SEO
About This Author, Diverse Views, + More
Google is improving how it helps searchers evaluate information and discover different viewpoints.
Finding accurate and reliable information can be daunting as the internet grows and evolves.
In response to this challenge, Google is taking the initiative to provide users with new tools.
Google has announced the following updates are rolling out to search results:
- Introducing ‘About this author’
- Expanding ‘About this result’
- Easier access to ‘About this result’
- Adding diverse perspectives to Top Stories
- Advisories for information gaps
This announcement comes ahead of International Fact-Checking Day on April 2, emphasizing the importance of information literacy and reliable sources.
About This Author Provides Author Background
Google is growing the “About this result” feature to include a new element called “About this author.”
By tapping the three dots on any search snippet, you can access more information about the background and experience of the authors whose content appears on Google Search.
Google’s announcement doesn’t specify where it gets the author’s information. I’ve contacted a Google representative for clarification and will update this article with more details.
This feature will be available on search results in English globally.
About This Result Feature Goes Global
Google’s “About this result” feature will soon be available in all languages where the search engine is accessible.
Users can tap the three dots next to search snippets to learn more about the source of information and how Google’s systems determined its usefulness.
This context can help users decide which websites to visit and which results to trust.
New Perspectives Feature Offers Diverse Views
Google is introducing a new feature called “Perspectives,” which will appear below Top Stories and display insights from various journalists, experts, and relevant voices on searched topics.
The feature aims to provide a variety of unique viewpoints on news topics, complementing the authoritative reporting already found in Top Stories.
This carousel will launch soon in English in the U.S. for desktop and mobile devices.
About This Page Becomes More Accessible
Google is making the “About this page” information easier to access.
Users can now type a URL into Google Search, and information from “About this page” will appear at the top of the search results.
The feature is now available globally in English.
Content Advisories Address Information Gaps
Google Search will automatically display content advisories when a topic is rapidly evolving, or Google’s systems lack high confidence in the quality of available results.
In the coming months, Google plans to expand these advisories to new languages, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese.
In Summary
Google’s dedication to giving people tools to judge and understand search results is important in our digital age.
By making features like “About this result,” “Perspectives,” and “About this author” better and more widespread, users can make smarter choices about what they read online.
Source: Google
Featured Image: Screenshot from blog.google.com, March 2023.
SEO
Executive Director Of WordPress Resigns
Josepha Haden Chomphosy, Executive Director of the WordPress Project, officially announced her resignation, ending a nine-year tenure. This comes just two weeks after Matt Mullenweg launched a controversial campaign against a managed WordPress host, which responded by filing a federal lawsuit against him and Automattic.
She posted an upbeat notice on her personal blog, reaffirming her belief in the open source community as positive economic force as well as the importance of strong opinions that are “loosely held.”
She wrote:
“This week marks my last as the Executive Director of the WordPress project. My time with WordPress has transformed me, both as a leader and an advocate. There’s still more to do in our shared quest to secure a self-sustaining future of the open source project that we all love, and my belief in our global community of contributors remains unchanged.
…I still believe that open source is an idea that can transform generations. I believe in the power of a good-hearted group of people. I believe in the importance of strong opinions, loosely held. And I believe the world will always need the more equitable opportunities that well-maintained open source can provide: access to knowledge and learning, easy-to-join peer and business networks, the amplification of unheard voices, and a chance to tap into economic opportunity for those who weren’t born into it.”
Turmoil At WordPress
The resignation comes amidst the backdrop of a conflict between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and the managed WordPress web host WP Engine, which has brought unprecedented turmoil within the WordPress community, including a federal lawsuit filed by WP Engine accusing Mullenweg of attempted extortion.
Resignation News Was Leaked
The news about the resignation was leaked on October 2nd by the founder of the WordPress news site WP Tavern (now owned by Matt Mullenweg), who tweeted that he had spoken with Josepha that evening, who announced her resignation.
He posted:
“I spoke with Josepha tonight. I can confirm that she’s no longer at Automattic.
She’s working on a statement for the community. She’s in good spirits despite the turmoil.”
Screenshot Of Deleted Tweet
Josepha tweeted the following response the next day:
“Ok, this is not how I expected that news to come to y’all. I apologize that this is the first many of you heard of it. Please don’t speculate about anything.”
Rocky Period For WordPress
While her resignation was somewhat of an open secret it’s still a significant event because of recent events at WordPress, including the resignations of 8.4% of Automattic employees as a result of an offer of a generous severance package to all employees who no longer wished to work there.
Read the official announcement:
Featured Image by Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators
SEO
8% Of Automattic Employees Choose To Resign
WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO announced today that he offered Automattic employees the chance to resign with a severance pay and a total of 8.4 percent. Mullenweg offered $30,000 or six months of salary, whichever one is higher, with a total of 159 people taking his offer.
Reactions Of Automattic Employees
Given the recent controversies created by Mullenweg, one might be tempted to view the walkout as a vote of no-confidence in Mullenweg. But that would be a mistake because some of the employees announcing their resignations either praised Mullenweg or simply announced their resignation while many others tweeted how happy they are to stay at Automattic.
One former employee tweeted that he was sad about recent developments but also praised Mullenweg and Automattic as an employer.
He shared:
“Today was my last day at Automattic. I spent the last 2 years building large scale ML and generative AI infra and products, and a lot of time on robotics at night and on weekends.
I’m going to spend the next month taking a break, getting married, and visiting family in Australia.
I have some really fun ideas of things to build that I’ve been storing up for a while. Now I get to build them. Get in touch if you’d like to build AI products together.”
Another former employee, Naoko Takano, is a 14 year employee, an organizer of WordCamp conferences in Asia, a full-time WordPress contributor and Open Source Project Manager at Automattic announced on X (formerly Twitter) that today was her last day at Automattic with no additional comment.
She tweeted:
“Today was my last day at Automattic.
I’m actively exploring new career opportunities. If you know of any positions that align with my skills and experience!”
Naoko’s role at at WordPress was working with the global WordPress community to improve contributor experiences through the Five for the Future and Mentorship programs. Five for the Future is an important WordPress program that encourages organizations to donate 5% of their resources back into WordPress. Five for the Future is one of the issues Mullenweg had against WP Engine, asserting that they didn’t donate enough back into the community.
Mullenweg himself was bittersweet to see those employees go, writing in a blog post:
“It was an emotional roller coaster of a week. The day you hire someone you aren’t expecting them to resign or be fired, you’re hoping for a long and mutually beneficial relationship. Every resignation stings a bit.
However now, I feel much lighter. I’m grateful and thankful for all the people who took the offer, and even more excited to work with those who turned down $126M to stay. As the kids say, LFG!”
Read the entire announcement on Mullenweg’s blog:
Featured Image by Shutterstock/sdx15
SEO
YouTube Extends Shorts To 3 Minutes, Adds New Features
YouTube expands Shorts to 3 minutes, adds templates, AI tools, and the option to show fewer Shorts on the homepage.
- YouTube Shorts will allow 3-minute videos.
- New features include templates, enhanced remixing, and AI-generated video backgrounds.
- YouTube is adding a Shorts trends page and comment previews.
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