President Donald Trump angered his own supporters recently when his U.S. Department of Justice said it wouldn’t be releasing any more information about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But after days of outrage, including from the Deputy Director of the FBI, Dan Bongino, Trump is now signaling that Attorney General Pam Bondi might release something. Still, don’t expect to see anything that would make Trump look bad.
Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday and was asked about recent comments by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who said that there should be “more transparency” around the so-called Epstein files. Trump said Bondi had “handled that very well” but claimed “credibility is important,” suggesting that much of what’s in the files isn’t credible.
Trump, who was a friend of Epstein’s for years, was asked by reporters whether he had been briefed on the files by his AG and whether his own name appeared anywhere. Trump insisted it had been a “very quick briefing,” and went on to give a simple “no” about whether his name was in the files.
“No, no, she’s given us just a very quick briefing. And in terms of the credibility of the different things that they’ve seen,” Trump said.
The president then went into a conspiracy theory that he seems to have concocted in recent days, which purports that his political adversaries had invented the files. “And I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey,” Trump said, referring to the former FBI director James Comey, who the president fired in 2017.
“They were made up by Obama,” Trump continued, “they were made up by the Biden… you know. And we went through years of that with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. With all of the different things that we had to go through, we’ve gone through years of it.” Trump first made that claim in a Truth Social post on July 12.
But then Trump said that perhaps Bondi could release files that she thinks are “credible,” without elaborating on what that means in Trump’s eyes. “But she’s handled it very well. And it’s going to be up to her,” Trump said of Bondi. “Whatever she thinks is credible, she should release.”
The Trump regime had previously promised to release all of the files, even holding a media event at the White House back in February where right-wing influencers received binders marked “Epstein Files: Phase 1,” implying there would be more to come. As it turned out, nothing in those binders was new information.
There is some truth to the fact that the FBI and DOJ, more broadly, are reluctant to release files that may implicate innocent parties who spoke with law enforcement. The Privacy Act of 1974 was passed to provide those kinds of protections. The reason the FBI releases files on celebrities only after they’ve died is due to that federal law, and even then, the names of living people are often still redacted. Dead people don’t have privacy rights under U.S. law.
But many Americans still want answers about the Epstein case, perhaps because Trump’s attitude that there’s nothing to reveal is so suspicious, given the attitude of his other top officials. Bongino and Patel spent years insisting the Epstein files should be released, suggesting the late sex offender didn’t really kill himself, but then pulling a 180 as soon as they got into power.
Bongino has reportedly clashed with Bondi over the issue, even not showing up for work last Friday after an explosive argument, according to multiple reports. And it’s not clear what his future looks like at the agency. Credible news outlets say he’s back at work, but he hasn’t tweeted since July 9.
Bondi herself seemed eager to release whatever files were available until relatively recently. She verbally stumbled when asked about the files during a cabinet meeting last week, and Trump cut in to berate reporters and ask why people were still asking about Epstein at all. Bondi also attempted to explain why a full minute was missing from the nearly 11 hours of “raw” video released from outside Epstein’s jail cell. As Wired reported, the video wasn’t really raw, but was edited with software like Adobe Premiere Pro.
From left, Donald Trump and his girlfriend (and future wife), former model Melania Knauss, financier (and future convicted sex offender) Jeffrey Epstein, and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell pose together at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images)
For their part, right-wing influencers seem to be making an effort to tell everyone to drop the Epstein story. Charlie Kirk said he doesn’t want to talk about Epstein anymore when there are more important stories like NATO, and Dinesh D’Souza, who received a pardon from Trump, told his listeners that people should “move on.” Tim Pool has even claimed that Democrats still calling for the release of the Epstein files just want to see “child porn.”
It seems pretty clear that the vast majority of Americans, to say nothing of the most diehard conspiracy theorists, are not ready to just move on. Just 3% of Americans say they’re satisfied with the amount of information the government has released about the Epstein case, according to CNN. Fifty percent say they’re dissatisfied, with 29% saying it doesn’t matter to them either way, and the rest saying they haven’t heard enough to have an opinion.
Whatever Trump and Bondi decide to do, this story isn’t going away anytime soon.
If Straftat ever has no fans, that means PC Gamer is dead. We named the throwback arena shooter the best FPS of 2024, and its lump-faced, cigarette-smoking combatants have only risen in our estimation with every return we’ve made to its countless brutalist combat dreamscapes. Today, Straftat ascends to an even higher tier of peerlessness, adding 2v2 and free-for-all game modes for all players.
And as always, you can play it right now for free on Steam.
(Image credit: Lemaitre Bros)
We could extoll Straftat’s virtues for hours. We’ve done it before. It’s like discovering a distillation of FPS deathmatch combat that crystallized in a French alley some time around 2001, with the kind of maps you’d only hope to find from a community of terminal brain sickos. It’s blisteringly fast, without any frills to interrupt the mere seconds separating each round of sprinting and sliding into vending machines that dispense rusty katanas, MAC-10s, and inscrutable gun-shapes that can scatter your friends’ mangled chunks across a concrete superstructure. Or tech noir underpass. Or the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks.
And now you can mangle as many as three of your friends at once!
But just as admirable is how the Lemaitre brothers have decided to monetize the game. As I’ve said before, and will say again, Straftat is free to play. If you open Steam right now, you’d be just seconds away from getting mangled by a grungy, cap-wearing rifle goblin on one of more than 150 maps.
(Image credit: Lemaitre Bros)
If you want even more maps, you can pay $7 for over 150 more—and you’ll get some new weapons and character hats for your trouble. Straftat updates have regularly added more maps, too, and those expansions to the map pool have always added both free and DLC maps—the latter of which you’ll get immediate access to if you’ve already bought the map DLC.
Motivated by a general contempt for the current live service environment, Straftat’s map DLC has been its only available microtransaction since its launch last October. That changed today.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
If you think the Lemaitre brothers deserve even more support, and I’m inclined to agree, they’ve introduced a Supporter Edition alongside today’s update. It doesn’t include any DLC maps to ensure new arenas are tied to the existing purchase. Instead, it adds a few exclusive suits and hats, an artbook PDF, and a link to blender files of Straftat’s environments.
(Image credit: Lemaitre Bros)
“By purchasing this DLC you help us fund the development of our next game (Babbdi2), as we will need external help from a freelance sound designer, animator, and more,” Lemaitre Bros said. “This helps us grow as a studio and speeds up the development.”
Alongside the 2v2 and free-for-all game modes, today’s Straftat patch notes also include new maps and weapons, weapon randomizer improvements, and UI overhauls and updates.
Once again, you can play Straftat for free now on Steam. I’m running out of ways to tell you to do so without just saying “go play Straftat.” So, y’know: Go play Straftat.
In the world of design and construction, accuracy is an important quality. Technical drawings are what architects, engineers, component fabricators, and builders rely on to ensure accuracy and precision throughout any project. It also serves as a tool to help architects, engineers,and other professionals in the design and construction to help them visualize design concepts and communicate,and reconstruct design ideas efficiently. One of many construction documents required and produced in an architectural project are shop drawings and as-built drawings. These drawings play a big role in the component fabrication process and for project review purposes.
Cad Crowd is a leading platform providing the best architectural design companies with vetted and highly experienced shop and as-built drawing services. Let’s take a look at their differences.
🚀 Table of contents
Shop drawings
Shop drawings are technical documents that describe and define the design of pre-fabricated components in a project, such as buildings. It is usually encountered in architectural projects that are dedicated to the construction and installation of MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) systems. The key term “prefabricated” indicates that the components to be used are of a mass-produced kind, such as piping, precast concrete, trusses, fire protection, metal ductwork, appliances, and so forth.
MEP components need shop drawings, but you might encounter similar documents referring to some furniture products. This is true, but only if the clients want their furniture pieces constructed from prefabricated parts. In case they specifically ask for custom furniture built from milled components, what you need is a millwork drawing instead. Shop drawings are among the “must-haves” in most architectural projects, both residential and commercial, and now with the rise of prefab and modular construction technology, chances are you’ll see quite an increase in the shop drawing services sector, too.
One of the main points of shop drawings is to provide specifications and detailed illustrations of how the prefabricated components should be procured and assembled to build a specific component. Architects, designers, and engineers provide the design intent as a general visualization of the final product, but the actual shop drawings must be produced by the person in charge of sourcing and assembly. In a typical architectural design firm, this person could be the general contractor, subcontractor, or supplier. Shop drawings are not general blueprints; they’re tailored to highly specific systems, designs, or structures in a project. You’d have a better guarantee of accuracy when the drawings are produced by someone who actually understands the ins and outs of the components.
Shop drawing isn’t an artistic drawing; it is a visual representation of a construction plan proposed by either an architect or a designer. It’s pretty technical, filled with information on materials, dimensions, assembly instructions, etc. A shop drawing is practically a communication tool to bridge the gap between the design plan and the actual build. To minimize the possibility of miscommunication, a shop drawing needs to include important points as follows.
Points
Purposes
Sections and elevations
Every single component must be attached with dimension information, including height, length, width, diameter, and all other relevant measurements. It goes without saying that all the prefab components must fit precisely within the structure. A shop drawing also has to provide a view of the final product with the correct dimensions.
Dimensions
A shop drawing service must specify the materials used for the prefabricated components. Additional details may include material grade, finish, type, and characteristics if needed.
Materials
Certain prefabricated components may require further processing, such as cutting and shaping to match the defined design specifications, so you should be able to find the instructions in the shop drawings as well. In case the design uses a lot of raw materials that need some more elaborate treatments, you can use another document (fabrication drawing) to provide the instructions.
Detailed views
When the design is complex enough that it requires small mechanisms or intricate details, the shop drawing provides enlarged views of those specific parts for clarity. Fabricators and installers refer to these “detailed views” to understand how the parts must be assembled.
Shaping
Certain prefabricated components may require further processing, such as cutting and shaping to match the defined design specifications, so you should be able to find the instructions in the shop drawings as well. In case the design uses a lot of raw materials that need some more elaborate treatments, you can use another document (fabrication drawing) to provide the instruction.
Bill of materials (BOM)
`Every single part and component you need for the design is listed in the BOM. Details include quantities, part numbers, specifications, and descriptions, and are essential for architectural planning and design companies.
Symbols
Symbols are used to indicate welding locations, sizes, and types. In many cases, you can omit these symbols entirely if you have a separate fabrication drawing. Usually, this is used in a design where metal components need welding.
Assembly information
An illustration of how the various components are assembled together. Some assemblies require different fasteners and connections, so you should make sure that all those details are clearly specified.
Finishing
An instruction on how to apply the specific types of coating, textures, or colors.
As mentioned earlier, shop drawings are custom blueprints for specific designs. They’re quite elaborate, for they must convey all the information you need to fabricate components and build the assembly correctly.
Note about metal components: depending on the design, some metal components must be welded together or fabricated in a particular fashion before you can assemble them with all the other parts, for example, in piping or plumbing installation.
Some welding jobs are simple enough that you can actually include the instructions for them in the shop drawing. For anything more complex than the simplest kind of MIG welding, you’ll need to provide instructions in a separate technical document known as a fabrication drawing through metal design and fabrication services. The design drawing, especially between the shop drawing and fabrication drawing, can be different depending on the level of detail pertaining to the fabrication technique. Fabrication drawing provides details even up to the smallest information, welding tasks, and provides symbols and measurements for every section.
Not every construction project needs shop drawings, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re important to ensure design accuracy and speed up project completion. Here are some key aspects in an architectural project where you might find shop drawings invaluable:
Coordination: Shop drawings are technical construction documents. As such, they function as a means of communication between all parties involved in the project, including but not limited to the architect, engineers, designers, contractors, subcontractors, fabricators, builders, and clients. Shop drawings are the points of reference when you’re coordinating the construction, keeping everyone on the same page.
Design visualization: architects, engineers, or designers produce the design intent – sketches that represent the basic geometry and dimensions of a design. Contractors or suppliers interpret those sketches and transform them into a much more detailed visualization, albeit a two-dimensional one.
Shop drawings provide a more detailed view that consists of specific dimensions, construction methods, materials, etc, compared to sketches. After finalizing shop drawings, the architectural design expert reviews for approval and checks if the interpretation is exactly as needed. In case there are inconsistencies between the drawings and the original plan, it must be revised. From there, it can only proceed to the construction/fabrication when all details are correct.
Guidance: If an architectural project involves a lot of designs, objects, or products constructed from prefab components, shop drawings must be treated as the only fabrication guidance. So long as the drawings have been approved by the architect or engineers in charge of the project, there’s almost no need to look for any other references.
There’s also quality control. Because shop drawings provide detailed fabrication guidance, you should be able to identify any mistakes in the finished work by cross-referencing it with the drawings, too. Assuming the project is large enough that the construction requires permits, shop drawings are also part of the documents to ensure compliance with local building codes; as in, you can’t acquire the permit or even apply for it without having shop drawings.
As-built drawings
A construction “as-built” drawing (also known as red-line drawing or record drawing) is the technical document that offers an overview of the final design. It might be used as a comparison tool to verify whether the end product comes out exactly as planned. Think of it as a blueprint compiled after the project concludes. Of course, the point is to showcase, in detail, how the project is actually built.
In an ideal world, every architectural project goes exactly as planned. But this is rarely, if ever, the case at all. An as-built drawing is submitted upon the completion of a project to reflect all the changes made during the construction process.
Such changes might include alterations in specifications, design geometry, locations of components, and basically all other works completed over the duration of the project and under the contract. Even the changes in shop drawings, for example, when prefab components need further treatments to fit the desired specifications, are also included in the as-built documents. Keep in mind that none of those modifications are made without approval from the architectural design and drafting firm and the clients.
But just because the drawings are submitted upon completion, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re created as soon as the project ends. If you can allocate the time and budget, it’s best to schedule as-built surveys throughout the duration of the project. The surveys track how the construction progresses over time and create “partial” as-built drawings as they go. As long as there are no further modifications to the already “surveyed” sections of the project, you can simply compile the partial maps into one single drawing in the end. This makes the process much easier and quicker than having to retrace everything all over again.
To make an as-built drawing as clear as possible, so that it may serve its purpose well as a review tool, you must include quite a lot of documents containing a lot of details. At the very least, these are the things you should see:
Record of changes in scale, but ideally, this should not be a problem as long as you use the same scale as the original blueprint.
Clear labels to identify changes, instead of vague phrases like similar to, equal to, taller, bigger, or any potentially ambiguous terms, without mentioning additional details.
All records of changes in sizing, dimensions, locations, fabrications, installations, assemblies, materials, textures, and so on.
Specific dates when every single one of those changes occurs.
Notes on unexpected challenges encountered during the project, and the solutions implemented to solve them.
Notes about changes proposed during the final inspection.
Shop drawings, original blueprints, and appendices.
As-built drawings are usually signed by the architect associated with the original blueprint, and shop drawings are created by contractors and suppliers during their contract with the project. In case you hire your own architect, their role is to record all the changes made to the design, as they are the most qualified to do the task because of their familiarity with the intended design.
If you’re running a small architectural firm without in-house drafters, you can always outsource the task to third-party CAD service providers or freelancers. However, since the architects have the final say to approve the design, it doesn’t really matter who actually produces it. In case there are mistakes in the drawings, you’re allowed to ask for revisions, too. The same thing applies to shop drawings.
Why should contractors care about as-built drawings?
Although submitting as-built drawings is not always mandatory in every project, the documents serve as important components of any finished project. They’re the most accurate representation of what was actually built in the first place, and will be indispensable references when you need to modify, expand, renovate, and build on top of the old work.
If you’re a general contractor, you might be wondering why you should prioritize producing and submitting an as-built at the end of a project. As a matter of fact, you shouldn’t be focusing on creating an as-built throughout the project at all; instead, you should strive to maintain or improve your work and quality to be reflected in the as-built.
The truth of the matter is that as-built drawings can’t really affect the construction at all. But it can do wonders for your reputation as a company and bring more businesses in the future. As for subcontractors, as-built drawings are especially important if you’re hired to do a renovation and a maintenance project. Once again, the as-built will be your most dependable document of reference to improve your chances of completing the job with great success.
Finally, as-built drawings are proof that the architects, contractors, engineering design firms, designers, subcontractors, and fabricators have moved on from the project. They’ve done what they’re hired to do, and you can always take a closer look at what they made from the submitted and approved as-built drawings.
Whether you need a shop drawing for specific building components, an as-built drawing after the completion of a big project, or as-built surveys to help you compile the final document, Cad Crowd has just the right professionals to get the job done. We are home to some of the most experienced drafters in the country, offering services to companies and individual clients alike at affordable rates. Contact Cad Crowd now to get your free quote.
MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.
EA Sports has delivered several new mechanics and gameplay changes in College Football 26. However, one of the more noteworthy changes the developers implemented is called “No eyes, no pick,” which relates to defenders needing to have their head turned around and facing the ball in order to intercept it. In the past, it seemed like defenders had eyes in their back of their heads and were able to pick off passes without even looking at the ball.
While this change is important, it’s also crucial that you understand another mechanic to go along with it: swatting the ball. Now that your defenders need to actually face the ball to intercept it, swatting the ball is more vital than ever if you want to stop passes from being completed against your defense. You can find out how to swat the ball in College Football 26 in the guide below.
How to swat the ball with defenders
Fortunately, the process of swatting the ball is fairly simple. The short answer is you swat the ball by pressing X on Xbox or Square on PS5. The issue with the mechanic is that it doesn’t always seem to work. We’ll explain a little more about that after you read about the general steps to swat the ball in CFB 26:
After the opposing quarterback has thrown the ball, switch your user player to whoever is closest to where the ball is being thrown (you can do this by pressing Circle/B)
While you are usering the defender, wait for the ball to get right near your hands. This works better if your defender doesn’t have their head towards the ball, as you would want to try and intercept the pass rather than swat it away in that case
At the time when your defender would normally try to intercept the ball, you need to press Square (PlayStation)/X (Xbox) to swat the ball
If you timed the swat correctly and your defender was in the right spot, they should swat the ball away from the receiver’s hands before they have a chance to catch it
The Ball in Air controls in College Football 26
With the new “no eyes, no pick” mechanic in place, your defenders won’t be able to magically intercept passes while they’re chasing a receiver anymore. So, swatting passes is the best way to keep the ball out of a receiver’s hands when you are usering the defender near where the ball is going.
Of course, there’s a lot going on when that happens. Not only do you have to manually user to the right defender, but you have to try and keep up with the receiver while timing your swat and then pressing the swat button at the right time.
To make matters more difficult, the swat mechanic won’t always work, regardless of whether it seems like you did everything correctly. We went into Practice Mode in CFB 26 and tried the swat mechanic several different times using the same setup each time. The swat worked a majority of the time, but there were a couple of instances where the defender just didn’t put their hands up to swat the ball away. This could have been because of minute timing differences, the distance between us and the receiver, or other factors, but be prepared for the swat to be slightly inconsistent.
Either way, the basic swatting process is pressing Square/X when the ball is coming near your defender. As long as you know that and understand the general timing of when to try and swat the ball, you should get the mechanic down. You’ll want to try to put your defender in a position to play the ball and intercept it, but the changes in CFB 26 make that a little more difficult than in years past.
Now that you understand how to swat the ball on defense, why not check out the best defensive playbooks in CFB 26 so you can make the most out of the mechanic? We also went over the best offensive playbooks if you want to cover both sides of the ball.
Big Sleep, Google’s AI security agent, just sniffed out a hidden SQLite flaw (CVE-2025-6965) that hackers were already exploiting.
Google’s open-source forensics tool now runs on Sec-Gemini, making log analysis faster and threat detection sharper.
Google is also sharing SAIF data with CoSAI to boost research on AI security, supply chain risks, and cyber defense.
In a series of fresh announcements ahead of Black Hat USA and DEF CON 33, Google has laid out how its homegrown AI agents are already finding critical bugs, helping security teams cut down response times, and teaming up with humans in live hacker competitions.
Google’s AI agent Big Sleep, first revealed last year, has recently uncovered a security flaw (CVE-2025-6965) in SQLite that had been floating around in the wild, known only to attackers. This discovery, powered by insights from the Google Threat Intelligence Group, shows how AI can now catch bugs before they blow up.
Big Sleep was built to think like a human security expert, digging through code and spotting shady behaviors just like a real researcher would. Google also designed it to catch sneaky twists on known bugs, which are a goldmine for hackers looking to mess with modern software.
Additionally, Google’s open-source digital forensics tool, Timesketch, is getting a powerful AI boost. Backed by a new model called Sec-Gemini, the upgraded platform can now do some of the heavy lifting in forensic investigations, like sifting through logs and flagging potential threats. This means less work for analysts and much faster incident response. A live demo is set for Black Hat USA.
FACADE: Google’s secret insider threat catcher
(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)
Another internal tool is stepping into the spotlight. Google will share a behind-the-scenes look at FACADE, its insider threat detection system that’s been quietly monitoring billions of daily events since 2018. It doesn’t need training data from past attacks to spot anomalies, thanks to a machine learning approach called contrastive learning.
At DEF CON 33, Google is also co-hosting a Capture the Flag (CTF) event with Airbus. Teams will get help from AI assistants to tackle a wide range of security puzzles. It’s a fresh spin that puts AI in the trenches with security pros and hobbyists alike.
Google is also putting its weight behind safer AI development. It’s donating data from its Secure AI Framework (SAIF) to the Coalition for Secure AI (CoSAI), helping fuel work around agentic AI, software supply chain security, and cyber defense. This move follows the initiative’s launch at last year’s Aspen Security Forum.
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android
And finally, next month marks the end of the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC), a DARPA-led competition supported by Google. The winners will show off new AI tools built to find and fix vulnerabilities in major open-source software, a major step forward for proactive digital defense.
This guide breaks down 10 of the best free social media management tools for freelancers, solopreneurs and small businesses and six additional tools that have free trials. It focuses on platforms that save time, simplify workflows and boost your social media strategy without the hassle of bulky software or the requirement of a big budget.
But let’s face it: managing multiple social media accounts across various platforms can eat up hours you could be spending making money writing.
That’s where the best social media management tools come in.
With the right social media management platform, you can schedule posts, track social media performance and stay consistent without risking burnout or spending time on tasks that aren’t revenue generating.
A social media management tool is software that helps streamline your social media marketing by handling everything in one place. Instead of jumping between social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, you can manage multiple social media profiles, schedule posts, monitor mentions and track social media metrics all from a single web app or desktop app.
Many tools offer features like social media scheduling, social media listening, content assistance, detailed analytics and reporting tools to measure social media performance. Whether you’re managing clients or building your brand, these tools simplify your social media management tasks.
Running a brand or freelance business means wearing a lot of hats, social media manager included. A social media management tool helps save time, keeps you organized, and maintains your social media strategy.
Instead of scrambling to post in real-time, you can schedule posts across platforms, monitor social media channels and respond to your followers in one dashboard.
These tools also help track key metrics, create social media reports, and improve your overall social media performance. Whether you’re working solo or with a team, they make social media management smarter, not harder.
Looking for the best social media management tools to boost your social media presence while you grow your blog or look for freelance writing jobs?
Whether you’re managing multiple social networks, juggling social media posts or handling content for multiple clients, these tools simplify your workflow.
1. Buffer
Buffer ranks among the best free social media management tools for creators and freelancers. This user-friendly social media management platform helps schedule posts, track performance and manage social media accounts without hassle. It supports multiple platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and newer channels like Threads and Bluesky.
Pros include a clean interface, solid post-scheduling, and helpful features like a Start Page for link-in-bio needs. The AI Assistant generates captions, rephrases content and assists with content creation. Features like Streaks boost posting consistency, while Zapier integration unlocks automation.
Limitations include fewer advanced analytics tools, no CRM and basic automation. Larger teams may find the available features lacking.
Buffer suits anyone focused on a flexible social media strategy, light collaboration and consistent content delivery without complexity.
Key features:
Schedule posts across various platforms
Visual planning for Instagram
Engagement and detailed analytics
Team collaboration
AI-assisted content creation
Start Page bio link builder
RSS feeds and Zapier integration
2. HelloWoofy
HelloWoofy brings a fresh spin to social media management with smart features tailored for businesses and creative teams. This platform connects with multiple social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Business, Medium, TikTok, X, WordPress and more, supporting a wide range of content strategies.
Designed to assist with media management and visual planning, HelloWoofy also includes advanced integrations rarely seen in other social media tools, such as Amazon Alexa. This opens up new automation and engagement features beyond traditional scheduling.
Users can create and schedule posts, use a browser extension for faster content sharing, and manage multiple platforms from a single dashboard. Though less known than larger platforms, HelloWoofy packs power into every feature set.
Pros include cutting-edge integrations, visual scheduling tools, and a focus on smart content creation. For teams seeking flexible social media management software, HelloWoofy stands out.
Key features:
Connects to multiple platforms, including TikTok and WordPress
Alexa voice assistant integration
Smart visual scheduling
Browser extension for quick posting
Google Business Profile support
3. Tailwind
Tailwind focuses on visual platforms—Pinterest and Instagram—making it a strong choice for brands aiming to grow their social presence through engaging, eye-catching content.
Ideal for Instagram users and Pinterest account managers running multiple accounts, this tool helps schedule pins, design content and generate captions using pre-made templates tailored for each platform.
For those building a content strategy around Instagram Stories or Pinterest boards, Tailwind simplifies media planning. Upload a photo, and Tailwind instantly generates stylish layouts—no graphic design background needed. You also get hashtag suggestions, platform-specific image sizes and smart social media scheduling based on audience habits.
SmartGuide delivers real-time tips to optimize Pinterest performance, helping creators fine-tune their social media strategy for their target audience.
While the free plan offers only five posts per month, paid plans unlock broader scheduling and basic analytics.
Key features:
Pinterest-first social media management tool
Auto-design for visuals
SmartGuide for Pinterest strategy
Caption generation and hashtag support
One calendar for visual platforms
4. Vista Social
Vista Social is a great fit for small teams that want to streamline their social media process without blowing the budget. It supports over a dozen platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest and Tumblr. Vista Social gives people new to social media the basics: scheduling, inbox management, analytics and task tracking. You can assign writing and scheduling tasks, review content and create workflows that align with your team’s specific focus.
In addition to a free plan, Vista Social offers multi-user access at a low cost so you don’t have to sacrifice data safety or efficiency to stay on budget. The interface isn’t flashy, but it gets the job done, saving you free time to focus on results.
The support team is responsive, and integrations with tools like Zapier help automate the process from start to order completion.
Key features:
Affordable plans with built-in team access
AI assistant for writing and planning
Task management for smoother collaboration
Strong platform coverage
5. Agorapulse
Agorapulse offers a solid mix of scheduling, engagement and analytics designed for teams, brands and agencies. It features a unified social inbox that makes managing comments, messages and mentions across platforms easy, all from one dashboard.
Users can schedule posts, set up queues for automated publishing and track performance with detailed analytics and reports. Collaboration shines through approval workflows and role-based permissions, helping keep content on point and timely.
Though advanced features require paid plans rather than the free plan and integrations fall short of some competitors, Agorapulse delivers powerful tools for agencies and marketing teams needing seamless social media automation with teamwork in mind.
Key features:
Unified inbox for all social interactions
Automated post-scheduling and queuing
Detailed analytics and performance reports
Approval workflows and role-based access
Designed for team collaboration
6. CoSchedule
CoSchedule fits perfectly for content marketers, bloggers and businesses looking to combine social media scheduling with wider marketing strategies. The drag-and-drop marketing calendar helps plan, publish and automate posts across blogs, social media and email campaigns—all from one spot.
Users can schedule social posts alongside other content, automate resharing of top-performing posts using ReQueue and collaborate easily with teams on approvals and content management.
While social media listening and real-time engagement tools remain limited and advanced marketing features are not available on the free plan, CoSchedule offers a strong all-in-one solution for managing blogs, social accounts and email in one streamlined workflow.
Key features:
Unified marketing calendar for social, blog, and email
Automated content recycling with ReQueue
Team collaboration and approval workflows
Scheduling and automation across multiple channels
7. Later
Later suits brands, influencers and content creators focused on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. The drag-and-drop content calendar allows users to plan visually engaging posts and optimize posting schedules effortlessly.
Later bundles social media management, influencer marketing, social listening and dedicated agency support into one package. The Media Library stores images, posts and all planned content in one place, while automatic creator attribution tags posts imported from Instagram.
While Later’s free plan with scheduling and analytics cover the basics well, the paid agency services steal the spotlight. Their team handles organic social media from strategy to execution, including managing audience interactions like comments and DMs.
For those wanting to outsource social marketing but keep oversight, Later offers a hands-off solution. Just keep in mind that agency services cost extra.
Key features:
A drag-and-drop visual content calendar
Media Library for storing and organizing content
Automatic creator attribution for Instagram posts
Full agency support, including strategy, execution, and audience management
Combines social management, influencer marketing, and social listening
8. Publer
Publer fits freelancers and marketers seeking a budget-friendly yet capable social media scheduler to enhance their social media presence. It blends AI-driven content automation, bulk scheduling and basic collaboration tools into one easy platform.
Publer allows users to schedule and automate posts across multiple social media accounts. AI helps craft captions and hashtags that boost engagement. Evergreen content recycling keeps posts fresh and extends reach. Branded watermarks and link previews add a polished, professional touch.
While it lacks advanced CRM and social listening, Publer offers smart AI tools and efficient scheduling at a fraction of enterprise costs. Lower-tier and free plans have limited team collaboration, and analytics don’t go as deep as some competitors’, but they still deliver strong value.
Key features:
AI-generated captions and hashtags
Bulk scheduling and automation
Evergreen content recycling for wider reach
Branded watermarks and link previews
Affordable plans tailored to small teams and freelancers
9. n8n
n8n suits marketers and businesses that want complete control over their social media accounts and workflow automation. This low-code platform goes beyond basic scheduling by enabling tailored automation to fit unique marketing needs.
Users can create workflows that automatically publish posts triggered by events like blog updates, monitor brand mentions with instant alerts to Slack or CRM tools, aggregate user-generated content for scheduling, auto-respond to comments and pull analytics data to generate reports.
While n8n requires some initial setup and there is a learning curve, it connects to hundreds of apps through APIs and scales smoothly for individuals who want to grow into an agency or hire a team. The platform doesn’t include a built-in analytics dashboard, but compensates with unparalleled flexibility.
Key features:
Fully customizable social media workflow automation
Drag-and-drop builder for easy workflow creation
Integrations with hundreds of apps and services
Automated publishing triggered by external events
Auto-response and engagement tools
Scalable for businesses and agencies
10. Metricool
Metricool is ideal for data-driven marketers, freelancers and small teams who want a streamlined hub for social media scheduling, performance tracking and ad management all in one place. It supports major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest and Google Business.
Its standout feature is a unified dashboard that combines scheduling with real-time analytics, allowing users to monitor what’s working and tweak campaigns accordingly. Metricool also enables ad creation and tracking across Google Ads and Meta, making it a rare all-in-one tool even on the free plan.
Users can plan posts via a visual calendar, bulk schedule content and track competitors without toggling between tools. While the interface is less flashy than some, it’s built for efficiency and depth. The free plan covers one brand and up to 50 posts per month, which suits many solopreneurs and freelancers.
For those who want a lightweight but powerful alternative to more bloated schedulers, Metricool is a sharp choice (especially if you care about data).
Key features:
Visual content calendar with drag-and-drop post scheduling
Real-time analytics across platforms
Google Ads and Meta ad management
Competitor tracking and hashtag analysis
Free plan includes up to 50 scheduled posts per month across platforms
If you’re open to investing in a premium tool but want to test the waters first, several top-tier social media schedulers offer free trials instead of ongoing free plans.
These platforms tend to focus on scalability, advanced analytics, and deeper integrations—ideal if you manage many clients, need team workflows or want an all-in-one solution for content, engagement and reporting.
Here are six high-performing tools worth exploring during their trial period to see if the added features match your needs and justify the spend.
1. MeetEdgar
While there’s no free plan, you can access a 14-day free trial for paid plans.
MeetEdgar stands out among the best social media management tools by offering automated scheduling powered by content categories. Instead of manually deciding when to post, you set themes like blog updates, quotes or promotions, then MeetEdgar fills your calendar based on that structure.
Perfect for small businesses and creators juggling multiple social media profiles, this web app helps keep your feed active with less effort. Content is pulled from synced sources like blogs, YouTube channels or podcasts, making it easy to maintain a strong social media presence.
Pros include consistent post-recycling, content suggestions and auto-filled schedules. The tool works across multiple platforms and supports audience engagement without constant manual input.
Key features:
Auto-filled schedules based on post categories
Post suggestions and recycling
Syncs with blogs, podcasts, and YouTube
Works across multiple social media platforms
2. Sendible
While there’s no free plan, you can access a 14-day free trial for paid plans.
Sendible delivers reliable social media management for agencies, consultants and small businesses juggling clients. This scheduling tool supports LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Google Business Profile, X (formerly Twitter) and your Instagram account, covering all the essentials without complexity.
Users can schedule posts, respond to comments, automate content from RSS feeds and collaborate through customizable dashboards. With integrations for Canva, Google Drive and Dropbox, media management for multiple social channels become seamless.
Sendible’s reporting tools help generate polished, white-label social media reports, ideal for teams needing client-ready deliverables. While some analytics tools feel basic compared to pricier platforms, Google Analytics integration helps fill the gap. The interface might seem busy at first, and AI features feel limited, but overall usability remains strong.
Pros include multi-client workflows, detailed reports, and streamlined post-scheduling. For teams focused on scalable social media, Sendible offers efficient media management and engagement tools.
Key features:
Bulk scheduling and queue automation
Custom reports and dashboards
RSS and AI caption support
Media library and design integrations
Multi-client management with white-label options
3. Hootsuite
While there’s no free plan, you can access a 30-day free trial for paid plans.
Hootsuite is one of the most comprehensive social media scheduling tools for teams with specific requirements and complex workflows. It’s perfect for brands focused on writing assignments like blog repurposing, content series and campaigns, thanks to strong AI features that help create, review and polish every story before submitting.
You’ll find robust tools to manage each account, respond in real-time and track performance across platforms. Need help during the process? Hootsuite’s support team is responsive and helpful.
From social listening to deep analytics, Hootsuite meets enterprise-level guidelines with ease. Still, the powerful dashboard may overwhelm new users, and pricing is steep compared to simpler tools.
If your focus is on high-volume publishing, detailed benchmarks or industry analysis, Hootsuite provides the answer with everything in one place.
Key features:
Advanced social listening and AI writing tools
Industry benchmark analytics
Granular team access controls
Best-in-class X (formerly Twitter) integration
Deep platform support and reporting
4. Sprout Social
While there’s no free plan, there is a 30-day free trial for new users.
Sprout Social serves businesses, enterprises and agencies needing powerful social media automation software with robust scheduling, engagement tracking and customer relationship management (CRM) tools.
Combining social media management and influencer marketing into a single platform saves time and simplifies workflows for social media managers juggling multiple strategies and trying to write posts for several social channels.
Key features include influencer marketing software that helps discover and collaborate with influencers seamlessly, alongside beautifully designed reports featuring interactive charts and graphs to visualize analytics. The AI assistant supports post creation and scheduling, boosting productivity across teams.
Ideal for big companies with substantial budgets, Sprout Social offers employee advocacy features that enable curated feeds specifically designed for workforce engagement. While pricing may exceed the budgets of small businesses or creators, this platform excels in delivering in-depth analytics and engagement insights, empowering marketing teams to optimize campaigns effectively.
Key features:
Combined social media marketing automation and influencer marketing software
Employee advocacy tools for internal communications
Interactive, aesthetic reporting with data visualization
5. SocialBee
While there’s no free plan, you can access a 14-day free trial for paid plans.
SocialBee helps marketers, agencies and small businesses manage social media more easily. It uses category-based scheduling, so you can organize posts by topic and automatically share them on a schedule that keeps your feed balanced and active.
The best part? SocialBee is excellent at evergreen content recycling. Your posts get shared again without extra work, saving you time. You can also create different versions of posts for each social platform and use AI tools to write catchy captions.
While SocialBee doesn’t include social listening or live features, it offers great value for those who want simple automation. More detailed analytics come with higher plans, making it a good fit for small teams wanting to grow without spending too much.
SocialBee is a smart choice for anyone looking to schedule posts, manage social accounts and save time with automation.
Key features:
Organize posts into categories for better planning
Automatically recycle evergreen content
Customize posts for different platforms
AI-powered caption writing
Affordable for small businesses and agencies
6. SocialPilot
While there’s no free plan, you can access a 14-day free trial for paid plans.
SocialPilot fits social media agencies that manage many clients and need smooth workflows. It lets users create separate dashboards for each client, which can be white-labeled with custom colors and logos to give clients a premium, branded experience.
Sharing for approvals happens through personalized, easy-to-use links—no client sign-ups needed. Plus, SocialPilot can automatically send branded performance reports to various clients, saving time and boosting professionalism.
The dashboard keeps client accounts clearly separated, making management simple. While offering granular team permission controls like Hootsuite, SocialPilot stays affordable and easy to use. Alongside scheduling, reporting, and a helpful AI assistant, it covers all the essential social media management features agencies expect.
Key features:
Client-specific dashboards with white-label branding
Simple, sign-up-free approval links
Automated branded social media reports
Granular team permissions and task management
A helpful AI assistant, scheduling, and reporting
Not every social media management platform fits every workflow and has all the features you need. Some offer all the bells and whistles, while others keep things simple. Here’s what to consider when picking the right one for your needs as a freelance writer:
User-friendly design: Look for tools with intuitive dashboards, especially if you’re new to media management
Free version or free trial: Test-drive the features before committing to paid plans
Unlimited scheduling: Perfect if you want to plan weeks of social media posts
Engagement features: Respond to messages, comments, and brand mentions across social media channels from one place
Content creation tools: Bonus points if the platform helps generate captions, offers pre-made templates, or supports visual content
Platform support: Need to manage a Pinterest account, your Google Business Profile, or Instagram Stories? Make sure those social media platforms are included
Browser extension or RSS feeds: Handy for curating content on the fly or sharing blog updates automatically
Reporting features: Good basic analytics or advanced social media reports help you measure growth and fine-tune your social media strategy
Choosing the right tool comes down to matching features with your goals. Whether you’re a solo creator or running a team, the right fit will make your social media management tasks faster, smoother and way less stressful.
Pro tip: If you need advice or want to connect with other freelance writers to swap social media marketing tips, check out Freelance Writers Den. It’s a great place to ask questions, share experiences and learn what’s working for others.
Finding the right social media management tool can make a huge difference in how you handle your social media presence. From simplifying the content process to improving audience engagement, the right tool with a few features helps you stay organized, save time and get better results across your social media channels.
Whether you’re focused on social listening, managing clients or growing a small brand, these social media tools offer something for every workflow. Many include helpful extras like collaboration, reporting or built-in design tools, so you’re not juggling apps just to keep things running.
Explore a few, test out those free plans and find the one that clicks. Strong social media management starts with the right platform.
This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.
When CD Projekt Red launched Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, the game was plagued by bugs and glitches. Since then, the company has provided free updates and patches to the game to make it a fun, engaging and award-winning experience. And some PlayStation Plus subscribers can now play this dystopian sci-fi roleplaying game.
Here are all the games Extra and Premium subscribers can play now. You can also check out the games all PS Plus subscribers can play in July, including Diablo 4. Note, Sony will add Abiotic Factor to the PS Plus Game Catalog on June 22.
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red
Welcome to Night City, where corporations control everything, crime is around every corner, and almost everyone has cybernetic implants called chrome. You play as a local mercenary named V, and after a heist goes bad, you have to figure out a way to survive with everyone gunning for you. And if that wasn’t enough, Keanu Reeves is in this game as a terrorist named Johnny Silverhand, because, well, he has a silver cybernetic hand.
Bluey: The Videogame
The game, based on the popular animated series, is on the PS Plus Game Catalog now. You can play as Bandit, Chili, Bingo or Bluey as you explore areas from the show, like the Heeler house, the playground and the creek. You can also play games from the show, like Keepy Uppy and Chattermax Chase. And who knows, maybe you’ll see some gray nomads while you’re playing.
Abiotic Factor
Science meets violence in this 1990s-inspired sci-fi survival game. You and up to five other players can choose your areas of expertise, build your scientist and explore a massive, top-secret underground complex filled with artifacts and supernatural horrors that could tear you limb from limb. And remember, safety, security and secrecy are of the utmost importance… usually.
PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play this game on July 22.
Other games on PS Plus now
PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play all of the games listed above, as well as the ones listed here.
Donkey Kong Bananza, a 3D platformer developed by the same team behind Super Mario Odyssey, is the second major Nintendo Switch 2 game, swinging onto the platform later this week.
In Donkey Kong Bananza, which looks absolutely bananas from early previous, you join Donkey Kong and a young Pauline on a trek to the planet’s core in order to fulfill Pauline’s wish — to go back home. On your way, you’ll meet a few friendly faces, collect huge golden bananas called Banandium Gems, and face off against a group of dangerous monkeys.
For anyone dying to get into the game and monkey around in the Switch 2’s second exclusive title, look no further! Here’s when Donkey Kong Bananza will release in your time zone.
Donkey Kong Bananza release time in your time zone
Donkey Kong Bananza will be releasing at midnight of your region’s easternmost time zone on Thursday, July 17. This can be a bit confusing for those who live in larger countries, but as soon as it hits midnight anywhere in your region, the game will become available to play — barring any hiccups.
To make things a little easier, here’s when Donkey Kong Bananza will be available in your time zone:
Now, you can technically change your account’s region to, say, New Zealand to get Donkey Kong Bananza as soon as possible, but that will come with a few drawbacks like unlinking your Nintendo Network ID and potentially being locked out of switching regions. Rather than having to deal with any issues, we’d suggest making an entirely new account in a different region if you want to go this route.
Of course, this will all only apply if you’re purchasing Donkey Kong Bananza from the eShop. If you’re getting a physical copy, you can play as soon as you’re able to get one.
Can you preload Donkey Kong Bananza?
Yes! You can preload Donkey Kong Bananza now as long as you’ve preordered it from the Nintendo eShop. You’ll need 8.6 GB of available space to download the entire game, so make sure to free up some space if you don’t have enough room.
Once it reaches midnight in your region, you can launch the game and monkey around!
When I was married, my husband and I moved around more than 14 times in 6 years. We were ALWAYS on the go. Running from job to job, state to state, city to city, house to house.
It was kinda just a way of life really. And it stunk! Just as I’d start making friends, we’d have to leave because he saw the next, new “shiny” and it was all over again. It was tough.
And nowadays, it is so much more critical than ever to have a job that you can rely on. Anything could happen out of the blue and totally unexpected.
FaceTime and the state of the world can change overnight in the blink of an unemployed eye. It’s completely vital to hold down a stable job now more than ever. But it can be scary if your husband is constantly switching jobs.
You don’t want to nag or fight about it, so what CAN you do?
Here’s a few ways you can encourage him to be more stable!
If Your Husband Is Constantly Switching Jobs, Talk To Him
The first thing you want to do before you do anything else is talk to your husband about how you feel about his constant job switching. Let him know all the reasons why you can’t get on board with this right now and flat out ask him not to go from job to job anymore.
But don’t approach him with an attitude. Ask him nicely to stay at his current job. If he must leave that job for some extenuating circumstances, ask him to find a new one to take its place before quitting this one. Because if he’s quitting a job before going to the next job it makes it that much more stressful on your finances as well as your relationship in the household.
Let him know how you feel about his job switching, but in a non-aggressive way. You will still be supportive in all he does and tell him how proud you are of him, but also relay the fact that you need him to put his family first before his own desires this time.
With that said, if your husband wants to pack up and go, as a Christian wife, you must go. It’s not SIN to ask your wife to move, and so the Lord would want you to submit to Him in this area. Of course, there are exceptions to that. If he’s putting your family in danger, for example, so use your best judgment and seek the Lord always on EVERYTHING you do. 💖
Give Him Examples Of Hard-Working Biblical Men Working
Sometimes we really need to just continue to do what we have to do even if we don’t like it. For example, I don’t like getting up at the crack of dawn. I would much rather stay in my warm bed and sleep in. But I know I have to get up and get moving and take care of my kids before they wreck the house. 😂 Plus, the house isn’t going to take care of itself and neither will this blog. Give a few examples to your husband about doing what you have to do even if you don’t want to.
Break out the Bible and let him know about a few men in the Bible who worked hard. Maybe he just needs a few good, God-fearing, hard working men to model after.
One godly man that comes to mind is the Apostle Paul. He worked so hard for God and he never forgot how he persecuted God’s people.
He knew he didn’t deserve his role in God’s plan. 💎
He was extremely grateful for God’s grace and this chance he’d been given so he worked hard to let God know it wasn’t in vain.
Paul says, “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
Another hard-working man is Joseph.
Remind him that God wants him to work and provide for his family, and he can’t do that if he’s constantly switching jobs. “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” – 1 Timothy 5:8
Help him to think of working and all of his responsibilities like this, like these men in the Bible. Remind him of the godly man he is, as a husband and father, as a worker, and as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Instead of your husband blaming each job for him quitting, maybe talking to him about his godly responsibility as a Christian man can help. 😊
Come To A Compromise or A Truce
Of course, you want him to be happy. But express your concerns about your finances and stability. Maybe you both can come to some kind of compromise. Instead of going from job to job on a whim, ask him to stay at his job for a certain number of months to give give it a true chance.
It will also give you the opportunity to save money, too, and replenish your bank account.
On top of that, break it to him gently that you won’t be enabling his job switching anymore. Because, truthfully, if you’ve been silent each time he has switched jobs in the past, it’s going to be shocker for him that you’re coming forth about it now. That’s why I say you should approach him about it nicely and non-aggressively. If he still does not want to change, continue to bring your requests about it before the Lord and submit, all the while praying your guts out about it! Remember that only GOD can truly change a heart.
Ask Him To Pray About His Life
When you see your husband bouncing from one job to the next, you got to ask if that’s God-ordained. Because we all want to do what God wants us to do. It’s our responsibility to lead a Christ-like life and obey God in all the things we do, even working.
Remind him to pray about it as well as pray with him and for him. Pray about your husband not doing anything unless God wants him to. Help your husband listen for God and discern what God wants him to do, whether that means moving from job to job or staying put. We should always be seeking God’s glory, not our own whims. And you can be an excellent example of this to him in your own life, as a pattern to him (1 Peter 3:1).
God will lead us to where we need to go. But we can’t do things for our own sake or for our own whims and desires. It must be what God wants us to do. And we only know what that is when we pray and talk to Him about it.
Seek Counseling
Your husband’s job switching could be a surface issue of a deeper underlying issue. It could be a medical issue or it could be an emotional one.
For example, your husband may have ADHD (Hyper Attention Deficit Disorder) and the act of him going from one job to the next is due to his nature.
Or perhaps your husband is deeply depressed or truly unhappy in life. He may need to see a counselor to talk to someone about finding his satisfaction in the Lord or his greed of always wanting to make more and more and more and more, because it’s obviously affecting his work, which is affecting his family’s livelihood.
Something else may be going on here that’s not exactly evil also but more uncontrollable than you think. Think about these different possibilities and then act accordingly. Sooner rather than later! Point is, be HONEST with him. Communication is SOOO key in a marriage. Without communication, there is not really much of a marriage. So keep up on communication and keep those lines open. Good and bad, we must talk through it all!
YouTube has clarified its rules about repetitious content and your favorite reaction video channel won’t be impacted. Earlier this month, the platform said it would be changing its rules for monetization in an effort to address AI-generated materials, but didn’t include many specifics, which led many to sound the alarm that reaction videos might get swept up in the new rules. The company has now provided a few tweaks and more clear delineations in its guidelines about channel monetization policies.
For starters, the rule is being renamed to the inauthentic content policy. “This type of content has always been ineligible for monetization under our existing policies, where creators are rewarded for original and authentic content,” a note appended to the states. “There is no change to our reused content policy which reviews content like commentary, clips, compilations and reaction videos.”
YouTube provided a few examples of material that it would deem to be mass-produced or overly repetitive, and thus ineligible to be monetized. Inauthentic content includes video “that exclusively features readings of other materials you did not originally create, like text from websites or news feeds” or “image slideshows or scrolling text with minimal or no narrative, commentary, or educational value.” The company also shared examples of reused content. YouTube said those beloved reaction channels, as well as videos that contain clips for analysis, review or commentary, are unaffected by the new rules. The no-nos for reused content rules might include “Content uploaded many times by other creators” or “Content downloaded or copied from another online source without any substantive modifications.”
