Got a minute? Check out our quick update on what is happening in the industry!

YouTube
YouTube has begun rolling out some changes to their navigation. The changes to this Google-owned product are consistent with other recent updates to Google products like Google My Business and Google+. The fonts, buttons, and other features on YouTube now align better with all the other Google-owned products.

Our take:

• The navigation feels more streamlined and presents a good user experience.
• One note of caution: The analytics section is a little buried in the new layout and took us a minute to find.
• Overall, the look is consistent with other Google platforms, so anyone familiar with other Google products will feel comfortable with this new look.

Google My Business
Goole has unveiled two new features for their Google My Business platform: posts and messaging. You may be thinking to yourself: posts? Aren't these like my Google+ posts? The answer is they are not. These are posts that show up with your business profile on Google. The posts are meant to be timely in order for businesses to promote current sales and offers.

The second new feature is messaging. This feature links your Google My Business page with a cell phone number so customers can basically text you.

Our take:

• The posts may seem a little redundant to all the other social media platforms, but Google is king, so showing up on Google is important. This feature gets your current offers right in front of the eyes of someone who is searching for you on Google.
• We are skeptical about the messaging service. For some businesses, this could make sense as a form of communication, but the idea of your cell phone blowing up at all hours of the day because people have direct access to you doesn't feel like something we want.
• Another note on the messaging service, the customer can't see your actual phone number (phew). It will be interesting to see if this catches on. We will be watching.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is now offering "active status" for their messaging system. It lets people know that you are available to chat. A green dot appears on your profile page when you are active. The idea is that if you are available someone who may want to talk to you will be more inclined to reach out, expecting a quick response.

Our take:

• Facebook offers this service and it can be helpful for customers or contacts who have a quick question or comment to send.
• It can also be an annoyance. If you prefer people not know when you are online, you have the option to turn this feature off (just like on Facebook).