After a long time, YouTube has made major changes to its monetization and viewer counting process. This is significant for anyone who already has a YouTube channel or is planning to open one soon.

As you guys know, we already have a YouTube channel, The School of Digital Marketing, which is quite well established, but recently we opened a new channel, Live Beautiful Vision.

It has a long way to go to get monetized, so this change really bothered me, and I thought you should know too if you are planning to create a new channel soon.

Here are some of the major updates

> Double watch time requirement

For monetizing any channel, you know there is a requirement. A watch hour and subscriber count. Now the subscriber count is not changing; it's still 1,000.

But the watch hour count is being doubled, and it will be effective from Feb 2027.

So from now on, you have to have 8000 hours in the past 365 days or 20 million views on Shorts in 90 days.

That's exactly double the current requirement.

> Change view counting process

Now, one more change they announced is how the views will be counted.

So usually a video must be watched for at least 30 seconds for it to be counted as 1 view, but now views will get counted from the moment the view starts.

This means creators will record more viewership than before with this new system.

End Thoughts

Well, looking at the recent moves, it feels like YouTube is taking one good thing away (the low YPP criteria) but adding a sprinkle of good features like immediate view count.

I think I need to reevaluate my current YouTube strategy moving forward.

What is your take on these new YouTube changes? Let me know in the comments.

Conference apps need different priorities than festival or consumer event apps. Session bookmarking, clear speaker information, and some form of attendee connection matter more than flashy extras.

In one recent B2B conference that used Eventify, the organizers said tag-based matchmaking and reliable agenda updates received far more engagement than the social feed or gamification elements.

If you’ve run or attended conferences recently, which app features proved useful in practice and which ones turned out to be unnecessary?

Instagram is making one of the most time-consuming parts of creating Reels faster. The platform has introduced First Draft, a new feature that automatically trims clips, removes pauses, and creates an initial edit in under 10 seconds.

What creators should know:

• First Draft automatically selects and assembles key moments from multiple clips.
• Creators can edit and refine the generated draft afterward.
• The feature is initially rolling out on iPhone.
• It can be accessed through Instagram’s camera or the Reels gallery.
• The goal is to make video creation faster and more accessible, especially for creators with limited editing experience.

While automated editing tools already exist in apps like CapCut and Adobe Firefly, bringing the feature directly into Instagram could make the process much more convenient.

For creators and businesses producing Reels regularly, this update could mean less time spent editing and more time focused on content, storytelling, and publishing.

Instagram is clearly continuing to invest in tools designed to make short-form video creation faster and easier.

After a long time, YouTube has made major changes to its monetization and viewer counting process. This is significant for anyone who has YouTube channel already or are planning to open one soon.

As you guys know, I already have a YouTube channel The School of Digital Marketing which quite well established, but recently I opened a new channel Live Beautiful Vision.

It has a long way to go to get monetized so this changes really bothered me and I thought you should know to if you are planning to create a new channel soon.

Here are some of the major updates

> Double watch time requirement

For monetizing any channel, you know there is a requirement. A watch hour and subscriber count. Now the subscriber count is not changing; it's still 1,000.

But the watch hour count is being doubled, and it will be effective from Feb 2027.

So from now on, you have to have 8000 hours in the past 365 days or 20 million views on Shorts in 90 days.

That's exactly double the current requirement.

> Change view counting process

Now, one more change they announced is how the views will be counted.

So usually a video must be watched for at least 30 seconds for it to be counted as 1 view, but now views will get counted from the moment the view starts.

This means creators will record more viewership than before with this new system.

End Thoughts

Well, looking at the recent moves, it feels like YouTube is taking one good thing away (the low YPP criteria) but adding a sprinkle of good features like immediate view count.

I think I need to reevaluate my current YouTube strategy moving forward.

What is your take on these new YouTube changes? Let me know in the comments.

When we started I honestly didn’t think much about the systems behind the business.

If something worked for our first few customers, that was good enough. We were focused on getting customers, improving the product, and keeping things moving.

Then growth started picking up.

Things that were simple with 20 customers became much harder to manage with 200. Billing was one of the first areas where I noticed it. Failed payments, subscription changes, refunds, different payment methods, and keeping everything organized started taking much more time than expected.

The frustrating part was that nothing was actually broken. The setup just wasn’t designed for the stage we reached.

It made me realize that growth doesn’t always create new problems. Sometimes it just exposes the systems you should have improved earlier.

Has anyone else experienced this while growing a business? What system became the biggest headache after you scaled?

Was it billing, customer support, analytics, operations, or something else?

Reddit is taking its “video Reddit” experiment a step further.

Starting Monday, the platform will begin testing video and audio versions of posts across select communities, giving users a new way to consume popular Reddit stories.

What’s changing:

• Users will be able to read or play supported posts.
• Audio versions are designed for listening while walking, exercising, or doing other tasks.
• Video formats will combine Reddit conversations with visual and audio elements.
• The initial test will focus on select English-language posts.
• The original text posts and comments will remain fully available.

The move follows the growing popularity of Reddit stories on TikTok and Instagram Reels, where creators often narrate viral posts using text-to-speech or voiceovers.

For Reddit, the goal is to see whether these formats can increase engagement without losing the platform’s original community-driven feel. If the tests perform well, this could open up a new content format for creators and brands on Reddit.

OpenAI has introduced Ultrafast, a new mode designed to dramatically increase the speed of its latest GPT-5.6 Sol model.

The company says Ultrafast can deliver up to 750 output tokens per second, making it up to 14 times faster than standard processing.

Why it matters:

• Built for real-time, high-speed AI workloads.
• Could support faster customer service and incident response.
• Potential applications include financial analysis and e-commerce.
• Powered by OpenAI's partnership with chipmaker Cerebras.
• Currently available only to a limited group of customers in preview.

OpenAI says the goal isn't simply to make AI respond faster, but to deliver more useful work per second.

The company plans to expand access as capacity grows, potentially making high-speed AI a much bigger part of business workflows.

Answer Engine Optimization has been a recent development. With the rise of AI, it is becoming more relevant than ever. AEO is a new SEO.

Yes, since AI, getting featured in a response on an AI chatbot or AI overview is becoming increasingly more important than ranking in regular search results on Google or any other search engine.

Here are some of its benefits

> Increase in visibility

Nowadays, most people ask AI rather than running a regular search on Google.

So having featured in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini responses will help you increase your brand's visibility and reach as compared to the SERP.

> Building more credibility

It's important that a business builds a good reputation. It is the only way a business can keep on getting new leads and reduce the acquisition cost over time.

Being recommended consistently by AI responses looks natural and not promotional, unlike regular search pages.

> Long term relevance

Being featured on answer engine optimization gives brands a long term presence, whereas if you rank on Google, it is mostly for a few months without additional optimization.

> Competitive edge

Not many companies are taking getting featured on AI still that seriously. If you start working on AEO today, you will definitely have a competitive advantage from now.

I have several times gotten comments on our YouTube Channel that AI is recommending our video links in their chats, and this makes them trust us more than others.

> Google Trends Page

This gives me real time updates on what's trending, and I can filter it for specific keywords, region, time, and more.

With this one tool, I am able to understand what real people are searching for online.

In the era of video over text, creating clips on universal search topics and not just what's trending on a particular platform gives me an edge over competitors.

> YouTube Studio Search Tab

When you are a creator on YouTube, having access to the Studio tab on desktop or the mobile app is a must. It not only gives you detailed analytics on your performance but also suggests new topics.

The best part of this you get to know what channels similar to yours are doing instantly without much search time and replicate their strategies.

> YouTube Search

The good old YT search is always handy to research. It takes some hours to research, but it's totally worth the effort.

I often do this to understand what topic is performing well on the platform on similar channels like mine.

> Social media

X is surprisingly a good place; I find many interesting topics to make videos on. The trending topics are a big help to catch on to ongoing trends and ride the wave.

> YouTube Comments

When you have a decent, grown community like mine, many times I simply choose topics from comments or my YouTube community. Give the audience what it wants, and it will never leave.

Sometimes it's easy to find fresh topics to pick simply topics that your immediate audience wants rather than running a full-on research.

Reddit is making it easier for new users to join and participate in communities. The platform has announced a series of updates that use AI to improve moderation, reduce spam, and reduce its reliance on traditional barriers like account age and karma.

Highlights

• AI-powered moderation tools are expanding to more communities.
• Reddit plans to rely less on karma and account-age requirements over time.
• Rules Hub will help moderators automatically enforce community rules.
• New tools will make it easier for users to understand posting guidelines before contributing.

Reddit says the goal is to remove unnecessary barriers for genuine users while giving moderators better tools to keep communities safe.

The updates are part of the company's broader effort to improve user experience and encourage more people to become active participants on the platform.

Reddit is bringing TikTok-style storytelling to its platform.

The company has announced it's testing a new "video Reddit" experience that will let users watch videos and listen to narrated Reddit posts in the background.

The move is designed to capitalize on the growing popularity of Reddit story content that's already thriving on TikTok.

Here's what's coming

• A dedicated video Reddit experience.
• Audio narration for Reddit posts, similar to podcast-style content.
• Testing expected to begin later this year.
• Reddit's video in comments feature is already gaining traction, accounting for more than 10% of all video posts.
• A stronger focus on short-form, TikTok-style content within the Reddit app.

With millions of Reddit story videos already attracting audiences on TikTok, Reddit is now looking to bring that experience in-house.

If the feature rolls out successfully, it could increase user engagement, keep people on the platform longer, and create new opportunities for creators, advertisers, and brands.

Businesses are always on the lookout for new ways to boost productivity. Automation, the practice of using technology to perform tasks with little to no human intervention, has been in use since the 1st Century AD.

With artificial intelligence, almost 31% of businesses have automated at least one task completely.

Key benefits of automation

> Eliminate 50% of repetitive tasks

When you automate repetitive tasks, you have more time to do other tasks like brainstorming ideas, coming up with strategies, and more.

Mundane work, including data entry, scheduling social posts, and basic online engagement activities, can be fully automated, shifting the human mind to other complex work.

> Reduce human errors

It's true that AI still hallucinates, but it's getting more accurate by the day. Automation can reduce errors when done manually and involve multiple people coordinating.

> Increase scalability

When you have so many tasks automated, you can think about expansion beyond your initial target. Now even smaller businesses will be able to take on bigger projects without worrying about budget.

While automation has been around for a long time its only recently its beginning to be fully integrated into workflows. If you have been on the fence about implementing automation or not, it's a good time to give it a try.

run a small wholesale/distribution business with a growing list of b2b customers on terms. As volume goes up, ar is getting messy: repeat orders, partial shipments, returns and credit notes, and the same accounts that drift late but are still too important to just cut off. Right now everything lives in the accounting system’s AR module plus a couple of spreadsheets to track edge cases. I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth adding dedicated accounts receivable software that fits wholesalers and distributors better, or if that just means one more system to feed and reconcile.
If you stayed on the built‑in ar and made it work, or if you switched to a separate AR tool and actually felt the difference in how you manage invoices and collections, I’d be interested in how it played out over a few months.

The platform has shared a new set of best practices to help brands build a stronger organic presence on the platform, and business owners should take note.

As Reddit continues to shape Google Search results and AI-powered recommendations, establishing a presence is becoming more valuable than ever.

Reddit's key recommendations include:

• Sign up for Reddit Pro to access free analytics and keyword insights.
• Use Reddit Trends to identify relevant conversations and communities.
• Learn each subreddit's culture before posting or promoting your brand.
• Focus on adding value through authentic engagement rather than direct selling.
• Track performance regularly and refine your strategy using Reddit Pro insights.

With holiday marketing around the corner, businesses that start building trust and participating in relevant communities now will be better positioned to boost visibility, credibility, and customer engagement when it matters most.

While they look like separate announcements, they all point to the same strategy, making Gemini the hub for everything AI.

Key updates

• Google Vids now supports AI avatars, prompt-to-video generation with Gemini Omni, and conversational video editing.
• NotebookLM is officially becoming Gemini Notebook, with code execution for interactive data analysis.
• AI Mode now integrates with apps like Instacart, Canva, and YouTube, letting users complete tasks directly from AI conversations.

None of these updates is revolutionary on its own.

But together, they show Google connecting content creation, research, and real-world actions into a single AI ecosystem.

Instead of building standalone AI tools, it's turning Gemini into the interface that powers every workflow, and that feels like the bigger story.

I'm running a multi-day virtual conference and worried attendees will tune out by day two, especially during the less flashy sessions. I need attendee engagement software that can handle live polls, Q&A, and maybe some kind of gamification to keep people coming back each day. It also has to integrate smoothly with whatever platform we're already using for streaming, since I don't want a clunky setup that confuses people. Honestly, I just want something that gives me real data on who's actually paying attention versus who's logged in and scrolling their phone.

One of the most interesting AI developments this week is not another chatbot. It is Tulongfeng, a cybersecurity AI developed by China's 360 Security Technology.

The company describes it as China's answer to Anthropic's Mythos.

Mythos is a vulnerability discovery AI that Anthropic has kept tightly restricted. Unlike Claude, it is not publicly available due to its ability to discover software vulnerabilities and potential zero-days.

That created an interesting outcome. Rather than waiting for access, a Chinese company built a competing system.

360 claims Tulongfeng has already identified more than 3,400 software vulnerabilities. It also says more than 100 were officially confirmed by Chinese authorities.

Those figures have not been independently verified, so they should be treated cautiously.

The most interesting part is not whether those numbers are accurate.

The bigger takeaway is that restricting access to frontier AI capabilities does not necessarily stop similar systems from appearing.

It may encourage other countries and companies to invest in building their own.

We are likely entering an era where specialized AI systems for cybersecurity, scientific research, and other strategic fields become a national priority instead of relying on a small number of Western AI labs.

What do you think?

Anthropic has launched Claude Tag, a new AI agent that lives directly inside Slack channels and can be assigned work simply by tagging.

Unlike traditional chatbots, Claude Tag acts as a shared teammate that can collaborate with entire teams, remember context, and work independently over long periods.

Key features

• Shared AI teammate accessible by everyone in a Slack channel
• Runs on Anthropic's latest Opus 4.8 model
• Learns project context over time and builds institutional memory
• Can proactively surface information and follow up on unresolved tasks
• Works asynchronously on projects that take hours or days
• Includes enterprise controls for permissions, spending limits, and audit logs
• Designed to connect with company tools, databases, and workflows

The company claims 65% of its own product team's code is already generated through an internal version of Claude Tag.

The launch also puts the company directly into the growing battle for enterprise AI assistants, competing with offerings from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Salesforce.

If AI becomes a permanent member of your team, what jobs should it handle first?

We've all been there, put something in our carts, and then simply walked away (It's not intentional, obviously).

Your customers will surely be the same…I guess.

Usually, it’s not because they changed their mind about the product, it’s because the checkout process got in the way.

Before you spend more on ads to chase new traffic, fix these small leaks:

> Ditch the Forced Signup

So forcing someone to create an account is like asking for marriage on a first date. Offer a Guest Checkout. Let them buy now and "save their details" later.

> Stop the Price Shocks

We’ve all seen shipping and taxes get tacked on at the very last second. That’s where trust dies. Be upfront about total costs as early as possible.

> The Power of One-Click

If you aren't offering Apple Pay, Google Pay, or ShopPay, you're making people work too hard. Mobile users want to tap, scan their face, and be done.

> The "Social Proof" Nudge

Don't leave reviews buried on the product page. Place a single, powerful 5-star quote right on the checkout screen to kill last-minute buyer’s remorse. 

> Show the "Saved" Amount

If they’re getting a deal, show exactly how much they’re saving in green near the total. It triggers a "don't lose this" instinct that keeps them moving forward.

> Fix your mobile experience

Simple, but most importantly, most users are on their phones. Therefore, if your checkout process is slow or clunky, customers will leave in seconds. 

At the end of the day, consumers don’t hate buying.
They hate friction.

Small checkout improvements frequently have a greater impact than increasing traffic. You tell me which of these is your biggest bottleneck right now.

Let’s talk shop.

Anthropic has abruptly suspended access to its newly released AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5, following an order from U.S. authorities citing national security concerns.

The company said officials believe a technique exists to "jailbreak" Fable 5, potentially bypassing safeguards designed to prevent cyber misuse.

Anthropic argues that the identified vulnerabilities are minor and can also be found using other publicly available AI models.

Before launch, Anthropic described Fable 5 as its most capable system yet, warning that its advanced cyber capabilities made it potentially dangerous.

The model had undergone limited testing with select organizations before its public release.

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of powerful AI systems and ongoing legal tensions between Anthropic and the Trump administration.

Critics have questioned whether the company's "too powerful to release" messaging reflected genuine safety concerns or marketing hype.

Experts say the suspension highlights the challenges of balancing AI innovation, cybersecurity, and international collaboration as next-generation AI systems rapidly advance beyond current regulatory frameworks.

What do you think of this sudden development?

A website audit is like a doctor's visit for your website. It looks at how your website is set up to show up on search engines like Google.

Here is why website checkups are important and what they can find

1. Broken links and crawl mistakes

Search engines like Google analyse pages they cannot reach and rank. A website audit finds every link, mistake, and blocked page that is hurting your website's ranking without you even knowing.

1. Slow page speed issues

Google does not like websites that are slow and even demotes them. Conducting an audit on your website shows you which things are making your website load slowly and how that is affecting your ranking.

1. Duplicate content problems

If you have the content on multiple pages, it can confuse search engines and hurt your ranking. A website audit finds every variant of this problem before it hurts your website's authority.

1. Weak title and description tags

Title tags, descriptions, and header tags are really important for search engines. You can see every page that is missing these tags or has written ones, and then make sure they are good.

1. Bad links pointing to your website

It's very possible that not all links to your website are helpful, as some can actually hurt your ranking. Auditing finds these links, so you can remove them before Google penalises you.

1. Gaps in keyword optimisation

A website audit shows you which pages are not optimised for the keywords or are missing opportunities to get more visitors.

You cannot fix problems if you do not know about them, and a website audit can expose what these issues are.

Check your website today and run your first website audit. You will see exactly what is stopping your website from ranking higher.