Tips Tuesday – New in WP 7.0, Chrome Ad Blockers, YouTube AI, Anthropic Shut Down

Tips this week include:

• What’s New in WordPress 7.0
• Backup your devices
• Chrome update will disable ad blockers
• The better browser I use
• Personalized Search changes
• Google can be held liable for false AI summaries
• YouTube AI SEO Workshop
• My video channel updates and new path
• Why I’m following My Bliss
• A little help on YouTube and Trusts
• Anthropic and OpenAI file for IPO
• Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable 5 shut down by government
• Trust is the new golden ticket

What’s New in WordPress 7.0

I sent update instructions to my site audit clients and webmasters.

See my post on What’s New in WP 7.0.

Security Tips

Backup Your Devices

When was the last time you backed up your devices? How about those of your kids and other family members?

FYI, I do an encrypted backup to my Windows PC to get everything. If you use Windows too, get the new Apple Device App for Windows 11. It replaces iTunes.

Monetization Tips

Chrome Update Will Disable Ad Blockers

Google says that the next Chrome update will permanently disable all ad blockers.

I know that many of you who run ads use an agency that has a built-in way to do this already.

So, my guess here is that GoogleAds is losing money and that they need to defeat all Chrome extensions that block ads.

And since Chrome is the most-used browser in the world, that should increase Google’s revenue.

I’m not sure that it will increase your revenue though, as most of you are with the higher-end ad agencies and you don’t run the low-dollar, junkie ads that I think this is targeting.

Better Browser

FYI, Chrome is called such because it is based on Chromium, which is an open-source browser.

If you’re looking for a better browser, try Brave. It’s Chromium based too. But it does a better job of delivering the combo of superior site rendering and protecting your privacy. I’ve been using it for the last couple of years and love it.

Plus, you might want to check if your ads show up on it or not too.

Personalized Search Changes

Google is changing how it tracks your search history.

Again, I think this is tied to the loss of ad revenue.

They are basically building a better profile on you so they can better target ads that you might actually click.

They’ve also moved where that history is kept, so read the article above if you regularly like to wipe out what’s being tracked.

Keep in mind that you have to be logged into Google when you do a search for it to build this type of history on you. I tend to stay logged out when searching for that reason.

SEO Tips

Google Can Be Held Liable for False AI Summaries

Here we go!!!

The wheels are starting to come off on those funky AI query replies.

Germany has issued an injunction against Google for its false AI assertions that implicated two publishers in an ongoing scam. And yet, the AI summary gave zero links to where it gathered this info.

The court wants Google to be held liable for false accusations.

And because no links were given as the basis of the info the AI presented as fact, the court determined that Google’s AI wrote it, and so they are responsible for spreading lies.

Google can’t use the “don’t shoot the messenger” defence on this one.

What This Means for Us

Keep in mind that what happens in Europe may not happen in the US. But it does give precedent for lawsuits and Google may voluntarily modify what it does globally.

I hope this gets rid of those Frankenstein recipes and bad medical and financial summaries too.

Plus, I hope it encourages citing more links – you know, like it has done for the last 25 years so searchers can see a snippet and click over for more info that an actual human vetted and wrote.

Will This Verdict Impact Social Media?

I have to wonder if this verdict will spread to social media platforms who have long hid behind a wall of disassociation protection by saying they didn’t create the messaging, they just host and deliver it.

But now, some of these sites have incorporated ways to use AI to make messages and videos, so in essence, the AI wrote/said what is in the post.

Video Tips

YouTube AI SEO Workshop

Last year I did a workshop in the DIY SEO course on YouTube’s AI Insights tool. It was great for doing research on topics and getting suggestions on titles, thumbnails, and even creating an outline and script.

Well, that has changed.

So, we’re going to do a refresh on that workshop and have a look at all of the tools in YouTube that can help us do research for topics and at how AI search is working.

My Video Channel Updates and New Path

Heartwood Art

‘Tis the season to be in the shop and making all sorts of things!!!

I’ve been knocking out a variety of projects like crazy all spring, including:

• CAD tutorial for a nightstand
• A build tutorial for that nightstand
• Best auger for your drill – a review I did while planting myrtle 
• Several more CAD tuts for things I didn’t actually build.

This weekend I edited a couple of videos that will be published this week.

One was a review of two tools I use to help clean up my shop.

And the other is for flipping a corner desk into a TV stand.

And I’ve got several more builds to do through the Fall, all of which will have CAD tutorials too, plus a few where I’ll be doing more product reviews (think Amazon links).

Typically, this channel gets its most views from the middle of June through the end of the year. So, I’m looking forward to more folks finding all of these new videos, as well as my revenue doubling for the rest of the year.

Another bonus of having this channel is that it more than pays for all the materials, and I get to write those off my taxes too, plus the trips to go get them. 

I’m going to build these things anyway. And adding another hour to the project for video editing lets me do them for free and have some pocket change too. 

Plus, the channel pays even when I’m not posting regularly – and that’s the real beauty of it.

Unreal for Reels

With the shop builds, new DIY SEO workshops, and so much client work, I haven’t had a minute to do Unreal stuff for nearly 2 weeks now. 

But, I did look for other courses on it, just to see what’s out there on the more advanced stuff I have considered covering. Folks are paying $300-$1300 for the advanced methods. And those courses keep up with all of the software changes.

You may recall that earlier this spring I shared how discouraged I was that I would have to abandon my original plans for this channel as they just weren’t going to work anymore – for me, or the other big creators who I was emulating.

So, I’m completely rethinking what I want to do with Unreal Engine and this channel.

Given my schedule since then, I have realized that there is no way I can learn the “new ways” or the more advanced ways, and still keep pace with creating tutorials to suit the algo needs of launching a new channel to get it monetized. 

At this point, I think I will focus on learning what interests me in Unreal for making the ASMR videos because that’s why I got into it in the first place. That will be a new channel.

And then on this channel, I’ll teach whatever I feel like along the way instead of trying to create and execute a content editorial calendar that has specific goals and cross-referencing and such.

Why I’m Following My Bliss

What else I know is that every time I have pursued what interests me for just its own sake, it has taken off and received international recognition. 

Here are a few examples of following my bliss:

• Repairing and building audio gear – led to getting a degree and a 30 year career in Electronics Engineering, which paid for all my other “hobbies”
• Jingle/background music composing – airplay in 14 countries, including shows like Saturday Night Live, The Young and the Restless, and Ellen (sit-com)
• Wood carving – featured in multiple magazines in the US and Russia, and a book deal offered
• Study of the relationship of physics and metaphysics – wrote a book that was featured in Publishers Weekly and garnered 2 lecture tours
• Websites – grew from a side hustle to help non-profits I worked with into a full-time business that allowed me to quit my day job
• Woodworking – building things for my shop and house that turned into a monetized YouTube channel where the projects pay for themselves (started as my carving site)

I have a VERY impressive track record from following my bliss. The money came later. And for some of these endeavors, I specifically turned down money because I wanted to keep it a hobby that I did for the sheer joy of being a creative outlet. I was free to take it in any direction that I wanted to go.

And that’s exactly what I intend to return to doing with this new video/music venture. And it’s what I’ll keep doing with my woodworking too.

A Little Help, Please

I’m in the process of setting up a Trust and discovered that YouTube doesn’t allow a Trust to own a personal channel.

I did a bit of research and Google/YouTube are a little vague about how to change it into a “brand” channel, and they prefer it to be owned by an LLC. I won’t be doing an LLC for my channels, especially since they are likely to come and go as I try new things.

If you have any info about this, please contact me for a chat.

(I realize that you can’t give legal advice. I’m just looking for ideas of how others have handled this issue.)

AI Tips

There’s more AI drama this week. Here are the things I think are worth us paying attention to that will eventually impact our sites, security, and online experiences for everyone.

Anthropic and OpenAI File for IPO

You may not be able to read this article from Bloomberg, but they broke the news that both Anthropic and OpenAI have filed confidentially for IPO status. 

Going public means one thing – money. And both of them need stock investment as they have just about run out of the trillions of dollars worth of private investments.

And they also need more money from users too.

That may mean higher subscription prices and/or ads displayed in the chatbot environment.

It may also mean a new level of regulation – lets hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable 5 Shut Down by Government

And here’s the real AI drama for the day that will impact us the most.

You may recall a few months ago that Anthropic chose not to sign a contract with the US Government because they didn’t want their tech used for surveillance of citizens. And the President responded with fury, trying to sling mud on them.

The gov then went to OpenAI who was too quick to sign that contract and regretted it later. They lost all kinds of business, as paying subscribers left in droves and went to Anthropic.

And you may also recall a few weeks ago that I reported on Mythos – the new model from Anthropic that they said was far too dangerous to release to the general public because it found Zero-Day vulnerabilities in every software platform that they fed it.

Well now, Anthropic has released Claude Fable 5, which is a Mythos-level model that is available to the public – for a price. And it’s supposed to have super heavy safeguards to ensure it is safe for everyone to use.

Well, the US government can’t have that!!! So, they used a national security measure to force Anthropic to immediately shut down access to anything Claude related. And they did this right after Anthropic quietly applied for their IPO.

Here’s Anthropic’s report on the situation.

They claim no evidence has been shown to validate this shutdown.

And some pro AI users are claiming that Anthropic is using this as one more publicity stunt to ensure they are seen as having THE most powerful AI on the planet, same as they did with the limited access to Mythos.

Why This Matters to Us

Here’s what I know.

Some state-backed actors already have AIs that are just as powerful, if not moreso, than anything Anthropic has released to the public. And those AIs are most certainly being used in nefarious ways. 

Plus, they don’t have any sort of regulation or guardrail problems to deal with.

This may force some AI companies to leave the US and base themselves in countries where they are free to do as they will.

As long as AI, and its data centers, are tangled in US politics, the rest of the world will continue to gain ground. And the most powerful AIs in the world will no longer be under US control of any kind. In fact, that might already be the case.

This will completely revolutionize every single thing we do online – from the apps and sites we use, to what we decide to buy, to the advice we choose to follow.

Trust is the New Golden Ticket

We’ve already left the days of having a shared reality.

And now we’re drawing close to having no idea what the truth about anything actually is anymore. AI is going to continue to make that worse.

At some point, folks are going to want to hear things from somebody that they can verify is real. Video is going to become THE way to reach folks and build an audience on trust.

Tapping into local events and gatherings is another way to build trust.

As the backlash of AI continues to grow, trust is going to be THE buzz word.

Do whatever you can to build yourself into that trusted authority.