India, Brazil, Canada, and Australia can see the tags and interact with them and we’ll continue to bring tagging to more creators and geographies,” a Google spokesperson said.

Source: usnews.com

Ad sales on Alphabet-owned YouTube fell to US$7.07 billion in the third quarter, down from US$7.2 billion the previous year, as advertisers cut back on ad spending in the name of an economic downturn.

Read More: Youtube to introduce new feature to zoom in and out while watching videos

According to the newspaper, the streaming platform is also trying out new commission strategies for influencers who sell stuff via links in videos.

Reuters’ request for comment was not immediately responded to by YouTube.

The report information came only months after YouTube introduced a brand-new way for creators to make a living on short-form videos, launching advertising on its video feature Shorts and offering video makers 45 per cent of the profits.

The internet’s most popular video site has had difficulty keeping up with TikTok, the app that began by organising lip-sync and dance video content and has since grown to 1 billion monthly users.

YouTube sincerely hope that the new shopping features will boost its earnings from digital advertising. The site is introducing new features that will allow users to purchase products directly from videos and learn more about the products they are watching.

This is in addition to the existing features, which allow users to add items to their shopping carts and keep them for later use. In addition, when users are watching videos on YouTube, a new “shopping shelf” will show up on the right side of their screen. This shelf will display similar products that users can purchase as well as product information.

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Youtube to introduce new feature to zoom in and out while watching videos

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Youtube has revealed a number of visual adjustments and user interface (UI) modifications to make the application feel “cleaner, more lively,” and simpler to use for multiple purposes. The most significant update is the pinch-to-zoom feature, which lets users enlarge the playing screen to focus on particular details or components.

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Image Source: hindustantimes.com

Google is updating the YouTube app with a fresh appearance and a number of new features that will make watching videos more engaging and modern. Youtube announced in a recent blog post that, in light of YouTube’s recent 17th birthday, it was thinking about giving it a little makeover While YouTube has made a lot of improvements and changes, the “pinch to zoom” feature and “video navigation” are the most significant ones.

The pinch-to-zoom feature will let viewers zoom in and out of Youtube videos on both mobile and desktop devices. Earlier YouTube users had to keep their fingertips on the screen for the video to remain zoomed in. Users may now watch the rest of the Youtube video in greater detail since the video will remain zoomed in unless prompted.

Youtube noted in a blog post, “You may now simply zoom in and out of a movie on your iOS or Android phone using pinch to zoom. When you let go, the video remains zoomed in so you may see the rest of it in more detail. Allow your fingers to rest!”

The platform also made modifications to the way videos are navigated. The “precise seeking” function displays a row of thumbnails anytime you move to a specific point in the video. If you’re viewing a tutorial or a lecture and want to jump to a specific section of the video, this is quite helpful.

Youtube mentioned in the blog post, “Precise seeking builds on our recent improvements to video navigation that help you quickly find the parts you’re most interested in. We launched the ability to long press anywhere on the player to seek and double tap with two fingers to skip chapters. We also added a graph that shows frequently replayed moments in a video.”

Links to YouTube in video descriptions will now become buttons. In order to reduce distractions, actions like “like,” “share,” and “download” have also been moved to the lower side. The corporation has given the subscription button more weight by highlighting it more, which is good news for creators.

The subscription button is now visible to users in a white oval box right next to the creator’s name. The update also includes an ambient mode, which adds a soft effect just beneath a video. This feature will be available on both mobile and desktops in the dark theme.

To make the colors on the screen stand out more, Youtube has also updated and slightly darkened the dark theme. The color of hashtags on YouTube has also changed from blue to white, but their functionality and placement have not altered.

Although Pinch-to-Zoom in particular is a useful and major upgrade to the platform’s overall UI, all the other changes are relatively minor. It will be fascinating to observe how the other updates affect in-app engagement and clip finding actions even though they are expected to have less effect on the apps functionality.

Recently, YouTube debuted its brand-new “Unique Handles” feature, which gives users and creators a distinct handle ID that can be utilized to identify them.

Google

Security Changes in Google will Disrupt Old Links of Drive and YouTube.

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Public links to an untold number of Google Drive items will soon cease to work. Google is changing the ways in which link sharing is handled on both services in the name of increased security, and even if active users are allowed to choose from the switch, abandoned files and videos on unused or inactive accounts can simply go unnoticed.

Security Changes in YouTube Links

Because shared links are now part of a newer system, Google says security is increased. The newer links on YouTube would appear to be harder to guess or access for anyone without explicit access. The newer links also have the effect of connecting more activity to specific accounts and requiring viewers to connect to a user profile that allows access to be tracked and included.

On YouTube, any publicly available videos, but labeled “Unlisted,” will have an effect. As described in a 5-minute video and blog post by YouTube, any unlisted videos uploaded before 2017 will be changed to a private one on July 23, 2017. The way private video works now, killing any old links or embedding, as well as limiting sharing to up to 50 people — all of whom require a Google account to view it. As a reminder, you and the people you choose can only view private videos. Once these videos are made privately on July 23rd, any previously used link will no longer function as Unlisted.

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Image Source: blog.youtube

To retain your unlisted videos in their unlisted state, you should fill out this form by 23 July 2021 before 2017. YouTube recommends that you choose to avoid this amendment when you treat your unlisted videos such as public videos (for example, they are embedded or shared on third-party websites). If you opt-out, your current connections will continue to work as they currently do, but they will not benefit from the security update.

Using YouTube, you can make your Unlisted video uploaded before 2017 as “Public.” The older videos can be re-uploaded under the new system to take advantage of the security update. Data, like views or comments, related to the original upload, will not be transmitted. Each video that is embedded using the old link must also be updated to the new video URL.

As a reminder, the Unlisted feature will not be removed. It is still possible to upload new videos as Unlisted. Only videos uploaded prior to January 1, 2017, will be affected by this update. YouTube creators can go back through their older Unlisted videos and select the privacy setting that is best for them.

Security Changes in Google Drive Links

The same change is happening for Google Drive, as announced on the Workspace Updates blog earlier today. Now a link will contain a resource key that determines who accesses or does not receive access to cloud-stored files. You’ll continue to have access to the file if you’ve already accessed it (presumably when you log into your Google account) and have “direct access.”

It is a little more complicated if you use a workspace Google account managed by your employer, school, or other company. The IT/administrator department can decide either to opt-out completely, to update anyone without an opt-out, or to upgrade and enable individual users to remove the update.

Administrators can use the Alert Center to see how much your organization affects users, folders, shared drives, and files. Search a warning with the topic “Drive security update.” Admins should decide how their organization will be asked to update their security before 23 July 2021. Admins can choose how their organization uses the security update at Admin Console Apps > Google Workspace > Drive and Docs > Sharing settings > Security update for links.

If the administrator does not choose to update the security, end-users with impacted files, starting July 26, 2021, with their impacted files, will receive an e-mail notification. End-users have to decide how to update their files by September 13, if their administration permits it.

Users not included in Google Workspace receive a notification on their affected files from Google Drive from July 26, 2021, and are able to remove the security update. The new files are subject to the above-mentioned conditions. These users are expected to decide how to apply the update to their files until September 13, 2021.

Issues with type=domain or type=anyone Drive API permission that are affected by Link=true(v2) or allowFileDiscovery = false(v3) In addition to the item ID, a resource key for accessing these items is now required.

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YouTube is automatically deleting comments that can harm China’s Communist Party

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The pandemic caused due to the novel coronavirus has exposed China’s political system to a rough situation. The spread of coronavirus from the Wuhan city of China has made people believe that the novel coronavirus might be a bio-weapon after all. In this vulnerable situation, the rage of people towards China has increased which led to posting, commenting, and sharing content that holds the nation guilty.

In the meantime, YouTube is automatically deleting the two phrase comments in the Chinese language that is insulting to the CCP. The platform and its users have witnessed that within seconds these two phrase remarks are automatically vanishing from the comment section.

Is it a glitch on the system?

YouTube in response to the automatic deletion of specific Chinese comments said that it is an error in the system. The company reported to The Verge that it is a glitch on the system and they are looking into it already. According to a YouTube spokesperson, the investigation has begun and confirmed that this act is certainly not a result of any changes in the moderation policy.

A few months back YouTube declared to make some changes in its community guidelines in response to the content related to coronavirus. The spread of conspiracy theories was increasing from this platform hence they decided to use automated filters to remove them. On 16th March 2020, YouTube declared that it will remove some contents immediately without any human review if found against the guidelines. So, the company, this time said that since they are more dependent on automated filters based on AI. So, it will delete even the positive comments including those two-phrase.

User says the problem existed for a long time now

But, many of the users have also reported that it is not a recent “error” or “practice” of YouTube. Evidence shows that YouTube is responsible for deleting such comments for the past six months or more. Many users raised this issue on the official help page of the platform demanding a proper explanation for this problem. But, the issue has finally got voice when Palmer Lucky, U.S. technologist tweeted about it. Thorough investigation shows that human right activist; Jennifer Zeng raised the same issue a few weeks back.

But, the question is why YouTube would do it intentionally given that the platform is currently blocked in China. So, deleting or establishing censorship to save the reputation of the current ruling party of China should be of no concern for Google. This is very disturbing for the users of every other nation and questions the integrity of the company.

The two phrase comments

According to the reports, the Google-owned-platform, YouTube is specifically deleting comments like “wu mao” and “communist bandit” written in Chinese. The former term is a slang often used to insult the Communist Party of China. The latter was mostly used when the Chinese Nationalist government ruled the nation. The slang “wu mao” means “50-cent party” which is often used for the paid internet users that direct any kind of criticism regarding CCP away from the discussion. People believe they are paid 50 Chinese cents per post and thus the name-calling.

The human rights activist, Jennifer Zeng who spotted this mishap also posted relevant screenshots. She commented on the same phrase three times and YouTube automatically deleted it within fifteen seconds. This is not the first time that Google is criticized for censoring content that goes against CCP. Project Dragonfly launched in 2018 is proof of it.

Also read: Steve Chen – Co-Founder of YouTube

Project Dragonfly

In August 2018, Google launched a censored version of its search engine in China. It was for more than a decade that citizens of China were barred from accessing Google’s search engine. Hence, this censored search engine, also known as Project dragonfly was maybe an attempt by the company to re-establish itself in the Chinese market. But, this act of Google’s raised many questions about public interest and transparency.

Google accepting even the strictest policies of China’s search engine rules questioned its moral principles. This act of Google’s received criticism not only from many politicians but also from its employees. Hence, in June 2019, Google declared that it has dropped the Project Dragonfly and has no plan to launch China.

Facebook

Facebook Is Launching Its New Gaming App Giving Competition To Twitch And Youtube

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The gaming community is becoming more significant in today’s world with every passing day. It has become a prominent source of income for many big companies. Companies like Twitch and YouTube are very popular for streaming video games for the gaming community. It is also a great opportunity for independent game developers.

But, apart from Twitch and YouTube, Facebook also declared its new gaming application. The company will be launching the application today focusing mainly on the streaming community. Facebook is also thinking about the casual audience and hence will be also adding casual games in the application. It will include games like Words with Friends and similar types that can be played to kill time.

The timing of the launch

It seems like, with the advent of the modern age, the orthodox of not enhancing the idea of gaming is eventually disappearing. Moreover, big companies like Google (Stadia), Twitch, YouTube, and now Facebook are trying hard to promote the gaming culture. But, with the pandemic holding us prisoners in our homes, the hype of gaming has increased overnight. In this outbreak, around $160 billion business in gaming is making success rapidly.

After, Google made the Pro version of Stadia free for two months and Trivia is back on track, this is the perfect timing. So, Facebook also decided to roll out its new gaming application and help people coping in this quarantine phase. Moreover, the gaming community also strengthens social interaction while maintaining social distancing at the same time.

Investing in gaming is one of the top priorities

Facebook has around 2.5 billion active monthly users. And, out of these 700 million users shows an active interest in gaming content. So, Facebook was planning to launch a gaming app around June. But, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Facebook decided to prepone the launch in April.

Fidji Simo, the head of the Facebook app said that it is important to invest in the gaming community. Because it is not just a form of entertainment but also connects and brings people together. She has also declared that many new features will roll out eventually as they are currently focused on gaming. The app will be available only on Android devices for the time being. After the company receives permission from Apple, it will be available on iOS as well. The new app was tested in Southeast Asia and Latin America for the past eighteen months.

Facebook Gaming

Facebook has thrived since forever especially after acquiring Instagram and Whatsapp. And, with the launching of this new app, it will give tough competition to Amazon and Google as well. The company has been investing in the gaming sphere for a very long time now. It has collaborated with many creators and hosted many esports tournaments. Facebook Gaming is growing exponentially.

Facebook Gaming has witnessed an increase of 210% hours watched within a single year (2018-2019). StreamElements, a streaming software company has reported that the company’s streamers have increased by 6%. And, along with that the average number of viewers per hour has also increased by 78%. All these happened within a single year.

Twitch and YouTube are the main competitions in the market for Facebook Gaming. So, the company followed its strategies closely and partnered with Gonzalo “Zero” Barrios (Twitch streamer) and Corinna Kopf (YouTube personality).

New features

Facebook has also launched new tools that will help the users to stream videos. And, more users will be attracted to the platform if the tools are simpler to use. So, the company has added a “Go Live” button which will instantly help the users to go live. Facebook has also launched the Level Up Program to help some creators earn money through it.

This program is of immense advantage to those who are already streaming games on Facebook. They will get access to high-quality premium transcoding which includes 1080p and 60fps. Other features like unlocking Facebook Stars, limited access to beta products and features, and many more will be available. The user needs to create a “Gaming Video Creator” page and keep streaming videos for the next 14 days. These two are the prerequisites along with some other conditions and age bar.

Vivek Sharma, Facebook’s Vice President got gaming said that the craze for becoming a streamer increases every day. So, they are expecting the idea of live streaming to boom within a few days maximum.

Youtube %G network

YOUTUBE DECLARES IT WILL REMOVE EVERY CONTENT CONNECTING 5G TO CORONAVIRUS CONSPIRACY THEORIES

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The pandemic of coronavirus has already shaken up the entire world from its core. People are trying hard to keep themselves sane while being at home. But, this quarantine has indeed allowed us to binge-watch every series we were planning to. Netflix and Youtube have truly become our friends in need. But, while people are so much engrossed in these platforms, some of them are spreading terrifying contents. This is a very vulnerable phase for the entire world. And, we expect to spend some quality time in our home doing anything that keeps us calm. We do not want to grow extra terror within us by watching absurd coronavirus conspiracy theories via the 5G network.

Youtube decided to suppress such contents

Youtube declared on 5th April 2020 that it will suppress content that links the conspiracy theories of coronavirus to the 5G network. The company will remove all such contents and they won’t show them in the search result as well. People are already too scared due to this global crisis. So, promoting such fake content will just escalate violence around the globe. The news of false theories having a connection to the coronavirus outbreak has already caused some major destruction.

What has happened due to this disturbing content?

Once this kind of irrational things pops up in our screen, it spreads like wildfire. From Youtube to What Sapp, people start sharing it everywhere thus pulling the trigger. Many people have shared videos of mobile phone masts on fire. This has occurred in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Melling in Merseyside.

The violent act has not been limited to this. In the U.K. people have set at least seven cell phone towers on fire. It is reported that within the last 24 hours, the common people of the U.K has burnt down four towers due to rage, anger, and terror as well. And, when these videos will be shared on social media, citizens of our nations will be traumatized as well. It is also shocking that one of the towers that were burnt down wasn’t even a 5G mast. People targeted two of Vodafone’s masts and two shared masts.

It is unbelievable how one wrong claim or message can take the world to the edge of destruction. In this modern age, we tend to follow and praise our ideals via social platforms. This is another main reason why such disasters increased within 24 hours. When reputed and verified accounts on Instagram share such obscure videos, followers will believe it anyway. And, imagine the degree of destruction when there are millions and thousands of followers for each verified accounts.

What are the scientists saying?

Scientists have responded at the earliest and didn’t take it lightly. There is no sugarcoating to this or subtly calming the audience. The scientists have directly made the statement that the so-called imaginary connection between COVID-19 and 5G network is “rubbish”. There is no such phenomenon in this universe that can prove it otherwise and it is not possible biologically.

Stephen Powis, NHS England Medical Director said that these theories are the worst kind of fake news that can ever exist. Youtube has also declared that any other 5G conspiracy theory will be entertained except for linking it to coronavirus. The platform has also started reducing the amount of “borderline content” that can spread even tiny fake news to the people.

The kind of fake news reaching people 

The misleading videos are popping up on the platform of Facebook from late January. When the pandemic initially started spreading in the U.S., people started making up many such theories. A group of people believed that the 5G network can suppress the immune system. Thus, it will make us very vulnerable to catching COVID-19. And, some people tend to believe that the virus will directly transmit in our bodies if we use the 5G network.

One video in the U.K also showed a man saying the healthcare units conducted tests actually to spread coronavirus. And, this pandemic was just a showcase, a distraction made to diverge people from the deaths that occurred due to 5G. These are just a few examples from the lot. The only message scientists want to spread now is we should turn s deaf ear to this fake news. And, burning down masts won’t help the situation. Because they are only providing us emergency phone services in this time of need.