fidzu : Google

Since Google launched a new home for Web Stories on Discover, we have seen a diverse group of content creators using the format to tell engaging stories, everything from product reviews to a history of the U.S. postal service. Thanks to new and improved creation tools, it's easier than ever to create a high-quality and interactive story.

Web Stories are a web-based version of the popular "Stories" format that blend video, audio, images, animation and text to create a whole new way to learn something new. We have seen publishers recut, reuse, or reinvent their brands using Web Stories. If you are new to Web Stories, check out our new YouTube series, Storytime. And if you want to create some yourself, follow these tips to make them as interesting and beautiful as possible.

1. Use video.

Video is a great way to engage users. Optimize your landscape videos by converting them into videos in portrait ratio (9:16) to take advantage of the mobile screen. Making the video full bleed helps readers focus on a single key subject. And if you have video with audio, use closed captions. Here is a great example from VICE. Without captions, your audience needs to be able to listen to audio to follow your story. If you only have horizontal video, try using a conversion tool, like Kapwing to make them vertical.

2. Try first-person storytelling.

Be the protagonist of your own story. Stories are the first mobile-native medium. It's perfectly possible and expected to capture the assets for your story using your mobile device's front-facing camera. Since most consumption happens and continues to grow on mobile devices, the creator is able to deliver a full-screen portrait experience to the viewer in the same way they captured it. First person allows you to give a personal touch by adding in additional commentary and perspective.

3. Take advantage of your brand identity.

A brand identity is the face of your brand. That can include your visual style, the colors you use and your logo; these visible elements identify and distinguish your brand in consumers' minds. People should know at a moment's glance that this Web Story is from your brand. For many readers, consistency in branding leads to comfort and loyalty.

Be sure to import your color palette and logo into your favorite Web Story creation tool. Use your brand's typography, and if you don't use specific typography, select a font that complements your colors and style. Fonts can be very powerful, so keep it simple and legible. Here are some general rules to follow. Avoid having a story that contains text that blends into the background image or video, which may make some pages difficult to read. Be sure to provide contrast between the text and background images on the page.

4. Display infographics and dynamic visuals.

Web Stories blend video, audio, images, animation and text to create an easy to consume narrative. One great way to engage readers is by using dynamic visuals and infographics. Graphs and charts make it easy to understand a topic while using minimal text. This can be a great way to inform your reader quickly and clearly. We commonly see great graphics and visuals in recipes, explainers and investigative journalism.

5. Get a boost from illustrations.

Sometimes stock images and videos won't cut it. If you have the ability, try to work in some illustrations into your story. Animations and illustrations can bring your story to life. This could be anything from funny comics to hand-drawn cartoons. You can create illustrations in other popular design tools, optimize them and import them into your creation tool as a PNG file.

6. Post quizzes and polls.

Web Stories are getting more interactive with quizzes and polls, or what the Stories team calls Interactive Components. Several visual editors are working on supporting these new features so you can use them without any coding necessary on your end. Quizzes and polls can increase engagement and make your stories more compelling. You can also use the quizzes and polls to gather feedback and educate your audience about your brand.

7. Build excitement through animations.

Animating objects separately makes visuals more interesting and enjoyable, helping each item stand out. Timing and style add to the tone and message of your story. Choose an animation style that suits your aesthetic, then be mindful of how quickly things move. Here is a great example from USAT. Your story may automatically advance to the next page before some users are able to fully read the text. Consider slowing down auto advance to allow users ample time to read the text on each page.

Read this post in Spanish.

I love Thanksgiving. It's a time to be with those you love, eating fabulous food and sharing memories. In my family, my mother always made the holiday a time when we welcomed people into our home who had nowhere else to go that day. And then we'd take long afternoon walks after our big meal.

With COVID-19 infections rising to record levels across the U.S, families are changing how they celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Like much else in 2020, we'll need to develop new and creative traditions to replace the ones that put those we love at risk for COVID.

This disease is highly contagious and getting together physically with extended family is a real risk. Every event that brings people together creates yet another chance for transmission. I'm often asked, "Can't I just get a COVID test and then see my family?" Unfortunately, the answer I give my friends and family is an unequivocal "No." Tests are often negative early in the course of disease, which means you can test negative today but be highly infectious tomorrow. So even if you have a negative test, still practice these measures. The best way to show your love is to not have a big family gathering.

There are many ways to celebrate from a distance. You can video call friends and family from the Thanksgiving table. You could spend in-person time outdoors at a distance, wearing masks and avoiding shared dishes. I have even heard of some families even getting creative offering "curbside pickup" of their signature pumpkin pie, green bean casserole or oyster dressing for loved ones to pick up and enjoy in the safety of their own homes.

---

Tips for celebrating Thanksgiving safely

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shared some tips on how you could celebrate Thanksgiving this year and limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Wear a mask

• Rethink traveling

• Keep gatherings small

• Celebrate virtually if you can

---

This year, my immediate family is planning a small meal with just our household followed by a brief, outdoor visit with our grandmother. We will also have a virtual Friendsgiving with friends across the country, which is actually allowing us to share memories with more people than we usually do. I will miss the meals, hugs and in-person laughter, but am willing to sacrifice that for this one year so we can have many more memories together in years to come.

Though this has been a difficult year for so many around the world, I find I have much to be grateful for this holiday. I am thankful for my medical colleagues-the doctors, nurses, respiratory techs and other responders who are going to work on Thanksgiving to care for COVID-19 patients. I am thankful for my public health colleagues who have worked tirelessly for nearly a year to keep us safe, as they do even when pandemics aren't raging.

I am thankful for the many unsung first responders working to see that we have safe water to drink, food to eat and electricity to light and heat our homes. I am particularly thankful for the committed scientists who have advanced sound research so we have efficacious and safe treatments, and yes, COVID vaccines in sight. They are giving us so much optimism about the potential for robust countermeasures to bring this pandemic to an end.

And I am thankful for everyone who is putting the public's health as a priority, and doing all they can to not be a link in the chain of COVID transmission. I know everyone is weary and wants to go back to normal, or at least a new normal. But I encourage everyone to be patient and dig deep inside for the stamina to carry us through these next few months. Now is not the time to let up-it is a time to double down. If scientific progress continues, then by this time next year we might be able to have family gatherings with those we love.

This Thanksgiving, I see staying home as the ultimate form of giving thanks and showing love to your family. So I hope you will join me in following the tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are what I am recommending to family and friends, what I would recommend to my patients and what I am asking of our community. This year, let's give thanks. Not COVID.

Read this post in English // Blog en inglés aquí.

Amo el Día de Acción de Gracias. Es un momento para estar con tus seres queridos, comer comida fabulosa y compartir recuerdos. En mi familia, mi madre siempre hizo del día festivo un momento en el que recibíamos en nuestra casa a personas que no tenían ningún otro lugar adónde ir ese día. Y luego dábamos largas caminatas por la tarde después de nuestra gran cena.

Con las infecciones por COVID-19 aumentando a niveles récord en los Estados Unidos, las familias están cambiando la forma en que celebran el Día de Acción de Gracias este año. Como muchas otras cosas en 2020, tendremos que desarrollar tradiciones nuevas y creativas para reemplazar las que ponen a quienes amamos en riesgo de COVID.

Esta enfermedad es muy contagiosa y reunirse físicamente con la familia extendida es un riesgo real. Cada evento que reúne a personas crea una nueva oportunidad de transmisión. A menudo me preguntan: "¿No puedo hacerme una prueba de COVID y luego ver a mi familia?" Desafortunadamente, la respuesta que le doy a mis amigos y familiares es un "No" inequívoco. Las pruebas suelen ser negativas en las primeras etapas del curso de la enfermedad, lo que significa que puede dar negativo hoy pero ser muy infeccioso mañana. Entonces, incluso si tienes una prueba negativa, practica aún estas medidas. La mejor manera de demostrar tu amor es no tener una gran reunión familiar.

Hay muchas formas de celebrar a distancia. Puedes realizar videollamadas con amigos y familiares desde la mesa de Acción de Gracias. Podrías pasar tiempo en persona al aire libre a distancia, usando máscaras y evitando compartir platillos. Incluso he oído hablar de algunas familias que se han vuelto creativas al ofrecer "recoger en la acera" su emblemático pastel de calabaza, cazuela de ejotes o aderezo de ostras para que los seres queridos lo recojan y disfruten en la seguridad de sus propios hogares.

---

Consejos para celebrar el Día de Acción de Gracias de forma segura

Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades han compartido algunos consejos sobre cómo celebrar el Día de Acción de Gracias este año y limitar la propagación del COVID-19.

• Usa mascarilla

• Reconsidera viajes

• Mantén las reuniones pequeñas

• Celebra virtualmente si puedes

---

Este año, mi familia inmediata está planeando una pequeña comida en nuestro hogar seguida de una breve visita al aire libre a nuestra abuela. También tendremos un Friendsgiving virtual con amigos de todo el país, que en realidad nos permite compartir recuerdos con más personas de las que solemos compartir. Extrañaré las comidas, los abrazos y las risas en persona, pero estoy dispuesta a sacrificar eso por este año para que podamos tener muchos más recuerdos juntos en los próximos años.

Aunque este ha sido un año difícil para muchos en todo el mundo, se que tengo mucho que agradecer por estos días festivos. Estoy agradecida por mis colegas médicos: los médicos, enfermeras, técnicos en terapia pulmonar y otros socorristas que trabajarán en el Día de Acción de Gracias para atender a los pacientes con COVID-19. Estoy agradecida por mis colegas de salud pública que han trabajado incansablemente durante casi un año para mantenernos a salvo, como lo hacen incluso cuando las pandemias no están en auge.

Estoy agradecida por los muchos socorristas no reconocidos que trabajan para asegurarse de que tengamos agua potable para beber, alimentos y electricidad para iluminar y calentar nuestros hogares. Estoy particularmente agradecido por los científicos comprometidos que han avanzado en investigaciones sólidas para que tengamos tratamientos eficaces y seguros, y sí, vacunas contra COVID a la vista. Nos están dando tanto optimismo sobre el potencial de contramedidas sólidas para poner fin a esta pandemia.

Y estoy agradecida por todos los que ponen la salud pública como una prioridad y hacen todo lo posible para NO ser un eslabón en la cadena de transmisión del COVID. Sé que todos están cansados ​​y quieren volver a la normalidad, o al menos a una nueva normalidad. Pero animo a todos a que sean pacientes y busquen dentro de sí la resistencia que nos ayude a superar estos próximos meses. Ahora no es el momento de ceder, es el momento de redoblar. Si el progreso científico continúa, entonces para esta temporada el próximo año podríamos tener reuniones familiares con aquellos a quienes amamos.

Este Día de Acción de Gracias, veo que quedarse en casa es la mejor forma de agradecer y mostrar amor a tu familia. Así que espero que te unas a mí para seguir los consejos de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades. Son lo que recomiendo a familiares y amigos, lo que recomendaría a mis pacientes y lo que le estoy pidiendo a nuestra comunidad. Este año, demos gracias. No COVID.

Every Thanksgiving, before I settle into the couch to watch football or load my plate with multiple servings of stuffing, there's another tradition I have to accomplish first: a turkey trot.

If you don't already know, a turkey trot is a Thanksgiving Day run. It's usually a casual way to log a few miles before sitting down for the big meal. There are lots of community-led, organized Turkey Trots, but plenty of people do them casually as well. I've done them with running clubs, alongside family and friends and even participated in an official race or two.

Even though I'm practicing social distancing this year, the turkey trot isn't canceled. Instead, thanks to some help from Google Maps, it will be a semi-solo operation, with the option for friends and family-or really, anyone in the area-to virtually run "along" the route with me. Below, you can follow a few easy steps to create your own turkey trot as well. (These directions are for using Google Maps on desktop.)

Step 1. First, open Google Maps and select the hamburger menu at left (the three lines in a row). When that opens, choose "Terrain." Then, the map at right will show you the topography of your location, which is helpful if you want to avoid (or add) some hills to your run.

I also found it helpful to select the "Bicycling" option in this panel. This highlights the bike lanes and trails in your area, and I've found it particularly useful to find paths that cut through parks that are great for cyclists and pedestrians. Another great way to get an idea of what your run will look like is to jump into Street View so you can get a more accurate idea of what you'll be running through.

Step 2. I'm going to start and end my race at a park, but you can start from wherever you want. I decided an eight-mile run sounds right, so I chose a half point of four miles on the map. This is a bit of trial and error ("Oops, that was only three miles away, and this point is about five") until you find the best spot. And of course, this doesn't have to be exact if you're not trying to be too official.

When you're doing this, make sure you choose the "walking" icon, and also know that you can select the direction line on Google Maps to make the path a little longer or shorter. For example, I saw a bike trail that went through a park and dragged the dotted line through it. Just play around with this until you find the halfway mark that works for you.

Step 3. On the left-hand side, choose "add destination," and re-enter your original starting point. Follow the instructions from step three again to drag and adjust your path as desired to get to the mileage you want. You can also take advantage of some of Maps' new features if you want to make sure you get your fill of fall foliage. Or if you want to run by the homes of friends and family for a quick hello as you go, use Maps' list feature to mark them, or any other landmarks that you want to include in the route.

Step 4. After you've completed creating your route, you can choose "Send directions to your phone" so you'll have the map while you're running. And if you select "Details," you'll see a share icon in the upper right-hand corner of this panel. There, you'll get a link that you can share with family and friends. This way, they can try and recreate a similar path in their own neighborhood.

Step 5. When I'm running a specific path like this, I like to turn on the detailed voice guide feature, which gives you more frequent alerts for navigation. It was built to help people who are visually impaired, but it's also great for runners who don't want to constantly glance at their phone for directions. In your Google Maps settings, select "Navigation," and you'll see an option at the bottom of the list under "Walking options" for "Detailed voice guidance."

Step 6. Now this is optional, but if you really want the full turkey trot experience, you can all choose a time to start your race and "run" together. There are a handful of apps that let you track and time your run. You can be as competitive (or non-competitive) as you want, with prizes for winners, or most-spirited. Get creative and add a scavenger hunt element to it: Runners get points for photos of Thanksgiving decorations, or local landmarks. Make it yours, and more importantly, make it fun.

Behold! the living thrilling lines

That course the blood like madd'ning wines,

And leap with scintillating spray

Across the guards of ecstasy.

The flame that lights the lurid spell

Springs from the soul's artesian well,

Its fairy filament of art

Entwines the fragments of a heart.

Poetry by Georgia Douglas Johnson

When you write the living thrilling lines of a poem, you put yourself into each verse. Whether you're writing for family, friends or an audience of thousands, each poem carries a part of you. When composing such a poem, each line is carefully crafted, which requires a lot of creative energy. Verse by Verse can help get those creative juices flowing: it's our experiment using AI to augment the creative process of composing a poem. It will offer ideas that you can use, alter, or reject as you see fit. Verse by Verse is a creative helper, an inspiration-not a replacement. Here's how it works.

Your muses

Using Verse by Verse, you can compose a poem with suggestions coming from some of America's classic poets: Dickinson, Whitman, Poe, Wheatley, Longfellow and others. In order to make this possible, we've trained AI systems that provide suggestions in the style of each individual poet to act as your muses while you compose a poem of your own.

Composing

After choosing which poets to act as your muses and the structure of your poem, you can begin composing. Once you've written the first line of verse, Verse by Verse will start to suggest possible next verses.

We give you full control of this creative process. You can choose to continue writing your own verses, use one of the suggestions, or even edit one of the suggestions to make it more personal. Once you're satisfied with your poem, give it a title and finalize it. We give you two options: copy the text itself, or download the poem as an image. In either case, you can easily save the poem and share it with others.

Verse suggestions

Verse by Verse's suggestions are not the original lines of verse the poets had written, but novel verses generated to sound like lines of verse the poets could have written. We did this by first training our generative models on a large collection of classic poetry, then fine tuning the models on each individual poet's body of work to try to capture their style of writing.

Additionally, to be able to suggest relevant verses, the system was trained to have a general semantic understanding of what lines of verse would best follow a previous line of verse. So even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make suggestions that are relevant.

Get writing

Verse by Verse can be used as a tool for inspiration, offering suggestions for ways of writing you may have never thought of. You can use it as an aid to learn about these various poets and the styles that they wrote in.

Have fun, and see where it takes you-perhaps down the road less traveled.

When you're having a conversation with someone, you might ask multiple questions in a row on the same topic. Wouldn't it be weird if, in between every question, the person forgot what you were talking about? Well until recently, that's kind of what would happen on Search.

Many Google searches are part of a longer series of queries, but Google didn't always carry over the context from one query to another. Especially if that next search has multiple interpretations, the results might have felt a little off, leading you to spend more time rewriting your search until you found what you were looking for.

This year, Google Search rolled out new ways to get you to the information you want, using context from your recent activity. Thanks to our newest language understanding capabilities, it's now easier for you to get to a more specific, on-topic search, navigate a topic you're interested in and find additional information relevant to that topic. Let's check out how this improved understanding can help around this time of year.

Understanding what you're looking for

Say you're planning your Thanksgiving and you start your research to get ready. Previously you may have found yourself lost when, after searching for turkey recipes, you started searching "carving" and weren't expecting the results you received, especially if you missed the search suggestion for "carving a turkey."

Since "carving" is a search with many meanings, previously Google would use the most common interpretation in ranking results. But with this change, we can determine that you're looking to learn more about preparing and serving a turkey and we'll provide you with a helpful suggestion at the top of your search results page to get you to what you were actually looking for:

Making your exploration easier

These new language understanding capabilities can also identify when you're exploring a topic and make that exploration easier.

Say you're looking for a movie the whole family can enjoy. As you search through family-friendly holiday flicks like The Polar Express and A Christmas Story, Google may detect that you're exploring related ideas and show a list of similar movies to help you more easily browse for the perfect pick.

Surfacing more relevant information

This understanding of context also enables Google to surface more relevant follow-up questions to help you take the next step in exploring a topic.

Prior to introducing these features, if you had searched for "how to make a napkin fan," Google might have helped you discover additional information by showing you similar questions such as "How do you make a cone napkin?" With contextual learning, Google can source even more relevant questions in the "People also ask" section, like "How do you make a turkey out of a cloth napkin?" Now, after searching for turkey recipes, your upgraded search results can help you find more relevant follow-ups faster and up-level your Thanksgiving tablescape.

We're always improving our ability to understand your searches, so whether you're planning ahead for your celebration or scrambling to set the table, we hope we can help you get the information you need.

Minority or endangered languages are facing a crisis. According to UNESCO, at least 43% of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. Even though my grandparents spoke an endangered language and language preservation has been my passion for many years, I only recently understood that fonts-the symbols that appear when you type on a keyboard-play a key role in enabling minority language speakers to digitize and preserve their languages on the internet and in print. Until now, many minority languages lacked fonts.

From billions of readers to very small language communities, the freely available, open source Noto font family from Google Fonts supports literacy for hundreds of languages. The Cherokee Nation, with an estimated 20,000 speakers, uses Noto on phones for texting, email and teaching their language in the USA. Noto is used every day for Tibetan, millions of African users, and hundreds of languages of Asia. The government of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 5 million people, wanted to cover all their languages, including indigenous ones, in a single font and merged Noto Sans + Noto Sans Canadian Aboriginal into a single font, BC Sans font.

• image_1_XWHQeTU.jpg

  This text is in the indigenous language of Cree in the BC Sans text (in Cree, transliterated in Latin, and in English). (Text source: Government of British Columbia, Canada)

• Screen_Shot_2020-10-21_at_12.16.28_PM.max-2800x2800.png

  This text is in Noto Sans Adlam. Adlam is one of the scripts used in the Sahel and West Africa.

• San_Sorang.max-2800x2800.png

  This text is in Noto Sans Sorang Sompeng, a script used in India to write in Sora, a Munda language used by around 300,000 people.
  

The Noto name comes from the mission, "NO TOfu"-eliminating the tofu-like boxes (𛲢𛲡𛲠) that appear when no font is available for a user's text. Noto offers fonts for 146 scripts (writing systems) and over 800 languages, and is opening the door to reading and writing for minority language speakers. Noto is the largest source of fonts for endangered languages. Aligned with Google.org's support of the Endangered Languages Project and Google's private sponsorship of UNESCO's International Conference Language Technologies for All, the Noto project is Google's ambitious Unicode font project, aiming to continually support 100% of all Unicode characters each year with fully functional fonts. Noto won the Beazley Design Museum Designs of the Year award in 2017.

Noto, which has been in development since 2012, recently updated its page on GitHub. The new home at github.com/notofonts has one git project per script, with all sources either available in the widely supported Unified Font Object (UFO) font source or using the .glyphs format. We also have a new on-demand build system triggered as soon as someone updates a font source that uses the Google Fonts open source 'fontmake' compiler. This means Noto fonts are now more truly open source, will be better documented and available for contributions by many more people.

Digitizing endangered languages

A font and a keyboard to type it are critical needs for languages in the digital era, but the most important thing is Unicode support.

Type design is the discipline of creating physical or digital typefaces, the coherent collections of letterforms that today are more commonly referred to as fonts, which are the digital representations of type. With fonts, communities can digitize written documents, publish cultural and religious texts online, or teach their children with digital media. This digitization process saves knowledge, and enables connections and communication across generations. It allows people to keep connected with their villages and family, even if they are physically far away. People in an urban diaspora can keep in touch with other urbanites in the same language community, by using the font to produce printed material for posters, educational material, books, newsletters, and so on. Younger generations of language learners can use Noto fonts to learn to read and write in endangered tongues, text and write emails to each other and communicate via social media.

Ultimately, typefaces are a kind of "critical infrastructure" for each culture, a medium to store and transmit emotional tone.

Accessibility

The ability to read minority languages digitally via text magnification improves the accessibility of both historical and modern content in these languages. Languages and their scripts are important to me because I am multilingual and an endangered language activist. While I was preparing the documentary film, Saved by Language, about a boy who saved his life in the Holocaust by speaking the endangered language of Ladino/Judeo-Spanish and my TedX talk on preserving endangered languages with music, I had to read through many old printed materials from a century ago. Since I am partially blind, it was difficult to read the small text with dense typography on discolored paper. If these documents had been digitized and users could easily use zoom mode to read on a computer or device, they would be more accessible and useful to everyone. Unicode fonts, such as Noto, resolve the problems that previously existed when minority language communities had to publish images of text without Unicode encodings. These images were not readable by screen readers and would often be hard to read when enlarged.

For some communities, the Noto font for their writing system may be the only way to use their language digitally because there are no other fonts available for their scripts. I encourage you to learn about which Noto fonts are available for the languages you care about.

Danielle Greendeer is the owner of Wampanoag Trading Post and Gallery in Massachusetts, which sells handmade Eastern Woodland art made by Indigenous artists. She is also a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation. The Wampanoag are associated with what became known as the "first Thanksgiving."

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, which can only mean the approach of a classic dinner table debate: stuffing or dressing? If your family is busy dishing out their hot food takes, they're hardly alone: Google searches for "stuffing vs dressing" in the U.S. spiked more than 350 percent this past week.

But let's not forget about other Thanksgiving favorites. We took a look at uniquely searched side dishes in each state this year. It seems California is feeling just gravy, while Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky are ready to casse-roll. Check out what's being searched in your state for some meal prep inspiration.

Speaking of prep, taking charge of the Thanksgiving meal, even for small groups this year, is no easy feat. If you're looking for some insider tips on how to make that perfect stuffing (or dressing!), search for "Thanksgiving" on Google to hear from expert chefs like Mary Ann Esposito and Jess Pryles. They'll answer some of your top questions and share some expert advice. You'll feel like a top chef in no time.

If you need an extra hand finding recipes, staying on track in the kitchen or figuring out ingredient substitutes, Google Assistant can help. Try asking, "Hey Google, give me Thanksgiving recipes," for step-by-step guided instructions on Smart Displays, like Nest Hub Max. Here are a few other ways Assistant can help out in the kitchen:

• Set a timer. You can already ask Google to set timers for help when your hands are full, but new for this year, say "Hey Google, set a turkey timer" for a visual and audio surprise on Assistant-enabled smart speakers and Smart Displays

• Quickly convert measurements or figure out a substitute ingredient. Just ask, "Hey Google, how many tablespoons in a cup?" or "Hey Google, what's a substitute for buttermilk?"

• Learn a new cooking technique. Try saying, "Hey Google, show me videos for how to roll pie dough" or "Hey Google, show me how to brown butter."

• Search for recipes based on specific dietary needs. Just say, "Hey Google, show me vegan stuffing recipes" or "Hey Google, show me gluten-free cornbread recipes."

But not everyone wants to commit to cooking on Thanksgiving; maybe this year takeout is more your style. You can use Google to order dinner-and now, once you've placed your order, Google Maps will show you the live status of when it'll be ready for pickup or arrive at your doorstep…which could come in handy if you want to pretend you made it all yourself (we won't tell). And even if you opt for take-out this Turkey Day, you can always up the game on your table scape with ideas from Google Images.

Whatever you decide on for dinner and whether you're with family or sitting around the virtual table, there are still ways to connect with loved ones and make this year feel festive. Try recording a special moment with them and adding it to "The Great Thanksgiving Listen," a StoryCorps campaign that encourages people across the country to contribute audio stories to a collective oral history. Google Cloud also recently partnered with StoryCorps to make its entire catalog of stories available and searchable for everyone, with help from AI.

As a fun bonus, search "Happy Thanksgiving" on Google for a hidden surprise. We figured it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a slice of something sweet.

In a galaxy far, far away, the Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies in the tumultuous era after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. But you don't need a tracking fob to explore the world of the hit STAR WARS streaming series. Google and Lucasfilm have teamed up to bring iconic moments from the first season of "The Mandalorian" to life with "The Mandalorian" AR Experience (available on the Play Store for 5G Google Pixels and other select 5G Android phones) as fans follow the show's second season. (Check your phone to see if it meets app requirements.)

From dinosaurs to astronauts, Google has been bringing objects and creatures to life with augmented reality. Now, people using compatible Android 5G devices can interact with heroes from the Mandalorian in their own space.

"The Mandalorian" AR Experience puts you in the shoes of a bounty hunter following the trail of Mando himself, Din Djarin and the Child. Explore the world of "The Mandalorian," interact with characters in augmented reality and capture your very own scenes to share with friends.

To create this original experience, Google, Disney and Lucasfilm worked together to imagine a next-generation augmented reality app optimized for 5G devices. Our teams collaborated to build hyper-detailed models and life-like animations-all while packing scenes with fun surprises.

UsingARCore,Google's developer platform for building augmented reality experiences, we created scenes that interact with your environment and respond to your surroundings. You can discover and unlock even more effects based on your actions. And thanks to the new ARCore Depth API, we also enabled occlusion, allowing 3D scenes to blend more naturally with our world.

New content will keep rolling out in the app each week onMando Mondays, so stay tuned-and Pixel owners should keep an eye out for additional exclusive content outside of the app as well.

^{Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © & ™ 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved.}

The debate over Australia's News Media Bargaining Code is part of a bigger conversation about the nature and direction of the internet itself.

The modern internet was designed to empower individuals - as a free, open and democratic system for the exchange of information. From its early origins in the 1960s and 70s to the massive expansion of the world wide web in the 1990s and 2000s, this design made it possible for anyone to improve the net with new ideas and applications.

At the same time, it opened up unprecedented access to information and services, with the number of websites globally growing from a few million two decades ago to more than 1.7 billion in 2019. As the internet expanded, these new websites - and the people and businesses that owned them - captured the growth in advertising revenues that came with the digital age.

Google was founded to help users find information in this ocean of webpages. It helps to connect people to millions of businesses, service providers and knowledge sources, and enables website owners to earn money through online advertising.

But while Google - and YouTube - open up a vast range of information, products and services, only a small portion of it relates to traditional news sources. The truth is that news content makes up a tiny proportion of the things people search for online (1 percent, in Australia). People's searches reflect the priorities in their lives. Even if Google disappeared overnight, Australians would still need to use the internet to find a job, car, restaurant or plumber; to learn a language or get a red wine stain out of the carpet.

The reason news businesses are making less revenue is not because Google exists. It is because in a much more open and diverse digital market, news businesses began to face competition from websites that have taken classified advertising online, including Australian platforms like Seek and Domain. In Australia, recent research from AlphaBeta makes clear that these companies have contributed to the vast majority of the recent decline in newspaper revenues. Google's impact has been completely different: opening up an entirely new market, search advertising, helping small-to-medium businesses establish an online presence.

It would be no more reasonable to try to return to an environment where publishers' revenues were protected than it would be to expect Australians to go back to the Yellow Pages, Encyclopedia Britannica or Microfiche for their sources of information. The world has changed. Yet in advocating a code that serves their interests only, certain Australian news businesses are effectively arguing for the Australian Government to turn back time - to make the open internet significantly less open and its business models dramatically less diverse.

One of the key arguments behind the code is the idea that Google should pay for news content that 'is made available' through Search results. But that's not how search engines work, or should work, nor how people use them. When you search online, no matter what you're looking for, you get links and in most cases one or two lines of text (called 'snippets'). In the case of a news article, you only get the chance to read the full piece after clicking through to the publisher's site. Links are the cornerstones of open access to information online; requiring a search engine (or anyone else) to pay for them undermines one of the fundamental principles of the internet as we know it today.

The draft code would distort the open internet in other ways. Under a law forcing digital platforms to turn over information about algorithm changes, news businesses would gain access to privileged knowledge above every other business striving to compete for visibility and grow. Not only that, by imposing an arbitration model that considers only publishers' costs and claims, it incorrectly supposes that news content always has a higher value to users than any other kind of online information or service. Raw data and human behaviour tell us this is a fallacy.

As it is currently framed, both the premise of the code and the approach it sets out are deeply flawed. Digital platforms do not owe publishers compensation for the emergence of an internet-based economy. And undermining the foundations of a democratic internet is not a sustainable solution to one industry's economic challenges.

None of this is to deny that the news industry has a vital role in the working of democracy and the spread of knowledge. It does, and that role should be supported appropriately - as Google is seeking to do through commercial partnerships.

Nor is this an argument about the merits of regulating technology at all. Around the world, as the internet expands and evolves for the better in areas like health and education, it also poses new challenges. Governments are rightly seeking to design sensible rules that can keep pace - and, where needed, keep people from harm.

The draft news media bargaining code is not this kind of regulation. On the contrary, it is an intervention that would distort access to information and disadvantage Australians who rely on Google to share their voice and run their business. It would introduce bias into systems that were designed to be fair, and undercut a democratic internet where people compete not on their political influence, but on the value of their content.

Google is working with the Australian Government to resolve the evident issues with the draft code and bring balance into the final version of the law. Anything else would represent a backward step towards a world that no longer exists-not just for Australia's digital economy, but for the open internet globally.

As someone who came to Google from the nonprofit world, I understand how challenging it can be for nonprofit organizations to find the right resources and talent to tackle some of the world's complex challenges.

COVID-19 doesn't make it easier. So in June this year, Google.org granted $600,000 to Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, helping them launch a six-month capacity-building program for 28 nonprofits from Singapore, Indonesia and India. The Changemaker Journey program has two main goals. First, to help nonprofits get the tools, knowledge and skills to meet their immediate priorities and sustain their efforts over the long-term. Second, to build a community where organizations can learn from one another, collaborate, and discover new ideas together.

I spoke to Janine Teo, founder and CEO of Solve Education, a Singapore-based nonprofit working to make high-quality education more accessible, to learn about her personal journey and how the program has helped her during the pandemic.

Tell me about yourself. What led you to the nonprofit world?

It started with two questions from my mentor. He first asked, "What are you working so hard for?" My parents grew up in poverty. Both of them had to drop out of school to support the family, but they knew the importance of education. My father put himself back to school and graduated when he was 30. My mother paid off her brothers' education fees then enrolled herself in night school to get her diploma. My parents showed me how you could still learn and grow even at a later age.

He then asked, "What's your purpose?" I was trained as a software engineer but tried different industries, including hospitality. While I appreciated these experiences, I knew I wanted to solve deeper problems, contribute to society and help others. So five years ago, and with my mentor's support, I'd started Solve Education to help people of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds get a high-quality education.

Has it been challenging being a social entrepreneur in 2020?

Definitely-we can all agree education creates opportunities. But COVID-19 has made learning challenging, especially for those in underserved communities. Some of the families we support in India don't have the luxury to socially distance themselves - or even study - because of the lack of space. For others, being a daily wage worker means they need to find work every day to put food on the table. The people we serve are more afraid of dying of hunger than the pandemic-it's survival mode for many of them. We had to be creative to solve this problem, so we introduced Game for Charity, a point-based program where beneficiaries could earn points by completing learning modules and exchange these points for food packages.

What inspired you to be part of the capacity-building program, and how did it help your organization?

The concept of finding solutions to complex problems that have positive effects in changing the system fascinates me. As a social entrepreneur, I think it's important to look at the root causes of the problems we're looking to solve. I also wanted to widen my network through the Ashoka Foundation and Google.org-and continue learning, too. In fact, one of my most memorable sessions from the program was attending a Google Ads coaching session led by Google volunteers with my team. The session was so useful because it was exactly what we needed help with!

This program also gave us a fresh perspective one some of the issues we're dealing with. It helped us question ourselves more and home in on projects that will have the biggest impact.

The truth is, capacity-building is often overlooked. It's hard to expect nonprofits to contribute to systemic change without building their ability to think critically, as well as the broader skills they need to run their organization effectively. After all, we are solving problems that no one has solved before. When we look at education, we still have a world where 263 million children and youth aren't attending school. We are nowhere near solving the problem, but joining this program gave me and my team the inspiration and excitement to continue challenging ourselves.

The next time you hear a popular song on the radio, listen to the beat behind the lyrics. Usually, a high-powered production team came up with it-but in the future, that beat could be created with help from artificial intelligence. That's what Googler MJ Jacob predicts, as he combines his job as an engineer with his love for writing and performing rap music.

Usually based in Google's offices in New York City, MJ is working from his Manhattan apartment these days as a customer engineer for Google Cloud, helping companies figure out how to use machine learning and AI to accomplish their business goals. But in his free time, he's writing lyrics, producing hip-hop tracks and creating YouTube videos detailing how he does it all.

MJ has balanced an interest in technology with a love for hip-hop since he was a 13-year-old living in Virginia. His family was struggling financially, and he found rappers' rags-to-riches lyrics to be inspirational. "Almost every rapper I listened to was broke and then they made it," he recalls. "These rappers had very hard childhoods, whether it was because of money, parental issues or anger from insecurities, and all of that is what I felt in that moment."

His favorite rappers felt like personal mentors, and he decided to imitate them and try rapping himself. He recorded songs using the microphone on his MP3 player; he says they were a crucial way for him to vent. "From when I was 13 until today, being able to write about my life and how I'm feeling, it's the most therapeutic thing for me," he says.

Around the same time he discovered hip-hop, MJ became fascinated by technology. His family couldn't afford a computer, but someone at his local church built a computer for them, complete with a see-through CPU tower. MJ first used it just to edit music, but always loved looking at the computer parts light up. One day, he spent six hours taking the tower apart and putting the pieces back together. "It was very overwhelming but exciting the entire time," he says, "and I think that's a similar emotion I feel when I make music."

Most recently, he posted a video showcasing how he used AI to create a hip-hop beat. He collected instrumental tracks that he and his producer friends had created over the years, and uploaded the files to Google Cloud. Then he used Magenta, Google's open-source tool that uses machine learning to help create music and art. (Musicians like YACHT have used Magenta to create entire albums.) Based on how he identified "hip-hop" in his dataset, the machine learning model created entirely new melodies and drum beats. MJ then used those new sounds to craft his track, and wrote and performed lyrics to go along with it.

Even though it was made with the help of machine learning, the finished product still sounded like his music. And that's the whole point: MJ wants to show that AI doesn't take away the human side of his art-it adds to it. "AI never replaced anything," he explains. "It only assisted."

Authenticity is important to MJ (whose musical alias is MJx Music), because he sees music as an important emotional outlet. His most popular song, "Time Will Heal," which has more than a million streams, is inspired by his sister, a survivor of sexual abuse. The lyrics are written from her perspective. "She taught me so much about what it means to be a strong human, to go through hell and back and still be able to make it," MJ says. "We decided it would be a cool opportunity to not only share her story, but also help anyone who's ever been abused or felt they've been taken advantage of."

Next, MJ is hoping to take his experiments with music and machine learning to a new level. In fact, he's so inspired by the combination that he's looking to create a three or four-track EP co-produced by AI.

"Both music and tech are so fulfilling for me that they have the ability to intertwine so well," he says. "Now I'm pushing myself even more musically, and I'm pushing myself even more technically. It's cool to be able to contribute to a new concept in the world."

Editor's note: Last night, on the eve of the Black Consciousness Day in Brazil, a Black man, João Alberto Silveira Freitas, died after being beaten at a supermarket in Porto Alegre, in the south of the country. We would like to express our sentiments to the Black community in Brazil.

In Brazil, November 20 is Black Consciousness Day, or Dia da Consciência Negra in Portuguese, a public holiday celebrated in more than 830 cities around the country. It's a tribute to Zumbi dos Palmares, the most prominent resistance leader against slavery and a symbol of the fight for freedom and recognition.

In a country where more than half the population of 212 million people identify as Black, Brazilians celebrate this day to raise awareness about the history and the achievements of the Black community. It's also a moment to further debate the struggles Black Brazilians face: structural racism, inequality, displacement, exploitation, poverty and more.

Following Google's commitments to racial equity, we created a series of initiatives to celebrate Black Consciousness Day: a wealth of new material on Google Arts & Culture; a Google Play Store collection and a film showcasing local Black founders and developers of apps, games and websites; a new group of Black-led startups will be funded by Google for Startups; and Google.org grants to advance racial justice.

Honoring Black art

In partnership with 15 cultural institutions, Google Arts & Culture created "Celebrating Black Brazil," a hub dedicated to Afro-Brazilian art and culture that features more than 30 exhibitions about the history behind this celebration. Thanks to the Geledés Black Women Institute, you can learn more about the artistic representation of the Black community, or explore African culture in over 600 artworks from the Museo de Arte de Bahia digitized in super high-resolution. You can also examine the artistic and cultural expressions at the Port of Rio, one of the main harbors for slave trade in the Americas.

• image-4wEHZTPh6uJbpA-large (1).jpg

  Marcha Zumbi está Vivo, 1983.

  Januário Garcia, 1983

  Geledés Instituto da Mulher Negra

• Christiano Junior

  Slave woman also known as "slave who earns" selling fruits

  Christiano Junior, 1864

  Museu Histórico Nacional

• Maria Auxiliadora

  Maria Auxiliadora, 1970

  Museu Afro Brasil

• image-bQGKuOJ_NgsEeQ-large (1).jpg

  Octávio Araújo, 1949

  Pinacoteca de São Paulo

Restoring history

Four young Brazilian artists worked with the Museu Afro Brasil and a team of historians and curators to uncover unknown stories of Black Brazil.

The stories range from an empowering tale of sisterhood and entrepreneurship in Salvador, to an exploration of how African design and technology have influenced Brazil's development. The artworks represent Black communities beyond stereotypes, integrating elements from African legacy.

• jess (1).png

  Sisterhood of the Good Death - by Jess Vieira

  The artist portrays the Sisterhood of the Good Death, exploring the sense of community and sisterhood that culminated in female entrepreneurship.

• Design and Technology in the age of slavery

  Design and Technology in the age of slavery - by Heloísa Hariadne

  The technologies mastered by Africans in farming, mining, metallurgy and astronomy were essential to the colonizers, demystifying the idea that black people contribute only to art and culture.

• robinho-santana.jpg

  Ibejis - by Robinho Santana

  The Ibejis are entities that express general aspects of human dualities and are represented by twins in the Yoruba tradition.The artwork proposes to build an opportunity to present black childhood with dignity and reality.
  

• pegge.jpg

  Timóteo brothers - by Pegge

  The Timóteo Brothers were the first black artists to receive national and international recognition after slavery, and to portray common unstereotyped black people. The artist builds on their "insistence on being seen" in this piece.

To explore these remarkable stories in more detail, and to discover collections from more than 2,000 cultural institutions around the world, visit Google Arts & Culture online or download the free mobile app (iOS and Android).

Helping Black job seekers and entrepreneurs

Unemployment in Brazil increased 43 percent between May and September, leaving 4.1 million people out of work. To help Black job seekers discover, prepare and apply for jobs around the country, the Grow with Google team launched the mentorship program "Black Careers Matter," a guide to your next professional move.

Google for Startups' Black Founders Fund in Brazil provides non-dilutive, equity-free cash awards up to $1 million for startups founded and led by Black entrepreneurs in Brazil. The goal is to support around 30 startups by the end of 2021.

In addition to the first startups announced in September (Afropolitan, CREATORS and TrazFavela), six new startups from different business areas and regions of the country will receive financial resources from Google: EasyJur, LegAut, Treinus, Wellbe, WeUse and Aoca Game Lab.

Aoca, for example, is a small studio in Salvador, the cradle of Afro-Brazilian culture. Since September 2016, the studio has focused on the development of Árida, a series of survival games for PC that tells the story of Cícera, a girl on a journey of discovery in the Brazilian hinterland of the 19th century.

Celebrating Black developers and creators

We caught up with some Black founders and developers who create apps, games and websites in Brazil. They shared their journeys, tips and passions in this video:

Through November 26, the Google Play Store will highlight content celebrating Afro-Brazilian culture. This special collection features apps by some of these Black Brazilian entrepreneurs alongside movies, books, and a game showcasing Black Brazilian protagonists and stories of courage and resilience.

Starting on November 20, Google Podcasts will showcase a collection of local Black podcasters running shows such as Afetos, História Preta, Afropausa and many more.

Supporting organizations fighting for racial justice

2020 has been a year of racial reckoning that led to more global awareness and solidarity. In June, our CEO Sundar Pichai reinforced the importance of addressing systemic racism in regions beyond the United States, such as Brazil, and across Europe and Africa.

Google.org will provide $500,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations working to advance racial justice in Brazil. To start that work, we are announcing two grants:

Fundo Baobá

Fundo Baobá is the first and only fund solely focused on racial equity in Brazil. Google.org will make a $400,000 grant to support an open call for organizations from all 27 states of the country to submit ideas for funding, centered on how they are tackling racial justice locally, and ultimately funding 10 organizations in all of the five regions of Brazil. Stay tuned on how to apply by following Fundo Baobá on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Fundação Getúlio Vargas - FGV

To improve information-gathering about the state of racial justice in Brazil, Google.org will make a $100,000 grant to the Racial Justice and the Law Research Center (Núcleo de Pesquisa em Justiça Racial e Direito) at FGV. The research will be led by Black scholars and thought leaders in the field, and will focus on data analysis and visualization of the racial dimensions of police violence in Brazil.

We know that Brazil still has a long way to go to reduce racial inequality. With initiatives like these, we hope to continue contributing to build a more equitable future.

Editor's Note: At Google Research, we're interested in exploring how technology can help improve people's daily lives and experiences. So it's been an incredible opportunity to work with Thomas Panek, avid runner and President & CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, to apply computer vision for something important in his everyday life: independent exercise. Project Guideline is an early-stage research project that leverages on-device machine learning to allow Thomas to use a phone, headphones and a guideline painted on the ground to run independently. Below, Thomas shares why he collaborated with us on this research project, and what the journey has been like for him.

I've always loved to run. Ever since I was a boy, running has made me feel free. But when I was eight-years-old, I noticed that I couldn't see the leaves on a tree so well, and that the stars in the night sky began to slowly disappear-and then they did forever. By the time I was a young adult, I was diagnosed as legally blind due to a genetic condition. I had to rely on a cane or a canine to guide me. For years, I gave up running.

Then I heard about running with human guides, and I decided to give it a try. It gave me a sense of belonging, holding a tether and following the guide runner in front of me. I even qualified for the New York City and Boston Marathons five years in a row. But as grateful as I was to my human guides, I wanted more independence. So in 2019, I decided to run the first half-marathon assisted only by guide dogs.

But I know it's not possible for everyone to have a brilliant, fast companion like my guide dog, Blaze. I run an organization called Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and we work tirelessly to help people with vision loss receive running guide dogs that can help them live more active and independent lives. The problem is that there are millions more people with vision loss than there are available guide dogs. So I started asking a question: "Would it be possible to help guide a blind runner, independently?"

In the fall of 2019, I asked that question to a group of designers and technologists at a Google hackathon. I wasn't anticipating much more than an interesting conversation, but by the end of the day they'd built a rough demo that allowed a phone to recognize a line taped to the ground, and give audio cues to me while I walked with Blaze. We were excited, and hopeful to see if we could develop it into something more.

We began by sketching out how the prototype would work, settling on a simple concept: I'd wear a phone on a waistband, and bone-conducting headphones. The phone's camera would look for a physical guideline on the ground and send audio signals depending on my position. If I drifted to the left of the line, the sound would get louder and more dissonant in my left ear. If I drifted to the right, the same thing would happen, but in my right ear. Within a few months, we were ready to test it on an indoor oval track. After a few adjustments, I was able to run eight laps. It was a short distance, and all with my Google teammates close by, but it was the first unguided mile I had run in decades.

Our next step was to see if the tech could work where I love running most: in the peace and serenity of a park. This brought a whole new batch of challenges to work through: variables in weather and lighting conditions and the need for new data to train the model, for starters. After months of building an on-device machine learning model to accurately detect the guideline in different environments, the team was finally ready to test the tech outside for the first time.

I'd been waiting 25 years to run outdoors, on my own. I stood at the start of the guideline, hopping up and down with excitement. When the team gave me the go-ahead, I began sprinting on my toes, as fast as my legs could carry me, down the hill and around a gentle bend in the road. As I tightened my form, my stride was getting more confident and longer with every step. I felt free, like I was effortlessly running through the clouds.

When I arrived at the finish line, I was completely overcome with emotion. My wife, Melissa, and my kids hugged me. My guide dog Blaze licked the salt off of my hand. They were happy for me, too. For the first time in a lifetime, I didn't feel like a blind man. I felt free.

Today, we're testing this technology further. I'll be attempting to run NYRR's Virtual Run for Thanks 5K along a line temporarily painted in Central Park in New York City. I want to thank NYRR, NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, Central Park Conservancy, NYPD, NYC Department of Sanitation and the NYC Department of Transportation for helping to make today's 5K run possible. We want to see how this system works in urban environments, just one of the many challenges to complete before it can be used more widely.

Collaborating on this project helped me realize a personal dream of mine. I'm so grateful to the Google team, and whoever came up with the idea of a hackathon in the first place. I hope there will be more runs with Project Guideline in my future, and for many other runners as well.

By sharing the story of how this project got started and how the tech works today, we hope to start new conversations with the larger blind and low-vision community about how, and if, this technology might be useful for them, too. As we continue our research, we hope to gather feedback from more organizations and explore painting guidelines in their communities. To learn more, please visit: goo.gle/ProjectGuideline.

The holiday season presents a great opportunity for app publishers to earn more from rising CPMs. This year, as consumers continue to spend more time in apps, it's even more critical for publishers to optimize their monetization strategy. Finding the right combination of ad formats is key to maximize revenue while creating engaging user experiences. In this post, we'll share some of the latest ad format innovations to help publishers achieve their goals.

Unlock new placement with app open ads

App open ads are a great way to monetize an app's loading experience. They unlock a new ad placement opportunity when a user opens or switches back to the app. The format is specially designed to seamlessly integrate into these loading screens to maximize engagement. We first announced app open ads at this year's Think Games event and have since enhanced its performance and usability with features like standardized publisher branding. Publishers who have implemented the latest version of app open ads have seen up to twice as much revenue. We're excited to share that app open ads are now in open beta. To learn more and get started with app open ads, start here or reach out to your account manager.

Increase impressions and engagement with rewarded interstitial ads

Rewarded interstitial is a new format that helps deliver more impressions with an engaging ad experience. It allows publishers to engage users who do not opt-in to traditional rewarded ads by offering meaningful in-app rewards for watching full-page interstitial ads. Rewarded interstitial can help deliver better monetization results in the following ways:

• Increase overall ARPDAU by adding rewarded interstitials in new placements with contextual in-app rewards

• Improve engagement and retention by replacing interstitial ads with rewarded interstitials

• Generate more impressions by replacing rewarded ads that have low opt-in rate with rewarded interstitials

Rewarded interstitial was first announced at Think Games. The product is in closed beta. To learn more and get started with this ad format, start here or reach out to your account manager.

Optimize performance with adaptive banners

Adaptive banners offer an easy and effective way for app publishers to enhance the performance of banner ads. With the ability to return the optimal ad size tailored for each user's device, adaptive banners can help publishers maximize the performance of banner ads with minimal coding.

Adaptive banners can be placed in two ways:

• Anchored placement: banners will appear locked to the top or bottom of the screen. Adaptive anchor banners were first introduced in late 2019 and are now available for all publishers to use.

• Inline placement: banners will appear in scroll view within app content. This is a new placement that is now available in closed beta.
  

To learn more and get started with adaptive banner ads, start here or reach out to your account manager.

Optimizing ad format strategy with the right combination and placement is key to earning more while creating engaging user experiences. As we approach the holiday season this year, we encourage publishers to consider integrating some of the latest formats from AdMob to maximize revenue.