YouTube (and Google in general, really) seems to always be on the move. They're typically planning a few steps ahead, and all signs would to them having planned this for a while.
They're doing what Google does well, and they're going all-in.
News
The Most Popular Instagram Post is…an Egg?!
We're typically quite focused on the present (with a penchant for some future predictions here and there as well), but some of our most popular newsletters have been editions where we've taken a moment to look backwards.
Today, before tackling the news and all that good stuff, we're going to take a look at the most liked online post in history.
Spoiler alert: It's a photo of an egg.
Yes, you read that correctly
Clubhouse Comes to Android – But Is It Too Late?
In the world of blogging and social media, there's never a dull moment. And we're grateful for that because, if there were, we would kind of be out of business.
For us, it's not if there's a pertinent story to share with you, it's which pertinent story to share.
And today, we can't ignore the big, big news – Clubhouse has finally come to Android.
Social Media Trends in 2021 – What You Need to Know
Recently, we came across an incredibly timely report on social media use in 2021 filled with useful gems. As much as possible, we try to have our finger on the pulse of what's going on in the content creation world, and that very much means social media.
The report gave some hard and fast facts to some feelings that we already had. For the sake of ease, we combed the report (linked below) for you and distilled what you as a content creator need to know right now.
New Releases from Apple and Samsung in 2021
Apple announced a number of new products recently, so we thought we'd track that for you, as well as cover what Samsung is up to at the same time. As per usual, there are some exciting products from both companies that bloggers and content creators will probably want to have on their radar if they don't already.
At Substack, The Stacks May Not Appear Even
In recent weeks, Substack has been all over the news for their apparent inequality in how they distribute funds to the creators who use the popular platform. At the same time as this bad publicity has been circulating, they’ve also managed to take a massive step forward by agreeing to a $65 million Series B … Read more
Snapchat is Looking to Change E-Commerce
Snapchat may not have the cache of an Instagram, a Facebook, or even a TikTok, but don't tell Snapchat users that. Snapchat, perhaps more than more social networks, has always had a devoted base of users, and that devotion doesn't seem to be abating.
In fact, particularly with the younger demographic, the devoted fanbase seems only to be expanding. For years, people have been writing off Snapchat, but it's clear that Snapchat sure isn't writing off itself.
Just days ago, Snapchat (or more specifically Snap Inc.) acquired Fit Analytics, which is a Berlin-based company that helps shoppers pick the right clothing size when they're shopping online.
From the outside, it may not seem like a game-changing acquisition, but it is, and we'll tell you why.
Dispo – Instagram’s Controversial New Challenger
Believe it or not, Dispo is already the 4th most downloaded social media app. That's no small feat, as there are almost too many photo-centric social media apps to count which have launched and subsequently burned before our eyes.
That's not to say that Dispo is necessarily here to stay, but they did have a promising start. Of course, that promising start is now in jeopardy, but for now, let's back things up and talk about what Dispo is.
Is Google a Monopoly? When Search Giants Become too Big
In the blogging world, Google is kind of the elephant in the room. You simply can't avoid their impact unless you've been living under a rock for a couple of decades.
In many ways, it's as if we're able to craft whatever chess pieces we want, but we're ultimately playing on their board.
And that's what we want to talk about. How exactly has that board changed over the years, and how can knowing that information help us in our blogging journey?
A Brief History of Blogging from 1994 to Modern Day
Sometimes we forget that it wasn't all that long ago that “blogs” and “bloggers” were simply not a thing. The “history of blogging” in the grand scheme of things, is a rather short history.
If in elementary school you told the class “I shall be a blogger!” – your declaration would be met with some seriously confused looks.
Often times at This Week in Blogging, we cover the timely topics. We'll write about the rise of Clubhouse, or perhaps cover Google Stories. But today, we're moving away from the timely, and focusing on the timeless. Today, we're covering the history of blogging.
It was the late great Terry Pratchett who said, “If you don't know where you come from, then you don't know where you are… and if you don't know where you are, then you don't know where you're going.”
So let's go back to where it all started.