Google Cloud Platform News

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  New ways Google Duo helps make time together more special
  • sorangutan  

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  Most of my family lives in Colombia, South America, and video calling has been a life-changing way for my dad and grandparents to watch my daughters grow up. Recently, video calls have also become the only way for my daughters to see their grandmas who live nearby. Although the physical separation has been hard for all of us, Google Duo makes it easier to let family know how much we miss them, show off our latest artwork and just act silly together like we would in person. Last month, we announced new features on Duo to help you stay connected, and today I’ll share updates that make conversations with loved ones even more special.

  More fun with the family with family mode

  Our new family mode lets you doodle on video calls for everyone to see and also surprise them with fun effects and masks that transform you into astronauts, cats and more. Just start a video call, tap the menu icon and then tap Family to get started. You don’t have to worry about accidental mutes or hang-ups because we’ve hidden those buttons while you’re playing together. This new family mode is available when signed into Duo with your Google account. As always, calls on Duo are end-to-end encrypted and stay private between you and your loved ones.

  

  Add pizzazz to video calls with new effects

  In addition to bringing masks and effects to our new family mode, we’re bringing them to any one-on-one video calls on Android and iOS—starting this week with a Mother’s Day effect. We’re also rolling out more effects and masks that help you express yourself, from wearing heart glasses to transforming into a flower. 

  

  Bring people together in more ways

  In the coming weeks, you'll be able to make group calls with Duo on the web, starting as a preview on Chrome, alongside a new layout that lets you see more people at the same time. To make getting together easier, you’ll also be able to invite anyone with a Google account to join a group call with just a link.
  

  

  We hope these features help you better connect with your nearest and dearest, and also bring a little bit of fun to your conversations.
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/duo/family-mode/
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  What we learned from Hank Green about building community online
  • sorangutan  

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  Tech Exchange is a student exchange program between Google and 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). During the program, students spend a semester at Google’s Mountain View Campus, taking computer science courses and learning about professional development. With Tech Exchange students now learning from home, we brought in a speaker who has made a name for himself by engaging with people online: Hank Green, author and YouTube creator. 

  Hank began his journey as a YouTube Creator in 2007 when he and his brother John decided to communicate with each other through video blogs every day for a year. As more people started watching the Vlogbrothers, Hank and John went on to create 32 YouTube channels including Crash Course and SciShow. In a virtual Q&A with Tech Exchange students, Hank shared his insights on how to build community online. Here’s what we learned.

  Understand the problem that you’re trying to solve

  Hank is often asked, “How does one become a YouTuber?” He says the first step is to understand the question you’re actually trying to solve. “Is it that I want to have a job where I get to be creative all day? Is it that I want to make a specific kind of content that I know is going to be high impact ? Is it that I want to have an audience or that I want to have influence?”

  Once you actually know that answer, think about the first step on that path (this applies to content creation but also in everything in life!). It’s important to understand what tools you bring to the table. Put the problem that you’re trying to solve in a bucket with your tools and see what falls out. 

  There are other people like you in the world, create for them.

  Hank shared three strategies that he and John learned when building the Vlogbrothers community. The first is to find common values and interests. “You just have to say, ‘What is the stuff that I would like to see made in the world?’ There are other people who, it turns out, are somewhat like you in the world, and they will be there for it.” The second is to build a feeling of actual connection and the third piece is what I call the "touchstone," which is the YouTube creator building a relationship with the viewer. You have to make people feel like this person is worthy of being the nexus of a community.

  Put the problem that you’re trying to solve in a bucket with your tools and see what falls out.

  Create content that represents various perspectives

  Through Hank’s channels, he hopes to put out more content that is representative of a variety of voices and perspectives. To do this, he says you have to find hosts who don’t all look the same. But you have to go beyond that too, and give them full ownership of the creative process. The writing, the editing, the style need to be informed culturally all the way through. 

  
  

  For more tips on building community, check out YouTube Creator Academy and Hank’s YouTube Channel, Vlogbrothers.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/diversity/what-we-learned-hank-green-about-building-community-online/
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  Make at-home learning more fun with 3D and AR in Search
  • sorangutan  

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  Augmented reality (AR) in Search lets you bring 3D objects and animals into your space so you can turn your living room into a virtual zoo, explore the Apollo 11spacecraft up close, or take a picture with Santa. I love seeing how much fun families are having with this experience at home. AR in Search can also help you discover and explore new concepts. Here are a few new ways you can use AR (and a little imagination) to learn at home.
  

  Take a virtual trip through the human body

  It’s one thing to read about the human heart, and another to see one up close to understand how it pumps blood to provide oxygen. We’re partnering with BioDigital so that you can explore 11 human body systems with AR in Search on mobile. Search for circulatory system and tap “View in 3D” to see a heart up close or look up skeletal system to trace the bones in the human body and see how they connect. Read labels on each body part to learn more about it or view life-size images in AR to better understand its scale.

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  Get a magnified view of our microscopic world

  Seeing is often understanding. But tiny organisms, like cells, are hard to visualize unless you can magnify them to understand what’s inside. We’ve partnered with Visible Bodyto create AR models of animal, plant and bacteria cells, including some of their key organelles. Search for animal cell and zoom into its nucleus to see how it stores DNA or search for mitochondria to learn what’s inside it. With AR, you can bring a 3D cell into your space to rotate it, zoom in and view details about its different components.

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  Turn your home into a museum

  Many museums may be closed right now, but with Google Arts & Culture and institutions like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, you can turn your home into one using AR. Search for Apollo 11 on your phone to see its command module in 3D, look up Neil Armstrong to get a life-size view of his spacesuit, or step inside the Chauvet Cave to get an up-close look at some of the world's oldest known cave paintings, which are usually closed off to the public.

  Easily explore, record and share 

  To help you quickly explore related content, we’re rolling out a new carousel format on Android, as well as a recording option to share social-worthy AR videos with friends and family.

  

  Explore content with the carousel format on Android

  We hope that you enjoy exploring all of these 3D and AR experiences on Google. Tag us on social with #Google3Dand let us know how you’re using AR to learn and explore new things in your home. We can’t wait to hear where your imagination takes you next!

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-lens/make-home-learning-more-fun-3d-and-ar-search/
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  Resources for mental health support during COVID-19
  • sorangutan  

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  The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted lives around the world. In addition to the lives lost to the virus, as many communities enter the second and third month under stay-at-home orders, there is a rising mental health toll, too. In a national survey released by the American Psychiatric Association in March, 36 percent of respondents said that COVID-19 was seriously impacting their mental health; 48 percent were anxious about getting infected; and 57 percent reported concern that COVID-19 will seriously impact their finances.

  
  

  As a trained psychiatrist, I know firsthand the importance of bringing out into the open the issue of mental health. While it might be years between the first onset of symptoms and someone seeking help, the internet is often the first place people turn to find out more about mental disorders. To help address the emerging mental health crisis we’re sharing “Be Kind to Your Mind," which includes resources on mental wellbeing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Whenever people in the U.S. search for information about coping with the pandemic, or on COVID-19 and mental health, we’ll show a public service announcement with tips to cope with stress during COVID-19. To raise awareness of the importance of mental wellbeing during these times, we'll highlight these resources on Google's homepage tomorrow.

  

  Whenever people in the U.S. search for information about coping with the pandemic, we’ll show a public service announcement with tips to cope with stress during COVID-19.

  With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to highlight a few other resources and tools across Google and YouTube that promote mental wellbeing.

  
  

  Self-assessment questionnaires for depression and PTSD

  When people search on Google for information about mental health conditions we provide panels with information from authoritative sources like Mayo Clinic that detail symptoms, treatments, and provide an overview of the different types of specialists who can help. On the info panels for depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we provide direct access to clinically-validated self-assessment questionnaires that ask some of the same types of questions a mental health professional might ask. Based on a person’s answers, these self-assessment tools provide information on risk, along with links to more resources. Results to these questionnaires are not logged. We hope they can provide insight and help people have a more informed conversation with their doctor. We will add more self-assessment  questionnaires over time to cover more conditions.

  
  

  Self-care content on YouTube

  Over the last few months, YouTube has seen a 35 percent increase in views of meditation videos, and growing popularity of mindfulness and wellbeing content. YouTube is making videos like these and other mental health resources more widely available to anyone around the world, for free, by spotlighting channels and playlists that have wellbeing and mindfulness-focused content. Countless YouTube creators, like Dr. Mike and Kati Morton, educate their communities as they help reduce the stigma associated with mental health. YouTube is also launching relevant YouTube Originals, including a “BookTube” episode featuring top authors like Melinda Gates and Elizabeth Gilbert offering their best book recommendations.

  

  Finding virtual care options, quickly

  Because of stay-at-home orders and restrictions that limit in-person interactions, many mental health care providers (including therapists and psychiatrists) are now providing telehealth care, like conducting therapy sessions over video conference. To make these options easier to find, we now allow providers to highlight their virtual care services on their Google Business Profile. So now, when you search for a mental health provider in products like Search and Maps, you may see an “Online care” link that can take you to their virtual care page, or even schedule a virtual appointment.

  
  

  While the stigma around mental health has lessened in recent years, many people still find it hard to reach out to get help. By providing access to mental health resources, services and information across our products, we hope to make it easier for people to seek help and receive proper care.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/health/resources-mental-health-support-during-covid-19/
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  Cloud Covered: What was new with Google Cloud in April
  • sorangutan  

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  April brought many adaptations to the new reality of working from home and socially distancing. At Google Cloud, we kept our focus on helping our customers navigate the many impacts of COVID-19 by meeting and connecting securely and virtually.

  Try Google Meet and its new features, now free.
  Last month, we announced that Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, is now free for everyone. Meet’s availability will be gradually expanding over the next few weeks, and can be used by anyone with an email address. Plus, Meet has some new features like an expanded tiled layout, background noise cancellation, and options to present with higher audio quality. G Suite customers can use Meet’s advanced features, like meetings of up to 250 participants, until Sept. 30.

  Even better, Meet has a secure foundation.
  In an almost-entirely-virtual world, it’s important to make sure that online meetings and other interactions are secure. Our approach to security is simple: make products safe by default. We designed Meet to operate on a secure foundation, providing the protections needed to keep our users safe, their data secure, and their information private. Meet video meetings are encrypted in transit and our array of safety measures are continuously updated to prevent abuse. Learn more. 

  Working securely includes meetings, devices, emails, and more.
  To help enterprises adjust to new numbers of remote workers securely, businesses can now use BeyondCorp Remote Access. This is something that’s been used within Google for almost ten years, and enterprises can now address the issue of remote access to internal web apps. It’s based in the cloud, so it’s easy to get started, and lets a company’s employees and contractors use the company’s web applications on their devices, without needing to set up a virtual private network (VPN). In addition, you can take a look here at how our machine learning models used by Gmail to detect threats continue to evolve to keep up with new COVID-19-related threats.

  The new Las Vegas region helps power the cloud.
  Google Cloud’s newest region in Las Vegas opened up last month, providing cloud computing capacity so that companies can better serve users in the Las Vegas region. Companies located near Las Vegas can get faster access to their data than if data was stored farther away. Other cloud regions in western U.S. include Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Oregon.

  Learn new things without leaving the house.
  All this month, you can explore free cloud learning resources from Qwiklabs and Pluralsight. You’ll find cloud basics and courses in on-demand skill areas, like data analytics, machine learning, and Kubernetes. The Google Cloud Essentials lab offers an introductory tour of Google Cloud and explanations of basic cloud concepts. 

  That’s a wrap for April. Stay well and keep up to date on the Cloud Blog.
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-cloud/what-was-new-with-google-cloud-in-april-2020/
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  Go hands-on with interactive AI visualizations
  • sorangutan  

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  Artificial Intelligence systems can recognize our voices, forecast the weather and help decide who gets a loan. Given the increasing ubiquity of AI, it’s important that everyone is able to understand more about it.

  Like any system or technology, AI doesn’t always get it right. And understanding why AI systems break is often not easy for people who aren't experts in the field; research results are shared in dense papers filled with formulas.

  

  Fairness Is Not Static: Deeper Understanding of Long Term Fairness via Simulation Studies

  
  

  Of course, people who haven't studied AI still need to be able to ask critical questions about these systems. To help support these kinds of discussions, we've created AI Explorables, a series of interactive explanations of key AI concepts. They’re specifically geared toward non-experts (even though we think and hope that experts will also find them interesting and thought-provoking). 

  The first two Explorables walk you through an assessment determining whether an AI system is fair and unbiased. Measuring Fairness weighs the trade-offs involved in building a machine that diagnoses a disease—and lets you try tuning it to be fairer.

  

  In another Explorable, called Hidden Bias, we examine a system that predicts student's grades. Biased by the data it has learned from, the system predicts lower grades for women. Trying to fix this by hiding gender from the system doesn't always work (and, in some cases, can actually increase the bias in the system). 

  

  In the coming months we plan on sharing more Explorables on other fairness issues (how do feedback loops affect the biases of an AI system?), interpretability (why did the AI system decide to do that?) and privacy (what does it mean in the context of an AI system?).

  People and AI Research (PAIR) is committed to making machine learning more participatory, and we believe that Explorables will help expand the conversation around machine learning and make it more inclusive. You can find more updates about Explorables and our other work at the (new) PAIR Medium channel.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/technology/ai/pair-ai-interactive-visualizations/
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  News Brief: April updates from the Google News Initiative
  • sorangutan  

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  Like many others, news organizations are navigating new ways of working remotely. This month, we’re looking at how technology can support and elevate the efforts of journalists who are delivering essential information to their readers.

  Supporting fact checking efforts around the world 

  Our fact check information panel on YouTube is now available in the United States. The information panel, which launched last year in India and Brazil, highlights fact check results from third-parties in search results for relevant queries, so viewers can make their own informed decision about claims made in the news. In addition, YouTube committed $1 million through the Google News Initiative to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to bolster fact-checking and verification efforts across the world. 

  
  

  

  The fact check information panel on YouTube highlights fact checks in search results

  Additionally, we worked with the designers at Polygraph to help create a visual database of COVID-19 fact-checking efforts led by the IFCN. This global collaborative project brought fact-checkers together to jointly combat misinformation about the pandemic, collecting a dataset of more than 4000 fact checks (and counting).

  Supporting a more diverse global media industry

  The Racial Equity in Journalism fund, created in partnership with Borealis Philanthropy, has awarded $2.3 million in grants to 16 news organizations serving communities of color across the U.S. The Fund’s inaugural grantee cohort all serve audiences who have been historically underserved by mainstream media. 

  In partnership with the GNI, Chicas Poderosas launched the Ambassador Leadership Training, a global program to strengthen and promote a more diverse media industry. The training will focus on tools and leadership skills to build, support, and sustainably run organizations and foster women's leadership in the media. The program will involve women from 17 countries throughout Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the U.S.

  Using StoryShare to collaborate on local COVID-19 reporting

  AP StoryShare, a project supported by the Google News Initiative, allows newsrooms to share content and coverage plans. Editorsin Colorado and Oregon are using StoryShare to collaborate on coronavirus reporting, assuring greater breadth of coverage and less duplication of effort at a time of dwindling resources. About 75 news organizations are participating in initial pilots throughout Colorado, Oregon, and New York.

  Online trainings to help journalists find, verify and tell news stories

  
  

  

  The global team of GNI Teaching Fellows led online training courses using tools like Google Earth

  As journalists around the world adjust to new ways of working, we’re making more training resources available online. We held 27 livestream training sessions in nine languages to help journalists find, verify and tell news stories during the pandemic, with additional tools added to the Google News Initiative Training Center.

  In partnership with journalism network Outriders, we’re also offering free tools, training, and support for journalists across Central and Eastern Europe. Live online workshops are offered on a range of topics, from Verification to Geo Tools and Environmental Reporting. An overview of upcoming sessions can be found here, and new sessions will be added on a regular basis.

  Insights from Asia Pacific case studies

  News organizations in Asia Pacific are using GNI data tools like Realtime Content Insights and News Consumer Insights to grow their audience and build loyalty. In the Philippines, Rappler empowered its news organization with better user data to help achieve digital sustainability. In India, Dainik Jagran improved engagement during India’s General Election by taking advantage of a cultural moment.

  The power of words

  In Japan, we launched “The Power of Words,” a collaborative reporting project with 24 national and local news organizations. Through the words of athletes, the website delivers uplifting messages, creating an immersive storytelling experience. The website is also accessible, optimized for visual readability, and text voiceover thanks to a screen reader. 

  That’s all for April. Stay in touch with @GoogleNewsInit on social, and sign up for the GNI newsletter for more updates.

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-news-initiative/news-brief-april-updates-google-news-initiative/
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  Kids can learn at home with Read Along by Google
  • sorangutan  

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  With many students currently at home due to school closures, families around the globe are looking for ways to help children grow their reading skills. To support families, today we're sharing early access to Read Along by Google. It’s an Android app for children 5+ years old that helps them learn to read by giving verbal and visual feedback as they read stories out loud. 

  Read Along uses Google's speech recognition technology to help develop literacy skills, and first launched in India (where it is available as “Bolo”). After receiving encouraging feedback from parents, we’re excited to share this app with more young learners around the globe.

  Read Along is now available in over 180 countries and in nine languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi. Read Along will continue to improve as we receive feedback from families, expanding the selection of books and adding more features.

  How Read Along works

  Read Along helps kids independently learn and build their reading skills with the help of an in-app reading buddy named Diya. As kids read out loud, Diya uses Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology to detect if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage. She gives them positive and reinforcing feedback along the way, just as a parent or teacher would. Children can also tap Diya at any time for help pronouncing a word or a sentence.

  Read Along keeps young minds engaged with a collection of diverse and interesting stories from around the world, and games sprinkled into those stories. Kids can collect stars and  badges as they learn, which motivates them to keep playing and reading. 

  Parents can create profiles for multiple readers, who tap on their photo to learn at their own pace and to track their individual progress. Read Along will personalize the experience by recommending the right difficulty level of stories and games based on their reading level performance. 

  

  Safety and connectivity

  Read Along was built with childrens' safety and privacy in mind, and has no ads or in-app purchases. And after the initial download of the app and stories, Read Along works offline without Wi-Fi or data—helping with worries about unsupervised access to the Internet. Parents can simply connect to Wi-Fi periodically to download additional stories. 

  Read Along is also easy to start and doesn’t require sign in. Even the voice data is analyzed in real time on the device—so that it works offline—and is not sent to any Google servers.

  Families can download Read Along for their Android devices by visiting the Play Store. To help us continue to improve the experience, we want to hear your feedback at [email protected].

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/early-access-read-along/
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  New YouTube features to help you navigate the streaming boom
  • sorangutan  

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  Viewer attention is shifting dramatically as we spend more time at home–and we’ve heard directly from many advertisers that are working quickly to adjust their creative and media strategies, especially to orient toward streaming platforms.

  Today, we are sharing new advertiser insights and accelerating the launch of a number of tools–including Brand Lift measurement on the TV screen and more flexible formats for content casted onto the TV screen–to help advertisers navigate this rapidly changing environment.¹

  
  

  People are streaming on TV screens more than ever
  

  As people spend more time at home, we’re seeing major shifts in streaming viewership. A recent Comscore report highlighted that over 70 million US households are now streaming content on their connected TV screens.

  Nowhere is this shift more pronounced than on YouTube and YouTube TV. According to Comscore, YouTube has the highest reach and viewing hours among ad-supported streaming services, and represents a quarter of all streaming watch time across both subscription and ad-supported platforms in the US.² Stay at home directives have amplified this shift to the TV screens, as overall watch time there has jumped 80 percent year over year in March 2020.³

  Diversity of viewer passions and interests is what inspires people to stream YouTube on their big screens–from tuning into their favorite health and fitness videos to leaning back with a creator sharing a bit of their world to watching more traditional media outlets reinvent their content for this new reality.

  Below, we’ve shared just a few of the top content growth areas across both YouTube and YouTube TV on TV screens during this time. While people are enjoying movies and shows to unwind, they are also watching live content from their favorite creators and cultural moments.

  
  

  

  People are also gravitating to the consistently new and fresh content YouTube creators put out every day. In fact, over 60 percent of signed-in viewers of YouTube on TV screens watched a video published in the last 7 days.⁴

  And, we see different user behavior when people engage with YouTube on the TV screen–it's often enjoyed with others, unlike the more individual experience on the mobile device. In a recent custom Nielsen study commissioned by Google, we found that 26 percent of the time, multiple 18+ viewers are watching YouTube together on the TV screen, compared to 22 percent on linear TV.⁵  

  
  

  Making it easier to measure results across YouTube streaming platforms

  With increases in watch time and an influx of daily visitors, brands in a position to continue marketing can make their budgets go further on YouTube by expanding their strategies to incorporate streaming.

  With media mixes becoming increasingly reliant on streaming, it’s more important than ever to measure its impact. As a result, we’re accelerating the launch of Brand Lift for YouTube on TV screens. For viewers, this means surveys are now optimized for the big screen and interactivity with a TV remote, so people can easily respond or skip the survey.

  
  

  

  This will enable marketers to make informed decisions about ad performance, and better optimize streaming campaigns in real time whether they are using Google Ads or Display & Video 360 for both reservation and auction campaigns.

  Whether a campaign is focused on ad recall, purchase intent or awareness, Brand Lift will help make budgets go further. It will be available in the coming weeks for the YouTube app, and in early Q3 for YouTube TV. 

  
  

  Bringing more formats to the big screen

  As viewers spend more time watching YouTube on the TV screen, we are continuing to evolve to help advertisers better reach their customers where they are.

  Late last year, we launched the YouTube Masthead on TV screens to help advertisers drive awareness with a large audience in a single moment. Advertisers like Uber are seeing success using this format to reach their audiences when they’re in lean back mode and where they are increasingly spending their time.

  Travis Freeman, Global Head of Media at Uber said, “The Masthead on TV screens has been a critical component to build awareness for our #MoveWhatMatters initiative—which offers 10 million free rides and food deliveries for frontline healthcare workers, seniors and people in need. The Masthead, deployed in both the US and Canada, enabled us to easily amplify our message and reach our audiences where they are watching now more than ever.”

  

  This year, we’re also bringing more format flexibility to streaming by introducing the popular skippable ad format for content that is casted onto the TV screen. As casting watch time soared by over 75 percent year over year,⁶ this provides advertisers a new way to reach their audience as they embrace the evolving ways consumers are watching their favorite content.

  In a time when an eager audience is hungry for new content, YouTube is able to deliver fresh video to households across the world daily—within the niche or mainstream categories they love. By accelerating new tools and features, we’re committed to helping you grow your business in the changing world of viewership and streaming on TV screens. 

  Reach out to your Google sales team to learn more about YouTube and YouTube TV on TV screens, and the new features shared today to support your campaigns.

  ---

  1. TV screens include all consumption on Smart or Connected TV’s, TV streaming devices, game consoles and set-top boxes

  2. Comscore OTT Intelligence, Oct. 2019, U.S

  3.  YouTube Internal Data; US, March 2020 over March 2019 YoY

  4. YouTube Internal Data; Global, March 11-April 10 2020

  5. Custom Nielsen study commissioned by Google. Custom YouTube cTV match to Cross-Platform Homes Panel. Coviewing percentage is calculated as the percentage of minutes when a P18+ is watching with another P18+ in the same household. YouTube commercial viewership identified by matching served time of the cTV ping with Cross-Platform Homes Panel viewership during that minute. Linear TV is based on Live Total Day viewing of commercial minutes across all broadcast and cable networks. One minute qualifier. 11/5/2019-11/28/2019; 2/14/2020-2/29/2020. Results among US TV Households

  6. YouTube Internal Data; Global, March 11-April 10 2020 over March 11-April 10 2019 YoY

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/ads/youtube-streaming-trends-features/
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  New Google Lens features to help you be more productive at home
  • sorangutan  

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  Lately our family dining table has also become a work desk, a video conference room, and...a kid’s playground. As I learn how to become a full time kids-entertainer, I welcome anything that can help me stay productive. And while I usually turn to Search when learning about new things, sometimes what I’m looking for is hard to describe in words. 

  This is where Google Lens can help. When my family’s daily activity involves a walk in the neighborhood, Lens lets me search what I see, like a flower in our neighbor’s front yard.

  

  But it can also be a helpful tool for getting things done while working and learning from home. Today, we’re adding a few new features to make you more productive.
  

  Copy text from paper to your laptop

  You can already use Lens to quickly copy and paste text from paper notes and documents to your phone to save time. Now, when you select text with Lens, you can tap "copy to computer" to quickly paste it on another signed-in device with Chrome. This is great for quickly copying handwritten notes (if you write neatly!) and pasting it on your laptop without having to retype them all.
  

  

  Learn new words and how to pronounce them

  Searches for learn a new language have doubled over the last few months. If you're using the extra time at home to pick up a new language, you can already use Lens to translate words in Spanish, Chinese and more than 100 other languages, by pointing your camera at the text.
  

  

  Now, you can also use Lens to practice words or phrases that are difficult to say.  Select the text with Lens and tap the new Listen button to hear it read out loud—and finally figure out how to say “hipopótamo!”
  

  

  Quickly look up new concepts

  If you come across a word or phrase you don’t understand in a book or newspaper, like “gravitational waves,” Google Lens can help. Now, with in-line Google Search results, you can select complex phrases or words to quickly learn more.
  

  

  These features are rolling out today, except for Listen which is available on Android and coming soon to iOS. Copying text to your computer requires the latest version of Chrome. Lens is available in the Google app on iOS and the Google Lens app on Android.
  

  

  We look forward to hearing about the ways you use Lens to learn new things and get stuff done while at home.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/google-lens/new-google-lens-features-help-you-be-more-productive-home/
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  What’s trending: understanding rising consumer interests
  • sorangutan  

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  Since COVID-19 began, we’ve heard from our retail and brand manufacturing partners that they’re hungry for more insights on how consumer interests are changing, given fluctuations in consumer demand. We see these changes reflected in how people are searching on Google. Last month, there were spikes in search interest for household supplies and jigsaw puzzles as people spent more time at home. This month we’ve seen surging interest for sewing machines and baking materials in the U.S., and tetherball sets and chalk in the United Kingdom and Australia. 

  Businesses are using a variety of resources to understand changing consumer interests—including Google Trends, social listening, surveys, and their own data—in order to help make decisions on the fly. But if they don’t know what to look for, there isn’t an easy way to understand which product categories are gaining in popularity, and might pose an opportunity.

  That’s why we’re launching a rising retail categories tool on Think with Google. It surfaces fast-growing, product-related categories in Google Search, the locations where they’re growing, and the queries associated with them. This is the first time we’ve provided this type of insight on the product categories that people are searching for. 

  

  When we previewed the data with a group of businesses, they had lots of creative ideas for how they might apply it—whether for content creation, promotional efforts, or even new products and services. Here were some of their ideas for how it could help:
  

  • Content creation: A cookware company noticed that “flour” was a growing category in the United States. The team was inspired to explore partnering with a famous local chef to create engaging content about recipes that incorporate flour. 

  • Promotion: A jewelry and accessories company noted rising interest in products in the “free weights” category, so the team thought they might partner with fitness influencers who could help promote their products. Similarly, an online business said it would regularly reference the data to inform which products to feature on its homepage throughout the pandemic. 

  • Product ideas: An apparel company with a fast and flexible production model said its team would use this data to inspire new product line ideas.

  For the next few months, we’ll update the tool with fresh data every day and hope this will help businesses of all sizes find new pockets of consumer interest. For additional resources and insights, sign up for the Think with Google newsletter. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/small-business/understanding-rising-consumer-interests-covid-19/
• 

  La Scala – the theater comes to you
  • sorangutan  

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  Back in the 18th century, visitors to La Scala Theater in Milan had to scramble for good seats. Though the aristocrats owned their boxes, most people just had to stand on the ground floor the whole time, with no chairs at all. 

  
  

  Starting today, nobody will have to worry about getting a good seat because La Scala of Milan, one of the most iconic theaters in the world, is raising its (digital) curtain on Google Arts & Culture. You’re invited to take the best seat in the house.

  
  By bringing its treasures online on Google Arts & Culture, La Scala is opening for a global digital audience, after closing its doors due to the current Covid-19 restrictions. Even with its stage dark, the creativity of the artists endures. To celebrate the theater’s past and present, 92 artists from five countries have come together to create La Scala’s first opera performed in quarantine. Enjoy an aria from Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” that fittingly represents a story of unity and resilience.At home with Artists from La Scala performing Verdi’s "Simon Boccanegra"

  By recording 92 artists (6 soloists, 26 choristes, 60 musicians), currently in lockdown in their homes in 5 different countries, the video (re)introduces viewers to an aria from Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.

  In La Scala’s online collection, you can now walk through the theater with Street View. Discover what it feels like to stand on the main stage like an opera star, enjoy a ballet performance from the Royal box or, even look around the industrial workshop, where  artisans create impressive stages, props and nearly 1,000 costumes every year, including creations by fashion designers Gianni Versace and Yves Saint Laurent. With high resolution imagery captured by our Art Camera you can even zoom into the finest details of the costumes—from ivory brocade and gold cabochons to black velvet and ruby mirror stones—worn by opera icon Maria Callas.

  Go even further behind the scenes and explore over 259,000 images digitized from the theater’s archive. You can flip through the pages of a rare edition of the rare hand-painted edition of Turandot music score, the first libretto for Verdi’sNabucco or learn about the many different artists whose work has graced the La Scala stage, including artists David Hockney and Giorgio De Chirico.
  

  • Il Teatro alla Scala from the outside

    Il Teatro alla Scala from the outside.

  • An image of Luciano Pavarotti.jpg

    The iconic Luciano Pavarotti playing a part in the opera Aida.

  • Inside of a museeum.jpg

    The parterre at La Scala Theatreoffers a full view of its spectacular interior.

  • An image of opera performers .jpg

    Costumes for Salome designed by Gianni Versace, one of many famous designers creating for the Scala Theater.

  • Reproductions of a sketch for Turandot .jpg

    A reproductions of sketches for Turandot by G.Puccini Umberto Brunelleschi from 1926. 

    
    

  • View from the stage of Teatro alla Scala.jpg

    The view from the stage only known to those performing at the Teatro alla Scala.

    
    

  Wherever you are, you can look behind the curtain of one of the world’s greatest theaters. And while we wait to travel again, La Scala Theatre comes to you, online on Google Arts & Culture.

  To discover even more about Performing Arts browse Google Arts & Culture online, or download our free app for iOS or Android.
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/la-scala-the-theater-comes-to-you/
• 

  Safeguard your advertising business
  • sorangutan  

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  This post is the third in a series exploring several of Ad Manager’s key features and how they help our publisher partners maximize their ad revenue. To learn more, see posts one and two which were published in March.
  

  Protecting users from bad ads and malicious actors is key to a healthy revenue stream. Things like inappropriate creative, counterfeit inventory, and malware not only divert revenue from you, but also alienate your users, and degrade the online experience in general.
  

  
  

  Some people respond by installing ad blockers, which prevent ads—all ads, good and bad—from appearing. When this happens, every publisher pays the price, as it means they earn less money from the free content we all enjoy. For advertisers who create good ads, these obstacles make it tougher to connect with customers. And for consumers, it means they’ll see less useful ads.
  

  
  

  Google Ad Manager helps power our partners’ digital advertising businesses, including helping to combat ad fraud and bad ads. Here are three ways we're working to protect your business and the broader ecosystem from bad ads and invalid activity:

  
  

  We continuously invest in our defenses against ad fraud
  

  By using a combination of people, policies, and technology, our global team of subject matter experts, PhDs, and engineers have fine-tuned our ad systems policies to provide clear guidance on what is and is not acceptable. To date the team has launched over 200 automated filters that help defend our ad systems from invalid activity in a lasting way. 

  One of the ways we did this in 2019 was by investing in new technology to better identify policy-violating behavior at the account level, as opposed to the ad level. Our efforts resulted in 2.7 billion bad ads being taken down in 2019—more than 5,000 bad ads per minute—and the termination of 1.5 million advertiser accounts for violations, 3x more than in 2018.

  

  We develop tools to help you manage which ads are shown on your properties 

  We provide and develop new tools to help you manage and control which ads are shown across your sites and apps. Pricing rules and blocking options provide granular control over your inventory before the auction process. Features like the Ad review center help you review individual ads after they've been shown to decide whether you continue to show them, block them, or report them in real-time.
  

  
  

  

  Ad review center

  We also understand that sometimes people make honest mistakes when setting up their ads businesses, so we’ve developed solutions like the App Policy Center to help you easily review and monitor policy violations or appeals you may have. The App Policy Center was designed to provide greater insight into our policy enforcement process and help reduce the risk of potential revenue loss.

  
  

  

  App policy center

  We support industry initiatives

  We invest in industry initiatives to help tackle bad ads for everyone in the ads ecosystem. Here are three key initiatives that we invested in and continue to support to help prevent bad ads.
  

  • Ads.txt and app-ads.txt: These projects are aimed at preventing counterfeit inventory, which diverts revenue from publishers. They allow Ad tech companies to identify unauthorized and domain-spoofed inventory being sold across the industry by letting website owners publicly declare who is allowed to sell their ad space. We scan more than 30 million domains a day and are proud to say that nearly 90 percent of our publisher partners have adopted ads.txt.
  • The Better Ads Standards: These standards are based on extensive user research conducted by the Coalition for Better Ads about which ad formats and ad experiences consumers think are the most annoying and disruptive. They’ve identified 4 desktop and 8 mobile web display ad experiences that companies should avoid in order to maintain a good user experience, and help create a better online environment for everyone.
  • Open Measurement: This software development kit (SDK) is an industry-wide solution to the challenge of measuring viewability of ads in apps. We offer our partners access to the Open Measurement Initiative by integrating the SDK into our mobile ads products. This preserves your revenue stream by ensuring your inventory is considered for purchase.

  The Ad Manager team is constantly working to develop and improve ad policies and protective solutions like those mentioned above. When we protect our publishers, we help ensure the entire advertising ecosystem is as healthy as possible, and everyone benefits.

  To learn more about how Ad Manager can help you manage, protect, and grow your advertising business, visit our new feature brief archive in the resources section of our website. And keep an eye out for our next post, "Deliver the best ad experience every time".

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/admanager/safeguard-your-advertising-business/
• 

  Resources to help optimize your business
  • sorangutan  

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  Online content and media consumption behaviors are continuously evolving. If you'd like to optimize your online business and help improve your AdSense performance, it's important to follow and adapt to the trends. We'd like to provide some resources to help you successfully navigate in an ever-changing digital environment.

  Adapt your content to changing trends

  It’s important to understand what’s top of mind for the people you’re aiming to reach in order to make your content interesting and useful to wide audiences. Below are some tools you can use to optimize your content:

  Understand user interests 
  

  Use Google Trends to analyze the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across regions and languages. If you need help with understanding, using and visualizing the data better, you can get Google Trends lessons.  

  Stay on top of market trends in a dynamic environment and reflect it on your content to keep it up to date. While doing so, please be mindful of our content policies.

  Use Question Hub to create richer content by leveraging unanswered questions online. Review these questions to get inspired and create deeper, more comprehensive content.

  Track how your content performs 

  Get to know your audience and how they engage with your site through Google Analytics. The earlier you spot changes in your user behavior, the quicker you can address them. You can review the below reports to get the insights: 

  • Realtime Content Insights to identify the most popular articles amongst your audience
  • Behavior Reports to understand the overall page and content performance of your site
  • Acquisition Reports to review the shift in your site traffic and traffic sources. If you see unusual spikes from certain sources, you might want to monitor them. 
  • AdSense Overview to see your revenue information once you link your AdSense account to Analytics. 

  As an addition to your current content strategy, experiment with different content formats such as video or infographics and track your user i. If you see improvement on user interest, you can double down on those content formats. Diversifying your content could help you expand your audience, and also improve the engagement of your current ones. 

  Optimize your revenue stream

  When your content is ready, appealing and easy to reach, you can optimize your AdSense account to maximize your revenue from the content you created. We know that creating content takes time, so we’d like to remind you of some solutions that you can use to get the most out of your content.

  You may consider using Auto ads to help you increase your ads revenue. Auto ads are optimized to deliver better performing ads, so that you can spend more time creating the content your audience is searching for. As they work through any AdSense ad code, you can start using Auto ads byturning them on in your account. 

  As time spent on mobile increases, it becomes even more important to have a mobile-friendly site with goodpage speed. This will help people to access your content without problems. Make sure your ad units are responsive in order to provide a positive ad experience regardless of which device people use to visit your site. 

  Lastly, make sure that your site complies with the AdSense Program policies so that your business can grow sustainably. 

  We’re here to support you through the AdSense forums, email and troubleshooters. Learn more about the support options available. 

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/adsense/resources-help-optimize-your-business/
• 

  Google.org’s $100 million contribution to COVID-19 relief
  • sorangutan  

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  When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Google.org committed $50 million in grants focused on the areas where our resources and people can have the most impact: health and science, economic relief and recovery, and distance learning. Today we’re committing another $50 million, bringing our total contribution up to $100 million. Additionally, Google.org Fellows will give a total of 50,000 hours to COVID-19-specific projects. Read on about where our initial commitment has gone so far and how we’re thinking about allocating the next $50 million.

  

  Health and Science 

  With over 3 million COVID-19 cases and 250,000 deaths worldwide, one of our top priorities has been supporting frontline workers who are battling the virus, as well as data science and disease tracking. Moving forward, we’ll continue to provide funding, Google.org Fellows, and volunteers to projects that use data analytics and AI to improve understanding of COVID-19 and its impact. 

  Health

  We've committed up to $10.5 million through public-matching campaigns and Googler donation programs to organizations including the World Health Organization to support preparedness, containment, response and recovery for those affected and for frontline workers around the world. 

  AI and data to understand the impact of the virus

  Data on the spread of COVID-19 is critical to understanding how it impacts public health and the economy. With Google.org Fellowships and grants to Boston Children's Hospital's HealthMap consortium and Médecins Sans Frontières in France, we're supporting the application of AI to develop new tools and models that monitor the spread of COVID-19 and provide real-time information to policy makers and healthcare systems. 

  Economic Relief and Recovery 

  Millions have been laid off worldwide as businesses close their doors, and, according to the OECD, these closures are likely to hit small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) hardest. We've been supporting SMBs, local communities and hard-hit individuals and will continue to prioritize our efforts in these three ways. 

  SMBs in underrepresented communities and led by women
  

  We've given more than $15 million in cash grants to nonprofits benefiting underrepresented business-owners. Today we’re giving a $5 million grant to Common Future to provide capital and technical assistance to 2,000 women and minority small business entrepreneurs in the U.S. We’re also making a $5 million grant to Youth Business International to launch a Rapid Response and Recovery Program that will provide critical support services including crisis helplines to more than 200,000 underserved SMBs in 32 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

  Local community efforts 

  We’re committing more than $10 million in immediate crisis relief grants to nonprofits in communities where we have offices around the globe. Local organizations know how to best address food security, care for vulnerable homeless populations, support victims of domestic violence or increase access to mental health care within their communities. We’ve made over $1 million in grants so far to organizations including the Silicon Valley Strong Fund, Kirkland Small Businesses Relief Fund, and Cambridge Mayoral Disaster Relief Fund in the U.S.. Across Europe, we’re providing more than $3 million in grants to local organizations such as Feeding Britain and FareShare in the UK and A Lust for Life in Ireland.

  Direct cash assistance

  Nearly 70 percent of U.S. self-employed workers have seen a decline in their earnings as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Research shows that giving cash directly is one of the most effective ways to aid people in times of crisis. A month ago we kicked off an effort to support GiveDirectly’s cash assistance campaign in the Bay Area. Since then, we’ve expanded efforts to support GiveDirectly in 12 other locations across the U.S. which has resulted in  donations of more than $8 million (this includes Google.org seed funding as well as Googler and public donations). We've also given $1 million to the Family Independence Initiative and provided grants to support nonprofits providing cash assistance to support vulnerable families in India through GiveIndia, part of $10 million we’ll be giving to direct cash efforts. 

  Distance learning 

  At the peak of school closures due to COVID-19, more than 1.5 billion students around the world could no longer physically attend school. Our $10 million distance learning fund helped schools, teachers and parents continue teaching through this disruption. As part of that fund, we made an initial grant of $1 million to Khan Academy, who will reach over 18 million affected learners every month.

  We also made a $2.7 million grant to INCO so that nonprofits in Europe and Asia can digitize  learning materials. On Monday, we announced the final component of the $10 million distance learning fund: a $2 million grant to DonorsChoose for their Keep Kids Learning effort. It helps teachers from high-poverty U.S. public schools purchase materials for remote teaching and student care packages containing food, books and school supplies. 

  Making it easier for Googlers to give back

  There are thousands of Googlers eager to give money, Google technology or their own skills to organizations they’re passionate about. At the start of COVID-19,  we launched an internal platform to assist Googler donations and volunteering to COVID specific efforts. We’re providing skilled volunteers for strategic partners including 31 Google.org Fellows who are providing 3 - 6 months of full pro bono support to four COVID-19 specific Fellowship projects. We also increased Google’s annual gift match from $7,500 to $10,000—our employees can now give $20,000 to organizations in their communities. 

  This is one of many commitments at Google to help during this crisis, keep people safe and ensure they have access to the information they need. We’ll be sharing more as we build on these commitments globally, and continue deploy resources to help the most affected and underserved communities recover and thrive.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/google-org/100-million-dollar-contribution-covid-19-relief/
• 

  Our commitment to Asia Pacific’s coronavirus response
  • sorangutan  

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  The COVID-19 pandemic began spreading across Asia Pacific in January, affecting millions of people directly—and billions more through restrictions on the way we live and work and the impact on the regional economy. 

  
  

  Throughout the region, we’ve seen people and businesses adapt with resilience, determination and ingenuity, including adopting and developing new technologies. Today, some parts of Asia Pacific are beginning to ease social distancing measures and restrictions on commerce—but we’re still many months away from anything like a return to normal. 

  
  

  Google’s focus in Asia Pacific has been on three priorities: contributing to the immediate health response, helping people learn and work from home and supporting the small businesses most affected. We’ll continue to do all we can to help every part of the region get through, and we’re committed to being part of the economic recovery, so Asia Pacific can ultimately emerge stronger. 

  
  

  Contributing to the health response

  
  

  Since January, we’ve worked to share reliable information on Google Search and YouTube, support public health campaigns, inform health officials and curb misinformation. We’ve extended these global efforts with more targeted local initiatives around the region. 

  
  

  In India, we’re helping female internet “saathis” (or trainers) share authoritative health advice with their networks in rural villages. In Korea, the Google News Initiative is offering weekly sessions training journalists on how to identify misinformation. In Japan, YouTube creator Hikakin interviewed the Governor of Tokyo to raise awareness of social distancing measures among his youth audience. 

  
  

  We’re also helping Asia Pacific governments and institutions make the most of our tools to fight the virus directly. The Philippines’ government is centralizing health communications using an AI system powered by Google Cloud, Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang has used Google APIs to create an app that tracks face-mask inventories, and we’ve worked with Singaporean nonprofit Better.sg to create translation tools for medical professionals caring for migrant workers. We started showing the locations of COVID-19 test centers on Google Maps, Search and Assistant in Indonesia, before extending the feature to other countries around the world, including India, Korea and the Philippines.

  
  

  Alongside responding to the health crisis, we know we need to protect and support people who might be left isolated or vulnerable. Our team in India has helped local governments share the location of night and food shelters on Google Maps, while Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) Inc in Australia is using Meet to help aged care residents stay in touch with their families—two examples of how technology can help.   

  
  

  Helping people work and learn from home

  
  

  In many parts of Asia Pacific, people have been working and learning from home for months. Wherever possible, we’re adapting our global tools and resources to local needs—like giving 1.8 million students in the Jakarta region access to our G Suite for Education tools. We’ve launched local versions of our Teach from Home resource center—a partnership with UNESCO—across 13 Asia Pacific countries.

  
  

  As teachers and students adjust, we’re seeing new approaches across the region. In Korea, public broadcaster EBS and the Ministry of Education are using YouTube to live-stream daily classes. In Malaysia, Google’s daily webinars for teachershave received more than 250,000 views. And in Australia, the inspirational Eddie Woo—a champion of teaching via YouTube—is sharing his experience and advice to help fellow teachers take their lessons online.   

  
  

  Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have their schooling disrupted and their progress held back—so as part of Google.org’s $10 million Distance Learning Fund, we’re extending a $1 million grant to INCO. This funding will support nonprofits in mainland China, Indonesia, Hong Kong and the Philippines as they help underprivileged students with access to home learning. 

  
  

  Supporting small businesses and helping local economies recover

  
  

  COVID-19 has put many business owners under intense financial pressure, which is why we’re giving Asia Pacific businesses ad credits and other forms of support as part of a US$150 million commitment to the region. 

  
  

  We want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to adopt new ways of working and manage through uncertainty—creating a dedicated website for Australian and New Zealand businesses, for example, or moving to an online format for Grow with Google skills courses like Indonesia’s Gapura Digital. We’re helping small businesses move their sales online and contribute to the recovery—like Yamaya, a Japanese sock manufacturer which is providing materials to help people make their own masks. And we’re working closely with nonprofits to help businesses most at risk from the economic downturn, including providing Google.org funding to help Youth Business International assist vulnerable small businesses and The Asia Foundation advance digital literacy in marginalized communities in Southeast Asia. 

  
  

  Small businesses are an integral part of their communities, but they’re equally critical to economic growth, accounting for the vast majority of all businesses and up to 50 percent of GDP in most Asia Pacific countries. Just in the past few weeks, we’ve launched new programs supporting digital skills in Taiwan, developers in Korea and startups in Japan—and we’ll begin more initiatives like these in the coming months. Economic recovery will start locally and we want to be there to help.

  
  

  In this global pandemic, everyone has a part to play. As Asia Pacific confronts the effects of COVID-19, we will continue to stand by the region’s people, business and communities for as long as it takes, and help rebuild when the time is right.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/our-commitment-to-asia-pacifics-coronavirus-response/
• 

  A new way for podcasters to understand and grow their audiences
  • sorangutan  

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  Whether taking a quick walk, diving into an ambitious cooking project or driving in the car, people are listening to podcasts in more places. We redesigned Google Podcasts with this in mind, making it easier to discover and listen to podcasts wherever people are listening. 

  Today we’re introducing Google Podcasts Manager, a new tool to help podcasters gain insight into the evolving habits of podcast listeners so they can better understand their audiences and reach them across Google products.

  
  With Podcasts Manager, you can make sure your show is available to millions of Google Podcasts listeners through a simple verification process. Within the tool you can access metrics to understand how engagement with your show evolves over time and see activity for recent episodes. This includes retention analytics which help you better understand where people tune in—and when they drop off—along with listening duration, minutes played and more. And you can export the data and plug it into your own analysis tools if you prefer.

  Audience retention dashboard

  Podcasts Manager also provides anonymized device analytics that show what percentage of your audience listens on phones, tablets, desktop computers and smart speakers. This data can help podcasters better understand and respond to changing listening behavior. For example, you might discover that the majority of your listeners access your show on a smart speaker. This might mean you add shorter form content for listening on-the-go, or develop more family-friendly options for consumption in an open space.

  

  Device breakdown dashboard

  We’ll continue to build on these features to help audio publishers grow sustainable businesses, connect with listeners and create podcasts people love.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/search/new-way-podcasters-understand-and-grow-their-audiences/
• 

  Two Googlers on resetting expectations for life at home
  • sorangutan  

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  Like many people, Googlers Alan Mclean and Jennifer Daniel are navigating their new at-home lives, finding ways to work while also parenting their two young children. The couple are working from their home in the Bay Area, where they’re taking shifts parenting and creating a remote office from...wherever they can find some room. 

  I recently had the chance to “sit down” (via Google Meet) with them and talk about our relationships with technology during stressful times, how they’re personally handling all the changes and also, why playing "Animal Crossing" is a totally acceptable coping mechanism.

  
  

  Alan, you’re a Product Designer on the Digital Wellbeing team, and Jennifer, you’re the Creative Director for emoji. But how would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?

  Alan: There’s an official answer, which is “I help people balance their relationship with technology,” but…

  Jennifer:🚨Ugh, corp speak!! 🚨What did you tell our neighbor?

  Alan: I told him I’m trying to help people get more rest and have a healthier life. 

  Jennifer: Yes! Hmm, for me I guess I usually say I make little smiley faces. :-)

  What do your days right now look like? 

  Alan: Typically the day before, we both check-in on our calendars and look to see where we might need coverage from the other. If we both have meetings, we’ll throw a tablet in our kids’ faces with a mix of educational (and not so educational) games. Lately our son has really taken to playing chess so he’ll practice digitally and we play together on a physical board. 

  Jennifer: Our daughter enjoys the books that read out loud with her, and Toca Kitchen. They both love ”making food” that makes the characters get sick.

  In terms of day to day, we divide and conquer by keeping it fluid. Sometimes I cover the morning routine which has settled into a relatively stable pattern now: breakfast, walk the dog with the kids, writing, reading and drawing time, punctuated with video meetings.

  The afternoon, depending on our work schedule, includes science experiments (tin foil boats or paper airplane contests), some outside time, yoga (Cosmic Kids Yoga is great!), TV (Science Max is a hit), more tablet time and then dinner. 

  Alan: I usually make up some work time in the evening once the kids go down.

  What is your home office setup like? 

  Alan:We live in a small home—950 square feet, two bedrooms—with twin 5-year-olds and an eight-month-old Husky puppy, so there isn’t much of an office. In general, we move around the house and try to be out of earshot. Sometimes I work in the kitchen, other times on our front steps, once from the kids’ bunk beds.

  Are you able to create some work-home boundaries? 

  Alan: Trying to avoid working where you sleep is a big one. Don’t do what we’re doing right now...which is working from bed. 

  Jennifer:Sometimes that isn’t really possible. The bedrooms and bathroom are the only rooms with doors! For me, it’s less about creating a physical boundary and more about a mental one. I don’t work early in the morning or in the evening anymore. That’s MY TIME.

  Alan: I think the challenge right now is that it’s hard to reinforce boundaries when you’re in the same place all the time. In the past we used context clues like walking to the bus or the BART or whatever, or there were subtle hints when a meeting was about to end. But you don’t really have that anymore. So trying to avoid working where you sleep…

  Jennifer: But, I work from the bedroom, and I sleep in the bedroom. That works for me 🤔.

  Working from bed works for you?

  Jennifer: I’ve spent most of my life in small apartments, I guess I just got used to it? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  Alan:I also think maybe the norms of what “balanced” means has changed. 

  Jennifer:Yeah, just be forgiving of yourself. It took awhile but I really had to recalibrate and give myself permission to not live up to my previous expectations as an employee, as a mother and as a partner. I also have to make it clear to others to not expect the same out of me. As much as I try to project that I am fine, I am not fine.

  I’ve personally seen my screen time and news consumption skyrocket; have you?

  Alan:I’m definitely more of the news addict; I’m also lying in bed looking at an endless stream of things to worry about. I think a bit of an insight for me is that there’s a couple reasons why you might do that, and part of it is that you might want to feel some light version of control over what’s happening. And of course the net effect of that is that you might feel incredibly anxious. That’s my personal experience with screens lately. What about you, Jen, what about your doom-scrolling?

  Jennifer:I love that you call it doom-scrolling, did you just make that up?

  Alan:No, no, definitely not. 

  Jennifer: Not to make this just about parenting, because this is also very much about work, but I am having flashbacks to new parenthood. When I became a parent, I got extremely efficient at my job. I don’t have time to doom-scroll! That would be a luxury! I have things to do, I got people to take care of. And, just as important now as it was then, I need to find time where no one needs me 😉. These days I’m playing "Animal Crossing." And I love it; it is screen time, unquestionably, but it’s a very specific kind of screen time as it is clearly not work-related. Now that Alan mentions it, maybe playing video games is also an expression of seeking control and stability in an unknown time? But, instead of doom-scrolling I plant cute flowers and little animals come visit me 🌼🌻🌸🐰🐻🐿🐙.

  What else are you adding to your routine? Anything else to help find some balance? 

  Alan:For me, I know that the end of my day and the end of my use of my phone is occurring when I put a podcast on at night. Or ambient music. For me, that’s a really strong signal and I try to do it every night. For some people, that might be putting your phone in a box or charging it. I like the audio cue because that way you’re experiencing some stimulus without interacting with the screen. But I got that from Jen; I used to be like, “Why are you putting a podcast on at night? It’s time to go to bed… and doom-scroll for two hours.” 

  Jennifer: I just listen to podcasts so I don't have to listen to my own thoughts as I fall asleep. Otherwise I'd be up all night 🤣.

  

  How are you keeping your kids entertained?
  

  Alan: We just got tablets—prior to that we hadn’t experienced the liberating power of having educational apps and games with our kids before 😉. 

  Jennifer: When the tablets arrived, I felt like I was not being a great mom but the kids say I'm really good at technical support 😛. I need to remind myself that being a quote-unquote good mom is not related to screen time. I can’t disguise my stress from the kids, I’m doing my best. Now, go watch some "Octonauts."

  Alan: I’ve been taking the kids to the beach on the bike. 

  Jennifer:Bonus! No one else is in the house! I get to stay home and be alone! I definitely need some time for myself. 

  Are there any surprise “silver linings” you’ve experienced?

  Jennifer: I'm getting to really be with my kids in a way that wasn't possible before; I used to only see them in the morning and the evening. Age five is really cute.

  Alan: The transition to two full-time jobs simultaneously has been incredibly difficult, although our colleagues have been really supportive. But we’re both struggling with the desire to be the best possible parents and employees we can be. That feeling was always there, but with the lack of boundaries, it’s exacerbated. One thing that’s especially nice these days is seeing colleagues’ kids jump on video conference calls. It’s a nice reminder of what everyone is dealing with.

  Right now, we all have to be compassionate with ourselves, and also with our colleagues and friends. Coming late to meetings, missing emails, things like that, are OK right now. We sort of just need to be empathetic and flexible for a little while. 

  
  

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/googlers/two-googlers-resetting-expectations-life-home/
• 

  To every teacher, thank you times infinity
  • sorangutan  

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  Editor’s note: Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! We’re honored to have 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson as today’s guest author to share the many ways we’re celebrating and supporting teachers, in classrooms or at home.

  As National Teacher of the Year, I’ve been afforded opportunities that most teachers don’t get. It’s been exciting and rewarding to advocate for my students—some of the most resilient and courageous people I know—in places like the White House and Halls of Congress. But it’s also been challenging. And now with so many students, teachers and families impacted by this global pandemic, we’re presented with a whole new set of challenges we must face together.

  Whether you’re a veteran teacher or a new parent, this is uncharted territory for everyone. We could all use a little help at the moment, and that’s why I’m so happy that Google is acknowledging the work teachers and families are putting in, and providing us with the support we need right now.

  Free tools, training and support for educators and families

  Today Google released two new resources to help educators and families make better use of technology as part of teaching and learning, whether you’re at home or back in the classroom. Their latest version of Teach from Home provides those newer to tech with tools and tips they need to get going with distance learning, with new sections for schools and families. And their new Teacher Center has free training, certification programs and product guides for those looking to advance their practice. As teachers it’s important for us to continue learning new things, and these resources make it easier for us to come up with new ways to engage our students by incorporating technology into how we teach.
  

  
  

  $2 million to DonorsChoose to support vulnerable students

  Teachers know that for all of us, but particularly for our young students, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is more important than Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. In other words, essential needs are paramount: you can’t learn if you’re hungry or feel unsafe. That’s why I’m so encouraged to see Google support U.S. teachers from high poverty public schools like mine by providing a $2 million Google.org grant to DonorsChoose. The Keep Kids Learning program will provide thousands of teachers with $1,000 funding credits to get the materials they need to teach remotely and send their students personalized education care packages including items like books, basic supplies, educational games or kits, and groceries for students who rely on school to provide meals.  

  
  

  Teachers are out there working hard for our underserved students, converting their homes into remote learning centers, teaching from driveways, delivering meals and providing learning  materials; crucially, they are also offering a familiar face and comfort to our students who need it most. This grant will help ensure more of our teachers can provide this for their students.

  

  Amanda Calzada and her kindergarten class in Chicago, in a photo from earlier this school year. Recently, Amanda received a grant through Keep Kids Learning, a program from DonorsChoose. With the funding, she bought supplies like pencils and playdough, “giving her students the tools they need to make learning at home an engaging, effective and exciting experience.”

  Celebrating every teacher, in classrooms and at home

  I’m also loving Google’s Doodle today which was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year to pay tribute to teachers. 

  

  Today's teacher Doodle was created in collaboration with the 2020 State Teachers of the Year when they were at Google headquarters in February.

  These teachers—who represent students across every U.S. state and territory—began brainstorming the Doodle when they met as a cohort at Google’s headquarters in February. Everything they do over this next year will be about advocating for their students and elevating the voices of their fellow teachers. You can get to know them and hear some of their words of wisdom in this YouTube playlist. 

  
  

  I’ll also be hosting an Edu OnAir webinar later today with the four 2020 National Teacher of the Year finalists, so I hope you’ll tune in. This session is all about how we can best support teachers right now, and kicks off a free 6-week distance learning webinar series. 

  
  

  For teachers like me, the best part of Teacher Appreciation Week is always the handwritten notes from our students thanking us for doing what we do. Since most of us can’t be together in person this year, Google worked with some incredible student artists (former winners of their Doodle for Google competition) and organizations like the National PTA, CCSSO (who runs the National Teacher of the Year program) and TED-Ed to design these free digital thank you cards. Whether you’re a student, caretaker or fellow teacher, be sure to use these to #ThankATeacher—I will be sending a few of these myself, and I know we could probably all use a kind, encouraging word these days. 

  
  

  As my tenure as National Teacher of the Year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what a different course it has taken than I could have ever imagined. But I know wherever we are, teachers will continue fighting for our students and putting them first so that we can ensure that education continues—no matter what. 

  

  Be sure to #ThankATeacher this week using one of these free digital thank you cards.

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/teacher-appreciation-week-2020/
• 

  Stadia Savepoint: April updates
  • sorangutan  

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  We're back with another update in our Stadia Savepoint series—here's what happened in April.

  This month we welcomed everyone within our 14 launch countries to Stadia and gave gamers two months of free games with Stadia Pro. Stadia is now free and open to anyone who wants to create an account. Our most recent Stadia Connect revealed that you can click here to play PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS on Stadia, plus new info on First on Stadia titles Wave Break, Crayta, and Get Packed. 
  

  Stadia’s Phil Harrison also revealed: “We are bringing five games from Electronic Arts to Stadia as part of our partnership. It all starts with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order™ coming this fall followed by EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL and FIFA. We are excited to bring these hugely popular franchises to our players on Stadia in 2020 and beyond. We’ll have more news to share about EA games on Stadia later this year.

  

  Stadia Pro updates

  • Get new games for free as part of Stadia Pro in May: PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, Zombie Army 4: Dead War, The Turing Test and SteamWorld Heist.

  • Existing games still available to add to your collection: Destiny 2, GRID, GYLT, Serious Sam Collection, Spitlings, Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks), SteamWorld Dig 2, and SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech.

  • Act quickly: Thumper leaves Stadia Pro on April 30.

  • Ongoing discounts for Stadia Pro subscribers: Check out the web or mobile Stadia store for the latest.

  Recent content launches on Stadia

  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Ultra Pack 1

  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Ultra Pack 2

  • Get Packed

  • Monopoly

  • MotoGP™20

  • Octopath Traveler

  • PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS

  • Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks)

  New games coming to Stadia

  • Crayta

  • Embr

  • F1® 2020

  • FIFA

  • Gunsport

  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

  • Just Shapes & Beats

  • KONA

  • Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

  • Madden NFL

  • Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

  • République

  • Rock of Ages 3

  • Wave Break

  • West of Loathing

  • Zombie Army 4: Dead War

  

  Play Stadia Pro for free

  Click to Play on web
  Click here to instantly play PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS in your Chrome browser with an active Stadia Pro subscription.

  
  

  5.1 surround sound on web 
  We added support for 5.1 surround sound when playing games on your Chrome browser with an active Stadia Pro subscription.

  
  

  On-screen keyboard on web
  Access an on-screen keyboard in your Chrome browser when you have a gamepad connected and require text input.

  
  

  Mobile connection notifications 
  Receive notifications about connection quality while playing on mobile devices.

  
  

  Connection status updates
  The connection status icon now only reflects connection strength, following user feedback.

  
  

  Mobile captures
  While playing on mobile devices, press the Capture button on your Stadia controller to save gameplay screenshots and clips.

  
  

  OnePlus compatibility
  Stadia is now compatible with the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro mobile devices. More info here.

  
  

  That’s it for April—we’ll be back soon to share more updates. As always, stay tuned to the Stadia Community Blog, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest news. 

  
  
  https://www.blog.google/products/stadia/savepoint-april-updates/