Welcome to Connected Church News!
Top 5 latest Digital, Social Media & Web3 News in 5 minutes, to help your ministry stay on top of industry trends.
This week, we have news about ChatGPT, OpenAI, YouTube, WhatsApp, Google, LinkedIn.
🗞️ News 1: YouTube Is Removing Clickable Links in Shorts & Desktop Channel Banners
Source: YouTube
In a major announcement, YouTube has decided to remove all clickable links from Shorts format content. Shorts comments, description, and even vertical live stream will not have any clickable links starting August 31st,2023. Along with that announcement, YouTube says starting August 10th,2023, clickable social media icons on all desktop channel banners have also been deactivated. YouTube justifies this big decision by saying that they are trying to tackle spam and misleading links that are used in this type of content and they promise that they will come up with new ways in which channel creators will be able to link out to either a long form video from Shorts. YouTube showcased a sample which looks very close to what Instagram has added in their mobile app with the new design, where there is one spot on the profile, you click on it, and all the links appear from the bottom.
🗞️ News 2: WhatsApp Launches Screen-Sharing Feature Within the App for Video Calls
Source: WhatsApp
WhatsApp launches screen sharing feature within video calls inside the app. As you already know, you can have 32 participants within WhatsApp video call at a time in a group call. Now you can also add screen sharing within that call. Now this could be very useful for churches and ministries in various use cases. You can use it for prayer groups. You can use it for quick support that you’re giving to your ministry members. Or you can also use it for small group situations where you have a session, maybe a teaching session where you want to share your slides as you continue your conversation. And all of this can be done right within your mobile. We will link to all the details in the show notes. Pass this on to your media ministry team.
🗞️ News 3: Google Releases Tips for Bard AI Usage as it Becomes Available Globally
Source: Google
Google releases an article outlining the various ways in which you can use Bard AI effectively. Bard AI is Google’s AI chatbot and recently they announced that this is being rolled out and released globally to more countries and also in multiple languages. So after this announcement, this article has been released with some interesting use cases apart from generative AI’s writing capability. The article talks about how you can use Bard AI for planning a trip, for brainstorming with your team. Quite a few interesting use cases there. And also Bard AI is right now available for you to try out for free. You just have to log in with your Google account and try out the tool for free inside your ministry. We will link to it in the show notes do give it a try and let us knowhow it goes.
🗞️ News 4: LinkedIn Releases Useful Upgrades to the ‘Skills’ Feature on the Platform
Source: LinkedIn
LinkedIn releases a useful upgrade to the skills feature within the platform. Skills is an important part of LinkedIn profile where it showcases the various job skills, the professional skills that you have. Now these skills will appear right at the top of the about section so that Anyone who looks at your profile will be able to see the top skills that you possess. Not only that, these skills can also be demonstrated by having a visual element to showcase that skill. For example, if you’re a designer, you can have a thumbnail image that people can click and actually go and look at all your designs. Or, if you have videos in some site, you can link out using a thumbnail. I think it’s a useful feature if you want to showcase your skill. You can also add other credentials or certifications that you have obtained related to a specific skill and link the two within your LinkedIn profile.
🗞️ News 5: OpenAI Adds ‘Custom Instructions’ to Users on the Free Plan of ChatGPT
Source: OpenAI
In a big announcement OpenAI says that custom instructions feature within ChatGPT is now available to all users including users in the free plan. Now this is a major announcement because custom instructions are a very powerful set of features which lets you customize your ChatGPT experience by giving certain inputs, which can work across all the outputs that come from the chatbot. So it’s basically your way of having additional information given to the bot so that when it generates content for you, it is custom made for you. This announcement from OpenAI shows how the competition is heating up in this space and everyone wants to provide the best of service to their users. Good for us.
Author of The Connected Church. Social Media and Digital Marketing Consultant for Nonprofits, Faith-based Organisations, Churches, and Ministries.
