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How content is structured in an article or blog post might not seem controversial. But, apparently, Google doesn’t want you to create bite-sized chunks of content simply to please LLMs. Called “chunking,” this technique helps get your content noticed by AI models and reflects how readers actually engage with online content. Chunking may make content more retrievable or citable in AI search, but ultimately, it improves the flow of content and makes concepts easier for people to understand. Let’s talk about how chunking works and when to use it. What is chunking? Chunking is the practice of organizing text into distinct, self-contained units of meaning. When content is chunked, information is segmented so each paragraph focuses on a single idea and contains everything the reader needs to understand the basics of that idea simply and quickly. Someone should be able to read a single paragraph and grasp the concept without having to hunt for context in the surrounding words. Does chunking help AI or people? The recent criticism from Google suggests that the practice of chunking over-optimizes content, specifically so that it will show up in AI answers. The idea that people are writing specifically for AI assumes that what’s good for AI is somehow bad for human readers. But really, chunking helps communicate ideas for both readers and search retrieval systems. When content is chunked, it doesn’t dumb down or artificially fragment ideas. It organizes information to match how people actually read online content, making articles easier to scan. Chunking also helps AI systems because they operate at the passage level rather than the page level. For example, when a system needs to identify an answer for “how to measure keyword cannibalization,” a heading that says exactly that, followed by a focused paragraph, would create a clear match. In contrast, when an answer to that same question is buried in a dense paragraph covering three other topics, that information gets diluted. The AI might see relevant keywords, but if the text meanders between ideas, it will have a lower confidence that the passage definitively answers the query. Clear structure creates clear meaning. Chunking helps both readers to scan content and AI systems to accurately identify what your content says. Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with When to chunk content When writing from scratch, integrate chunking into your process from the start. However, it may not be worth your time to edit existing content solely to chunk it. You may find that some articles already follow chunking principles, even if they weren’t explicitly planned to do so. Others may be out of date or poorly structured, requiring more substantial rewrites. If you want to chunk existing content, prioritize pieces that: Receive significant traffic but have high bounce rates or low engagement. Rank well, but aren’t being cited. Cover complex topics where readers need to find specific information quickly. Serve bottom-of-funnel audiences making decisions based on specific details. Skip chunking edits for content that: Already performs well and receives AI citations. Is scheduled for comprehensive rewrites in the near future. Covers topics where narrative flow matters more than information retrieval. If you have content that is impactful because it creates an emotional arc, chunking or breaking it down into discrete chunks could hurt the piece. If your content succeeds by carrying readers through a journey rather than letting them jump to an answer, preserve that flow. For example: Thought leadership that builds to a provocative conclusion. Opinion essays that require context before the thesis lands. Brand storytelling that uses prose rhythm. Dig deeper: Chunks, passages and micro-answer engine optimization wins in Google AI Mode Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. How to chunk content A chunk in a piece of content should be long enough to explain one thought. This often results in shorter paragraphs — the defining feature is a singular focus, not the word count. These focused paragraphs sit under clear headings. The heading tells the reader what to expect, and the chunks beneath it deliver on that expectation. Build chunking into your content outline To include chunking in your writing, the most effective approach is to integrate it from the start. Define for yourself or other writers which ideas or concepts in a given topic constitute a chunk, focusing on paragraphs and heading descriptions. If using content briefs, make it clear in your outlines that each H2 or H3 should cover one complete concept and the content under that heading should fully explain the concept. How to edit existing content into chunks Focus your efforts on high-value pages first when editing existing content. Prioritize pages that receive traffic but struggle with engagement or pages that rank well but aren’t being cited. Evaluate your heading structure: Do your H2s and H3s clearly say the information that each section contains? If not, rework the overall structure of an article first, to include the main points of the topic. Add paragraph chunks for any new subheadings. Look for paragraphs that contain multiple ideas and break them apart: Each paragraph should stand on its own as a complete thought without depending on other ideas. Edit the article to delete any extra information: Make the paragraphs concise. Focus only on relevant information for each chunk. To chunk or not to chunk? Don’t let Google convince you that chunking is a hack. Chunking makes content work better for everyone and everything — from readers scanning for specific information to AI systems matching queries to answers. Dig deeper: How to build a context-first AI search optimization strategy View the full article

The job market is tough right now: AI résumé filters, the rise of ghost jobs, and waves of industry-wide layoffs. Many workers cling tightly to their jobs in this environment, a phenomenon known as “job hugging.” But a surprising number of mid-career millennials aren’t scrambling to avoid redundancy. Instead, they admit they’d prefer an external push out the door because the alternative—voluntarily navigating a chaotic job market—feels far too risky. And experts say it’s a trend that should leave the cohort right below millennials worried. A recent survey of 2,000 Gen Z and millennial workers in the US by online education platform ELVTR found that 37% of millennials are dissatisfied with their current roles, and 55% feel unsettled in their careers. Nearly six in 10 said they hoped for an external excuse to leave a job they felt stuck in, such as being laid off. Roman Peskin, ELVTR’s CEO, calls it “career dysmorphia”: Jobs no longer deliver the stability or upward mobility that they used to. On top of that, many young people have high levels of student debt gathering interest in a world where the cost of living is still rising, making traditional milestones, like homeownership, increasingly out of reach. “We sold them a career vision which they probably aren’t going to get,” Peskin continues. “They’re more willing to afford the thought of, ‘I’m going to find something else, but I can’t really afford to pull the trigger myself’.” Having millennials secretly wishing their jobs would disappear is a warning sign to Gen Zers. They’re entering a workforce where almost every industry is being reshaped by AI and instability, and where getting hired and building a meaningful career may be far more difficult than they thought. Feeling stuck in a collapsing career pyramid Many millennials essentially feel stuck, unable to quit, but unconvinced that staying will provide the future they were promised. On social media, this malaise is being dubbed the “Great Millennial Career Crisis.” Jessi Jean, a content creator who talks about her career pivot at age 35, described it in a TikTok at the end of last year. She said millennials in particular were sold a version of success that “doesn’t exist anymore.” “We’re told, go to school, pick a responsible career, work hard . . . if you climb the ladder, you’ll definitely be rewarded,” she said. “Buy a house, get married, have the kids, and then you’re going to feel fulfilled.” But many who followed that path encountered recessions, skyrocketing student loan debt, high housing costs, and now, rapid AI advancement. “Now technology is taking out entire job markets,” Jean said. “So I think so many of us are realizing that our parents’ dream isn’t ours.” This tension suggests the career ladder itself isn’t working—with millennials watching it collapse from the inside. The end of trial and error For decades, corporate structures operated like pyramids. They found their best people through the trial and error of hiring broadly at the bottom, training and testing them, and promoting the strongest performers. That way, if you hired ten graduates, you only needed one to emerge as a future leader. But that structure is rapidly changing, with young talent facing a “jobpocalypse” once they graduate. AI is reshaping the bottom rungs of the career ladder, with companies including PwC and IBM warning that automation is shrinking entry-level corporate roles. HR software company Avature’s recent AI impact report, which surveyed 180 HR, talent acquisition, and talent technology professionals across industries worldwide, found that 76% of respondents believe AI will significantly reduce hiring, creating what it called an “entry-level squeeze.” Avature’s CEO and founder, Dimitri Boylan, tells Fast Company that many of the company’s customers, which range from Apple to Xerox, believe this pyramid “is not going to be in existence in the future.” Companies can no longer afford experimentation, so they need to be far more precise in selecting junior hires from the start, meaning more intense recruitment processes for junior roles. Even those who do get hired may find there’s less tolerance for mistakes. The old system allowed young workers to learn on the job and grow into management, but an AI-augmented workforce may offer far less patience and room to improve. “It’s a compounding problem,” Boylan says. “The generation that’s coming into the workforce right now, the 18- to 25-year-olds—this is going to have a very big impact on them.” ‘Midlife crises now arrive at 25’ Ella Robertson McKay, managing director of the NGO for young leaders One Young World, agrees that young people are facing multiple stressors in their lives and careers. But she also points to their adaptability and digital fluency as strengths. “I have no concerns about the leadership caliber amongst Gen Z,” she says. It’s just about teasing those out, and that may mean restructuring a new pipeline altogether. Boylan says it’s up to HR to understand how the architecture within their organizations is changing and move people in the right directions—though it will take some time for the best route to become clear. “They have a lot of figuring out to do,” Boylan says. “But they don’t have enough data yet to do it.” There will always be ambitious workers willing to push through uncertain times, Peskin says. Top firms will always be willing to pay for top talent. But that divide is widening, and there’s no guarantee of job security in any industry. “It’s becoming more of a law of the jungle,” Peskin says. “Midlife crises now arrive at 25, because disillusionment comes much sooner.” Millennial workers fantasizing about being laid off could be written off as burnout, but it signals more than that. It’s a bright red flag for those looking to break into their chosen industry. While millennials are secretly hoping to be pushed from a crumbling career ladder, Gen Z may discover it’s not waiting for them at all. View the full article

Lendwise filed a complaint against Priority Financial Network, claiming it falsely reported to partners that Lendwise organized an "Amended Returns Scheme." View the full article

Stock trading platform Robinhood has announced its newest offering: the Robinhood Platinum Card. The upgraded option comes two years after the company unveiled its first credit card, the Gold Card. “We built the Gold Card to be the best card for everyday spending, and customer demand showed us there was room to push the boundaries even further,” Deepak Rao, the vice president and general manager of Robinhood Money, said in the announcement. “The Platinum Card offers higher limits, elite rewards and luxury benefits, and raises the bar for what customers should expect from a premium credit card.” Although you can request access, the new Platinum Card is invite only. Even if you do get access, be aware that Robinhood’s Platinum Card will cost you $695 annually. Coastal Community Bank is the card’s issuing bank. The high fee isn’t shocking given that premium card issuers have been raising their annual fees. Take the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, which went up to $795 from $550 last year. The Amex Platinum Card, meanwhile, is $895 annually. What benefits does Robinhood’s Platinum Card have? So, for such a steep price, what does the new Robinhood card give you? Here are just some of the benefits Robinhood is offering with its Platinum Card: 5% cash back on dining 10% cash back on hotels and cars Unlimited access to over 1,800 Priority Pass lounges worldwide $500 annual hotel credit $300 annual travel credit $250 in autonomous rides credit $200 wearables credit Amazon One Medical membership Add family members for free Of course, each of those points comes with caveats written in fine print that are worth exploring. People have strong opinions on the new Platinum Card Unsurprisingly, people have a lot of thoughts about the new card. A sea of comments on Reddit threads discussing the card run the gamut. One user wrote, “The devil is in the details. On the surface, it looks good, then it turns into a coupon book that’s even worse.” “I think people are being way too hard on this card,” said another user, while comparing and contrasting some of its benefits with those offered by Amex. “Nobody is talking about the things this card has which are amazing,” the user added. “I just think it’s a different target audience.” View the full article

Picture this: It’s lunchtime in the 1960s, and you’re out with co-workers enjoying not one, not two, but three cocktails with your meal. While the three-martini lunch seems improbable today, workplaces still can be boozy places. After-work happy hours, corporate parties and client meetings at fancy bars are still expected in many areas of American corporate culture. Talking about sobriety with managers and colleagues therefore can be daunting for people in recovery from alcohol addiction. Professionals in some industries fear being judged for needing help or missing out on career advancement opportunities if social drinking is encouraged as part of a job. Treatment professionals and individuals who have navigated careers while abstaining from alcohol say such anxieties are natural but must not get in the way of uncomfortable conversations or other actions that promote a successful recovery. “If you’re sober and in recovery, nothing’s worth risking putting your sobriety at risk,” said Lisa Smith, a former lawyer who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction as she worked at a prestigious law firm in New York. Co-workers care less about what’s in your cup than you think Learning not to overexplain yourself and setting boundaries at work is key, according to Smith. “We say in recovery a lot that ‘No’ is a complete sentence,” Smith said. Times have changed since Smith joined the workforce. Younger generations with access to mocktails and non-alcoholic beer have helped normalize not drinking and enter workplaces versed in the topics of mental health and substance use disorders, she said. When she started refusing alcoholic beverages, Smith realized that most of her co-workers were not as concerned as she had imagined they would be. She also realized that there were more people around her that didn’t drink than she had previously noticed, whether for religious or other reasons. The people who did badger her to drink were often heavy drinkers themselves and “were looking for a comrade to drink with, to sort of make them feel better about their own drinking,” she said. In the early years of her recovery, she skipped events that she knew would be uncomfortable or left early, but she made sure to follow up with people she wanted to connect with over coffee the next day. Smith now has her own advisory firm where she shares her experiences with organizations and law firms, and helps them foster more recovery friendly workplaces. “We hear from younger lawyers who understand that it is not healthy and don’t like the way they feel on alcohol, just don’t choose to drink for any reason,” she said. Drinking is also widespread and often glorified in the entertainment industry, according to Ermanno DiFebo, a production designer in Los Angeles who said he struggled with alcohol addiction for many years before getting sober. The way alcohol was marketed was that “if you are good, you can handle it. If you cannot handle it, you are weak,” DiFebo said. “The treatment facilities are for people that are weak.” When he first quit, he came up with excuses for why he wasn’t drinking, like having a medical appointment the next day or having to wake up early. If he felt the environment was friendly, he would simply say, “I partied too much and now I’m not partying anymore.” Now, he encourages people to think about alcohol addiction like a food allergy – if you were allergic to gluten, you wouldn’t keep eating it. “Alcohol makes you sick and manifests itself in compulsion to continue beyond reasoning,” he said. Employers benefit from more recovery-friendly workplaces It’s also beneficial to employers to promote work cultures that are welcoming to those in recovery, said Heidi Wallace, vice president of recovery services at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. “Individuals in that recovery process that are working a program, they’re actually the most productive workforce,” Wallace said. “They’ve done so much work to get to this place, and their program actually has been sitting in a space of gratitude and a place of being of service.” There’s research that shows people actively in recovery programs are not calling out sick and are more likely to step up if management needs volunteers for a task, Wallace said. One way to facilitate that is for companies to create spaces where employees can participate in virtual recovery meetings during the workday or even host or attend a meeting on-site, Wallace said. DiFebo recalled attending on-set recovery meetings at Warner Brothers and Universal Studios while working on movies. “I realized that there were a lot of people in recovery around all the drinkers. I just didn’t see them before,” he said. Smith said she strives to show employers that it’s possible to host fun, team-building events that don’t center alcohol. “There was always this assumption people made that when planning events that alcohol equals fun, right?” Smith said. But hiking and wellness events have grown in popularity, and so have non-alcoholic beverage options. Even events like wine tastings can still happen with non-alcoholic wine options, Smith said. When throwing a party, it can be as simple as making sure that mocktail options are easily available to grab from a server bringing trays of drinks around, instead of making people have to take the extra step of ordering them separately from the bar. “It shouldn’t be incumbent upon the person who chooses not to drink on any given night to make themselves feel comfortable in that setting,” Smith said. —Jaimie Ding, Associated Press View the full article

Technical SEO is evolving from crawl hygiene to truth packaging, and this article details the next infrastructure layer. The post The Verified Source Pack Agents Trust First appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

NotebookLM is Google's more sophisticated, research-focused AI tool, built on the same underlying models as Gemini but with an interface that's less chatty and friendly. Like Gemini, it regularly gets upgrades and new features, and the latest update adds "cinematic" video summaries. One of the tasks NotebookLM is perfect for is collecting a bunch of information together in a notebook—PDFs, web links, YouTube videos—and then having it explained and summarized (it's a great study tool in that respect). You may remember that a couple of years ago it added the ability to generate realistic-sounding podcasts called Audio Overviews from your notebooks. The new Cinematic option in Video Overviews. Credit: Lifehacker Last year we got Video Overviews, but these were more like slideshows than mini movies—they basically put the contents of a notebook into something that might have been made in PowerPoint. With this new cinematic upgrade, however, you'll get video summaries that are much more animated and three-dimensional. There are some rather hefty caveats: You need to be on the top-tier, $250-per-month Google AI Ultra plan to access this new Video Overviews category; additionally, they're only available to users aged 18 and above, and only in English. The feature may trickle down to everyone eventually, but for now you need to be a relatively well-off AI enthusiast to be able to access this. It's a lot of money to spend on AI each month, but there's plenty more to Google AI Ultra, including a subscription to YouTube Premium and 30TB of Google Drive space to store all those AI-generated images and videos you'll be making. In Gemini and NotebookLM, you get higher usage rates on just about everything. To put the new cinematic overviews to the test, I created a new notebook in NotebookLM based on a single source: A paper published by Apple researchers on the "illusion of thinking" exhibited by Large Reasoning Models (LRMs), such as those that NotebookLM taps into. It's a dense, 39-page study, exactly the sort of lengthy document you might need summarizing by AI. The cinematic differenceWhile there are mobile apps available for NotebookLM, the interface is easier to manage on the web. If you're new to the tool, you can click Create new notebook to get started, then point NotebookLM towards your sources—whether it's plain text you want to paste in, or an Apple AI study you want to upload. The app can even search the web for other relevant sources. Once you've actually got some information together, the Video Overview option is in the Studio panel on the right. You can pick between a Brief overview or a more detailed Explainer style, and choose a template for your overview too. There's also space to give some pointers as to how the video should be structured. If you're a paid-up Google AI Ultra member, you also get a Cinematic option. First I requested an Explainer-style Video Overview for the Apple AI paper. It took around 15 minutes to generate, and came in at a little over six minutes long. As you can see above, it does a decent job of explaining the contents of the paper, and giving some of the reasons why LRMs get stuck on complex tasks. It's a very static slideshow, but it's well laid out, and the illustrations generally make sense, with one or two aberrations: That first Claude Sonnet graph has two extra lines that shouldn't be there. It gives you a decent understanding of the paper, but I wouldn't want to 100 percent rely on it (AI "can be inaccurate" is the disclaimer that Google puts all across Gemini and NotebookLM). The Cinematic–style Video Overview took more than 50 minutes to generate and is more than seven minutes long, and you can see it below. On the plus side, it goes into more detail, and I felt I knew more about the topic after watching it. All the charts were copied over from the paper correctly, and some of the animations were genuinely useful. However, NotebookLM clearly struggled with certain animations: When it was trying to show someone drawing on a page for example, or placing blocks on top of one another in a Tower of Hanoi puzzle. These are notable problems evident in other AI-generated videos, because these models don't really understand the real world or physics—the vast amounts of video footage they've been trained on give them a good idea about where to place pixels, but not really how objects should interact with each other. I did prefer the Cinematic Video Overview overall, though clearly the results are going to vary depending on the sources that you feed NotebookLM—outside of research papers it might get a bit more creative and interesting. The visual errors are kind of distracting, though, and ultimately the standard Video Overviews that everyone has access to work well enough without any enhancements. View the full article

Jurors in a bellwether trial about the impacts of social media on children watched a deposition of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday that explored what the architects of Facebook and Instagram knew from internal research about the negative experiences of young users and how the company responded. New Mexico’s attorney general alleges that Meta violated state consumer protection laws in failing to disclose what it knew about the dangers of addiction to social media as well as child sexual exploitation on the company’s platforms. Attorneys for Meta say the company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences — acknowledging that some bad material still gets through its safety net. In the pretrial deposition recorded last year, prosecutors confronted Zuckerberg with internal company communications and emails from platform users spanning back to the infancy of Facebook in 2008 that discuss “problematic” and addictive use of social media. “Over the past 15 years, users of your products have repeatedly told your company and you personally that they find the products to be addictive, that’s true isn’t it?” Previn Warren, a member of the prosecution team, asked Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg took issue with the word “addictive.” “I think people sometimes use that word colloquially,” he said “That’s not what we’re trying to do with the products, and it’s not how I think they work.” At the same time, Zuckerberg said he wants to “make sure that we can understand so we can improve the products and make them better for people in ways that they want.” Zuckerberg went on to concede that he initially set goals for employees to increase the amount of time teenagers spent on its platform amid efforts to expand business revenue and the number of platform users. “Yes, I think we focused on time spent as one of the major engagement goals,” Zuckerberg said. “Sometime during 2017 and beyond — for, at this point, most of the last 10 years — we’ve focused on other metrics.” The deposition also delved into Zuckerberg’s decision to lift a temporary Instagram ban on the use of cosmetic filters that changed people’s appearance in a way that seemed to promote plastic surgery. “I care a lot about not cracking down on the ways that people can express themselves and there’s, like, always been a lot of pressure to do that and censor our services,” Zuckerberg said. “I didn’t find any of the anecdotal examples that people used to be convincing that it was actually clear evidence that this was going to be harmful.” The deposition was shown during the fourth week of the civil trial. Meta, which also owns WhatsApp, prohibits children under 13 from using its platforms, but some manage to sign up anyway. On Tuesday, the New Mexico jury watched a video in which prosecutors peppered Instagram head Adam Mosseri with questions about Meta’s approach to safety, corporate profits and social media features. They also asked him about policies for young users that might contribute to unwanted communications with adults. The New Mexico case and a separate trial against Meta in Los Angeles could set the course for thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies. Zuckerberg testified last month in Los Angeles about young people’s use of Instagram and has answered questions from Congress about youth safety on Meta’s platforms. During his 2024 congressional testimony, he apologized to families whose lives had been upended by tragedies they believed were caused by social media. But while he told parents he was “sorry for everything you have all been through,” he stopped short of taking direct responsibility for it. —Morgan Lee, Associated Press View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The most-streamed TV shows in February prove that the monoculture is officially dead. Instead of one-show-fits-all, we have a lineup of series diverse enough to give you genre-whiplash. The high-stress espionage of The Night Manager, the super-hero meta-commentary of Wonder Man, the light fantasy of A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, and the gritty realism of The Pitt have little in common beyond all being excellent television shows. Here's the full list of the top 10 most-streamed shows of February 2026 across all major streaming services, as compiled by JustWatch. The Pitt The Pitt continues to dominate the streaming charts. HBO's gritty, hyper-realistic medical drama has earned acclaim from critics and audiences for its relentless pace, as it follows a single 15-hour shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Starring Noah Wyle as Dr. Michael Robinavitch, The Pitt ditches the "disease of the week" format of many medical shows in favor of a study of the toll the modern medical system places on everyone involved. Season one earned five Emmy awards, and judging from the first few episodes, season two might win more. Stream The Pitt on Max. The Pitt at Max Learn More Learn More at Max A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes fans back to Westeros, 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the series is less about world-spanning politics and more about smaller, character driven moments in the lives of humble, towering knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his diminutive, mysterious squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). It's shorter, lighter, and funnier than its forebears (but not too light—this is still Westeros, after all). Stream A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on Max. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Night Manager If you're into high-stake international espionage, you have to check out The Night Manager. It's based on John le Carre's best-selling novel and stars Tom Hiddleston as Jonathan Pine, an MI-6 agent whose mission is to infiltrate the inner circle of dangerous arms trader Richard "Dickie" Onslow Roper, played by Hugh Laurie. It's been 10 long years since the show first premiered, but both seasons of this BBC-made series are available in full as of Feb. 1, so binge it up, man. Stream The Night Manager on Prime Video. The Night Manager at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Fallout Post-apocalyptic action-comedy Fallout is like nothing that’s been on TV before. Staying true to the gritty, gruesome, and irreverent spirit of the video games upon which it is based, it follows naive former vault dweller Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) as she leaves her protected bunker to track down her father in the irradiated Wasteland. The show’s standout characters include Lucy’s duplicitous pop (Kyle MacLachlan), conflicted mech-warrior Maximus (Aaron Moten), and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), the noseless, undead remains of a pre-apocalypse Hollywood cowboy. Season one earned a staggering 17 Emmy nominations in 2024, and the just-finished season two earned even greater critical acclaim for its expansion into the iconic ruins of New Vegas. Stream Fallout on Prime Video. Fallout at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Shrinking January saw the premiere of the third season of Apple TV+'s Shrinking, a comedy/drama created by Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence, and Brett Goldstein, the team behind Ted Lasso and Scrubs. This comedy/drama series follows Jimmy Laird (Segel), a grief-stricken therapist who breaks all professional and ethical boundaries by telling his patients exactly what he thinks, while Harrison Ford, Laird's mentor, does damage control. Shrinking has been nominated for nine Primetime Emmies, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, but has yet to take a statue home. Unfair! Stream Shrinking on Apple TV+. Shrinking at Apple TV+ Learn More Learn More at Apple TV+ Wonder Man In the Marvel universe, people with superpowers are legally prohibited from appearing in Hollywood movies, but struggling actor Simon Williams really needs a job, and he doesn't understand how his powers work anyway, so he takes a job on a superhero movie called Wonder Man. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, it turns out. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as the reluctantly super-heroic main character, and Sir Ben Kingsley plays Simon's mentor, Trevor Slattery. Stream Wonder Man on Disney+. Wonder Man Learn More Learn More The Lincoln Lawyer There's something comforting about this old-school legal procedural. Based on the best-selling novels by Michael Connelly, the series follows Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an idealistic LA attorney who runs a law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car. Slick, fast-paced, and anchored by a charismatic lead actor, The Lincoln Lawyer makes even the most dense legal jargon feel like a thrill ride. Stream The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. The Lincoln Lawyer at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix Schitt's Creek Despite having been off the air for more than six years, beloved series Schitt's Creek is on the top 10 charts, proving that quality pays. Created by the father-son team Eugene and Dan Levy, Schitt's Creek is a riches-to-rags comedy that follows the Rose family, who lost a massive fortune and must live together in a rundown motel in a town the family once bought as a joke. Stream Schitt's Creek on Hulu and Max. Schitt's Creek at Hulu Learn More Learn More at Hulu Paradise The "Paradise" of the show's title is a high-end, experimental community inside an underground Colorado bunker. The surface may be an irradiated hellscape, but in Paradise, everything seems perfect, until an outsider enters. Sterling K. Brown plays a Xavier Collins, a secret service agent investigating the murder of the U.S. President in Paradise. Stream Paradise on Hulu. Paradise at Hulu Learn More Learn More at Hulu How to Get to Heaven From Belfast Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee is behind this biting comedic thriller about a trio of lifelong friends who reunite after a tragic death. A somber wake in a Northern Ireland hometown soon spirals into a high-stakes thriller as these three unlikely heroes uncover a global mystery that might prove deadly. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast is an ode to Irish culture, female friendship, and Hitchcock-style suspense. Stream How to Get to Heaven From Belfast on Netflix. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix View the full article

You’ve probably heard developers talk about the DOM. Maybe you’ve even inspected it in DevTools or seen it referenced in Google Search Console. But what, exactly, is it? And why should SEOs care? Let’s take a look at what it is, why it’s important, and how to best optimize it. What is the DOM? The Document Object Model (DOM) is a browser’s live, in-memory representation of your webpage. It acts as the interface that allows programs like JavaScript to interact with your content. The DOM is organized as a hierarchical tree, similar to a family tree: The document: This is the root of the tree. Elements: HTML tags like <body>, <p>, and <a> become branches (or “nodes”). Relationships: Elements have parents, children, and siblings. This hierarchy is critical because it allows the browser (and search engines) to understand the relationship between different parts of your content. For example, proper hierarchical order lets your browser understand that a specific paragraph belongs to a specific heading. How to inspect the DOM The DOM itself is actually a JavaScript object structure stored in memory, but browsers show it to you as markup that looks very much like HTML. You can see this HTML representation of the DOM by right-clicking on a page and selecting Inspect > Elements. This is called the Elements panel. I’ve outlined it in the red box below: In the Elements panel inside DevTools, you can: Expand and collapse nodes to explore the structure. Search for specific elements using Ctrl+F on a PC or Cmd+F on Mac within the Elements panel. See which elements have been added or modified by JavaScript (they often flash briefly when changed). Note that DevTools doesn’t necessarily show you what Googlebot sees. I’ll circle back to what that means later in this article. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with How the DOM is constructed To understand why the DOM often looks different from your HTML file, you first need to understand how the browser creates it. That begins with your browser building the DOM tree. Building the DOM tree When your browser requests a page, the server sends back an HTML file. The browser reads this response line by line and translates it into “tokens” (tags like <html>, <body>, <div>). These tokens are then converted into distinct “nodes,” which serve as the building blocks of the page. The browser links these nodes together in a parent-child hierarchy to form the tree structure. You can visualize the process like this: It’s important to know that the browser simultaneously creates a tree-like structure for CSS, known as the CSS Object Model (CSSOM), which allows JavaScript to read and modify CSS dynamically. However, for SEO, the CSSOM matters far less than the DOM. JavaScript execution JavaScript often executes while the tree is still being built. If the browser encounters a <script> tag (without defer or async attributes, which allow for the script to load asynchronously), it pauses construction, runs the script, and then finishes building the tree. During this execution, scripts can modify the DOM by injecting new content, removing nodes, or changing links. This is why the HTML you see in View Source often looks different from what you see in the Elements panel. Here’s an example of what I mean. Each time I click the button below, it adds a new paragraph element to the DOM, updating what the user sees. Your HTML is the starting point, a blueprint, if you will, but the DOM is what the browser builds from that blueprint. Once the DOM is created, it can change dynamically without ever touching the underlying HTML file. Dig deeper: JavaScript SEO: How to make dynamic content crawlable Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Why the DOM matters for SEO Modern search engines, such as Google, render pages using a headless browser (Chromium). This means that they evaluate the DOM rather than just the HTML response. When Googlebot crawls a page, it first parses the HTML, then uses the Web Rendering Service to execute JavaScript and take a DOM snapshot for indexing. The process looks like this: However, there are important limitations to understand and keep in mind for your website: Googlebot doesn’t interact like a human. While it builds the DOM, it doesn’t click, type, or trigger hover events, so content that appears only after user interaction may not be seen. Other crawlers may not render JavaScript at all. Unlike Google, some search engines and AI crawlers only process the initial HTML response, making JavaScript-dependent content invisible. Looking ahead to a world that’s becoming more AI-dependent, AI agents will increasingly need to interact with websites to complete tasks for users, not just crawl for indexing. These agents will need to navigate your DOM, click elements, fill forms, and extract information to complete their tasks, making a well-structured, accessible DOM even more critical than ever. Verifying what Google actually sees The URL inspection tool in Google Search Console shows how Google renders your page’s DOM, also known in SEO terms as the “rendered HTML,” and highlights any issues Googlebot might have encountered. This tool is crucial because it reveals the version of the page Google indexes, not just what your browser renders. If Google can’t see it, it can’t index it, which could impact your SEO efforts. In GSC, you can access this by clicking URL inspection, entering a URL, and selecting View Crawled Page. The panel below, marked in red, displays Googlebot’s version of the rendered HTML. If you don’t have access to the property, you can also use Google’s Rich Results Test, which lets you do the same thing for any webpage. Dig deeper: Google Search Console URL Inspection tool: 7 practical SEO use cases Shadow DOM: An advanced consideration The shadow DOM is a web standard that allows developers to encapsulate parts of the DOM. Think of it as a separate, isolated DOM tree attached to an element, hidden from the main DOM. The shadow tree starts with a shadow root, and elements attach to it the same way they do in the light (normal) DOM. It looks like this: Why does this exist? It’s primarily used to keep styles, scripts, and markup self-contained. Styles defined here cannot bleed out to the rest of the page, and vice versa. For example, a chat widget or feedback form might use shadow DOM to ensure its appearance isn’t affected by the host site’s styles. I’ve added a shadow DOM to our sample page below to show what it looks like in practice. There’s a new div in the HTML file, and JavaScript then adds a div with text inside it. When rendering pages, Googlebot flattens both shadow DOM and light DOM and treats shadow DOM the same as other DOM content once rendered. As you can see below, I put this page’s URL into Google’s Rich Results Test to view the rendered HTML, and you can see the paragraph text is visible. Technical best practices for DOM optimization Follow these practices to ensure search engines can crawl, render, and index your content effectively. Load important content in the DOM by default Your most important content must be in the DOM and appear without user interaction. This is imperative for proper indexing. Remember, Googlebot renders the initial state of your page but doesn’t click, type, or hover on elements. Content that is added to the DOM only after these interactions may not be visible to crawlers. One caveat is that accordions and tabs are fine as long as the content already exists in the DOM. As you can see in the screenshot below, the paragraph text is visible in the Elements panel even when the accordion tab has not been opened or clicked. Use proper <a> tags for links As we all know, links are fundamental to SEO. Search engines look for standard <a> tags with href attributes to discover new URLs. To ensure they discover your links, ensure the DOM shows real links. Otherwise, you risk crawl dead ends. You should also avoid using JavaScript click handlers (e.g., <button onclick="...">) for navigation, as crawlers generally won’t execute them. Like this: Use semantic HTML structure Use heading tags (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) in logical hierarchy and wrap content in semantic elements like <article>, <section>, and <nav> that correctly describe the site’s content. Search engines use this structure to understand pages. A common issue with page builders is making DOMs full of nested <div> elements without semantic meaning. This does little to help search engines understand your page and sets up problems for you or future devs trying to maintain the code on your site. Ensure to maintain the same semantic standards you’d follow in static HTML. Here’s a snippet of semantic HTML as an example: <!-- Semantic HTML --> <nav> <ul> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/about">About</a></li> </ul> </nav> Here’s an example of “div soup” HTML that’s non-semantic and harder for search engines and assistive technologies to understand. <!-- Non-Semantic HTML --> <div class="nav"> <div class="nav-list"> <div class="nav-item"><a href="/">Home</a></div> <div class="nav-item"><a href="/about">About</a></div> </div> </div> Optimize DOM size to improve performance Keep the DOM lean, ideally under ~ 1,500 nodes, and avoid excessive nesting. Remove unnecessary wrapper elements to reduce style recalculation, layout, and paint costs. Here’s an example from web.dev of excessive nesting and an unnecessarily deep DOM: <div> <div> <div> <div> <!-- Contents --> </div> </div> </div> </div> While DOM size is not a Core Web Vital itself, excessive and deeply nested DOMs can indirectly impact performance, especially on lower-end devices. To mitigate these impacts: Limit layout-affecting DOM changes after initial render to reduce Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Render critical above-the-fold content early to improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP). Minimize JavaScript execution and long tasks to improve Interaction to Next Paint (INP). See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with The DOM’s importance will only continue growing A workable understanding of the DOM can help you not only diagnose SEO issues, but also effectively communicate with developers and others on your team. We know that the DOM impacts Core Web Vitals, crawlability, and indexing. As AI agents increasingly interact with websites, DOM optimization becomes more critical. It’s important to master these fundamentals now to stay ahead of evolving search and AI technologies. View the full article

Late last month, frozen food manufacturer Ajinomoto Foods North America announced a recall of roughly 3 million pounds of not-ready-to-eat products after customers reported finding glass in rice. In the U.S., many of the recalled products were sold at Trader Joe’s locations. Now that the recall has been dramatically expanded, with new products being pulled from the shelves. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? On March 3, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) posted a recall notice announcing that Ajinomoto Foods North America was expanding its earlier recall to include an additional 33 million pounds of various ready-to-eat and not-ready-to-eat products. The FSIS says those products include “chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling” items. According to the FSIS, the issue was discovered after the company received numerous consumer complaints about finding glass inside the products. After an investigation, it was found that the carrots used in the products were the likely source of the glass fragments. Where were the latest recalled products sold? The FSIS’s recall notice does not explicitly state which stores sold the numerous recalled products. However, both Trader Joe’s and Kroger have listed the recall on their recall pages. Kroger’s recall notice says the recalled products were sold in numerous states at Kroger locations, and also at the company’s Dillons, Baker’s, Gerbes, King Soopers, City Market, Fry’s, Ralphs, Food4Less, FoodsCo, and Smith’s stores. It is unknown if additional retail outlets sold the recalled products. Given that, it’s prudent to thoroughly examine the full list of recall products to determine if you have any of them, regardless of where you shop. Some Ajinomoto items were also exported to Mexico and Canada. What products are included in the expanded recall? Given that an additional 33 million pounds of products are included in the latest recall round, it’s little surprise that the list of impacted products is a long one, with variations in Lot numbers, USDA Establishment codes, and production and expiration dates. According to the FSIS notice, the recalled ready-to-eat (RTE) and not-ready-to-eat (NRTE) chicken and pork fried rice, ramen, and shu mai dumpling products were sold under the brand names Ajinomoto, Kroger, Ling Ling, Tai Pei, and Trader Joe’s. In total, 16 products produced between October 21, 2024, and February 26, 2026 are included in this recall expansion. At Trader Joe’s, that includes the following of the company’s products: Chicken Fried Rice – Best By Dates 03/04/2026 through 02/10/2027 Vegetable Fried Rice – Best By Dates 02/28/2026 through 11/19/2026 Japanese Style Fried Rice – Best By Dates 02/28/2026 through 11/14/2026 Chicken Shu Mai – Best By Dates 03/13/2026 through 10/23/2026 At Kroger, that includes: Kroger Chicken Fried Rice, UPC 11110-04161, All Codes Purchased between 3/10/2025 and 3/4/2026, Size 22 oz. Kroger Vegetable Fried Rice, UPC 11110-04162, All Codes Purchased between 3/10/2025 and 3/4/2026, 22 oz. However, consumers are advised to check out the full list of recalled products provided by the FSIS in this recall round. The FSIS has also published photos of product labels for items included in the recall. Has anyone been injured by the recalled products? As of the time of FSIS’s posting, the agency said there have been no reports of injuries from consumption of the recalled products. What should I do if I have the recalled products? Check your fridge and freezer to see if you have the recalled products. If you do, the FSIS warns not to consume them. Instead, you should throw them away or return them to their place of purchase. Consumers are advised to read the FSIS recall notice in full here. View the full article

In terms of loyalty programs, some stand out for their ability to maximize rewards effectively. Adidas’ AdiClub, for example, offers 10 points for every dollar spent, attracting millions of members. Similarly, Starbucks Rewards has nearly 34.3 million active users who greatly contribute to sales. Each program provides unique benefits and experiences customized to their audiences. Comprehending these programs can help you choose the best options for maximizing your rewards. What if you could leverage these insights for greater gains? Key Takeaways Adidas AdiClub offers 10 points for every dollar spent, leading to increased purchasing frequency and notable revenue growth for active members. Rapha Cycling Club provides exclusive access to events, early gear access, and organized rides, enhancing member engagement for cycling enthusiasts. Starbucks Rewards features a points system where members earn stars for purchases, with personalized offers and exclusive games to boost engagement. The North Face XPLR Pass emphasizes experiential rewards, offering early access to collections and free shipping while promoting environmental sustainability. Lululemon Membership combines fitness and shopping, granting early access to product drops and exclusive studio classes, appealing to fitness-focused customers. Adidas: AdiClub Adidas has developed the AdiClub, a free loyalty program designed to reward customers for their purchases. By joining, you earn 10 points for every dollar spent, allowing you to accumulate good rewards over time. The program features four membership levels, each offering escalating benefits such as free shipping at Level 1 and premium access to events at Level 4. With over 240 million members, AdiClub participants purchase 50% more frequently than non-members and demonstrate double the lifetime value. This good rewards loyalty program greatly improves Adidas’ direct-to-consumer strategy, leading to an impressive annual revenue increase of 15-25% from active members. Furthermore, you have opportunities to win signed products and exclusive experiences, nurturing greater engagement within the Adidas community. Rapha: Rapha Cycling Club If you’re passionate about cycling and looking for a community that shares your interests, the Rapha Cycling Club (RCC) might be the perfect fit for you. This subscription-based loyalty program boasts over 23,000 members who participate in organized rides from various Clubhouse locations. By joining the RCC, you gain exclusive access to events and riding trips, cultivating connections with fellow cycling enthusiasts both locally and globally. Members enjoy perks such as early access to special edition gear, discounted club kits, and reduced prices on coffee and bike hire. The RCC additionally utilizes the Queue-it system, which guarantees priority access during high-demand product launches. With over 1,000 group rides organized monthly, the RCC emphasizes social interaction through its app, enhancing member engagement and experience. Overall, the RCC offers an all-encompassing approach to enjoying cycling as it builds a strong community. Starbucks: Starbucks Rewards Starbucks Rewards offers a straightforward way for coffee lovers to earn benefits during their enjoyment of their favorite beverages. With this points-based loyalty program, you earn stars for every dollar spent. Accumulate 150 stars, and you can redeem them for a free drink or food item. As of early 2024, the program has nearly 34.3 million active users, accounting for 41% of U.S. sales at Starbucks locations. Besides earning stars, members can engage in promotional activities, revealing personalized offers and exclusive games. The tiered structure rewards higher-tier members with additional benefits, encouraging increased spending. Here’s a quick look at the program’s features: Benefit Stars Required Description Free Drink/Food 150 Redeem for any drink or food item Personalized Offers Varies Reveal offers customized just for you Exclusive Games N/A Participate in member-only activities Tier Benefits Varies Enjoy additional perks at higher tiers The North Face: XPLR Pass The North Face‘s XPLR Pass is designed for outdoor enthusiasts who value both rewards and experiences. This free-to-join loyalty program allows you to earn 1 point for every dollar spent, with 100 points translating into a $10 voucher. As a member, you enjoy perks like early access to limited-edition collections, free shipping, and invitations to exclusive events, such as group hikes. The program emphasizes experiential rewards and environmental sustainability, aligning closely with The North Face’s brand values. This focus has driven a significant increase in interest, as indicated by a 54% rise in traffic to the XPLR Pass landing page year-over-year. Furthermore, in 2021, the mobile app for XPLR Pass averaged 10,000 downloads each month, reflecting the growing digital presence and user base of the program. Lululemon: Lululemon Membership What makes Lululemon Membership a compelling choice for both fitness enthusiasts and casual shoppers? This program offers unique benefits that cater to diverse interests while promoting a strong community connection. Here are four key features of Lululemon Membership: Tiered Rewards: Enjoy loyalty rewards customized for both general customers and fitness professionals, focusing on experiential benefits. Early Access: Gain exclusive early access to product drops, ensuring you’re among the first to snag new items. Fitness Engagement: Participate in select lululemon Studio Classes, blending shopping with fitness activities. Exclusive Services: Benefit from membership events and free hemming services, enhancing your shopping experience and reinforcing luxury. Since its launch, the program has attracted 9 million sign-ups in just five months, with over 30% of members using at least one benefit. This showcases its effectiveness in building a loyal community. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Most Successful Rewards Program? The most successful rewards program depends on various factors, including user engagement and sales impact. For instance, Starbucks Rewards has over 34 million active members, driving significant sales through its points system. Adidas’ AdiClub boasts 240 million members who shop more frequently, enhancing revenue. Similarly, The North Face’s XPLR Pass and Lululemon’s program demonstrate strong engagement through exclusive experiences and community connections, highlighting differing strategies that can lead to success in loyalty programs. What Is the World’s Most Generous Rewards Program? The world’s most generous rewards program is often considered to be the Starbucks Rewards program. You earn 2 stars for every dollar spent, which can be redeemed for free food and drinks. With nearly 30 million members, this program accounts for 53% of store sales, highlighting its popularity. Moreover, the American Express Membership Rewards program and others like Hilton Honors likewise provide significant benefits, but Starbucks remains a standout regarding immediate rewards. What Are the 3 R’s of Loyalty? The three R’s of loyalty are Reward, Recognition, and Relationship. Reward involves providing incentives like points or discounts, enhancing customer value. Recognition acknowledges loyalty through tiered benefits, encouraging customers to engage more deeply. Relationship focuses on building connections through personalized experiences and community engagement, nurturing emotional ties. Together, these elements drive customer retention and satisfaction, ultimately resulting in increased sales and brand loyalty for businesses that effectively implement them. What Store Has the Best Rewards Program? When considering which store has the best rewards program, it’s crucial to evaluate several options. Adidas AdiClub offers 10 points per dollar spent, greatly increasing purchase frequency. Starbucks Rewards allows members to earn stars for free drinks, whereas The North Face’s XPLR Pass provides exclusive access to collections and events. Lululemon focuses on experiential benefits, and Foot Locker’s revamped FLX Rewards emphasizes transparency and cash conversion. Each program has unique attributes that cater to different consumer preferences. Conclusion In conclusion, these five loyalty programs—AdiClub, Rapha Cycling Club, Starbucks Rewards, XPLR Pass, and Lululemon Membership—demonstrate effective strategies for maximizing rewards. Each program offers unique benefits customized to their target audiences, enhancing customer engagement and retention. By comprehending the features and advantages of these programs, you can make informed decisions on which ones to join, eventually maximizing your rewards and enhancing your overall experience with these brands. Consider exploring these options to benefit from their offerings. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "5 Good Loyalty Programs for Maximum Rewards" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Clara Soteras joins Shelley Walsh to explain how publishers and brands can use Google Discover strategically, and why relying on it alone is risky. The post Why Google Discover Is No Longer Just For Publishers appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

AI is reshaping how people discover and buy products. Our survey of 1,000+ U.S. shoppers reveals how AI influences research, brand discovery, and purchases. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. A basic TV can only do so much with its built-in speakers. Thin cabinets leave little room for proper drivers, so dialogue sounds flat, and action scenes lose their impact. A soundbar is the usual fix, and this Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus with subwoofer and surround speaker bundle tries to solve that problem without creeping into the price range of premium home-theater gear. Right now, the open-box bundle is $219.95 on Woot, while the same configuration is listed for $414.99 on Amazon, making the discount significant. The deal also includes free standard shipping for Prime members, while others pay $6. That said, shipping is not available to Alaska, Hawaii, APO addresses, or PO Boxes, which is typical for many Woot listings. Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus Bundle Amazon Fire TV 5.1-Channel Soundbar Plus with Subwoofer and Surround Sound Speakers $219.95 at Woot $489.99 Save $270.04 Get Deal Get Deal $219.95 at Woot $489.99 Save $270.04 This package is the larger configuration of Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus line, adding a wireless subwoofer and rear satellite speakers to create a 5.1-channel setup. The soundbar sits under the TV and handles the front channels, while the wireless subwoofer takes over the low end, and the two satellites provide surround effects behind the viewer. The system supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and lossless Dolby TrueHD, which means it can handle most modern streaming audio formats. On the downside, there are no dedicated upward-firing drivers for Atmos, so height effects rely on virtualization instead of physical speakers bouncing sound off the ceiling. Still, it creates a wider, fuller sound than a typical budget bar would. The trade-offs are mostly about simplicity: The build uses lightweight plastics, and the system does not come with a companion app or advanced tuning tools. There is also no room-correction feature, so the sound will depend on how your room is arranged. Latency stays manageable for movies and streaming shows because most TVs include audio-video sync adjustments, but some setups may show a slight delay when gaming. Integration is much smoother if you already use a Fire TV device, since HDMI control and settings work more cleanly together. For someone looking for a plug-and-play surround setup that covers the basics, this bundle delivers a lot of channels for the price. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $119.00 (List Price $179.00) Samsung Galaxy S26, Unlocked Android Smartphone + $100 Gift Card, 512GB, Powerful Processor, Galaxy AI, Immersive Viewing, Durable Battery, 2026, Black — $899.99 (List Price $1,199.99) Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 AI Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds + $20 Amazon Gift Card — $179.99 (List Price $199.99) Google Pixel 10a 128GB 6.3" Unlocked Smartphone + $100 Gift Card — $499.00 (List Price $599.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $329.00 (List Price $349.00) Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant — $329.00 (List Price $429.00) Amazon Fire TV Soundbar — $99.99 (List Price $119.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the company that powers the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and other capital markets, has struck a strategic partnership with crypto platform OKX. The partnership will allow ICE to license OKX spot crypto prices and launch U.S.-regulated crypto futures contracts, and also allow OKX to begin distribution of those futures, in addition to tokenized equities. In all, it means that crypto-native users on the OKX platform will have access to the U.S.-based financial markets through tokenized equities. Additionally, ICE is also making an undisclosed minority investment in OKX, reflecting a valuation of $25 billion, OKX said on Thursday. “American stocks should be accessible” Haider Rafique, global managing partner at OKX, says the partnership will serve as a way for international investors to access U.S. equity markets. “People around the world are trying to access the U.S. market, but they’re often unable to—there’s a lot of hoops to jump through,” he says. “The most exciting thing is that this partnership allows us and ICE to bring twenty-four-seven, tokenized securities—all the equities on the New York Stock Exchange—onto the OKX app. American stocks should be accessible to people around the globe.” Not only that, but since OKX is a crypto platform with no set trading hours, Rafique says that means investors can make changes to their portfolios on the fly, any time, day or night. And it’s all happening under the eyes of U.S. regulators. “This is a clear signal,” Rafique says. “OKX is showing the world where it’s placing its bet. We’re going to the toughest markets in the world, from a regulation standpoint.” ICE’s investment and partnership are the latest example of financial services companies embracing tokenized assets. Last year, stock trading platform Robinhood began allowing European investors to access tokenized versions of shares in privately held companies such as OpenAI and SpaceX. (OpenAI later cautioned that it had not publicly endorsed the move.) For pro-crypto investors, it’s also potentially a much-needed positive sign, as major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin have declined in value this year after the boost they received in the wake of President The President’s early second term. Crypto saw a boost over the past weekend with the launch of attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel, and on Wednesday, crypto assets rose further after The President sounded off about crypto regulation—a bullish signal for the markets. View the full article

In January, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, announced that it would use its chatbot to develop an AI tutoring system for more than a million students in El Salvador. The announcement came on the heels of similar ones from OpenAI, which is connecting students in Kazakhstan with its ChatGPT Edu services, and from Microsoft, which is similarly equipping students and teachers in the United Arab Emirates with AI-based tools and training. While other countries are executing on national infrastructure projects for the AI era and treating it as an economic imperative, here in the United States, we can’t seem to move past a narrative of how AI makes it easier for students to cheat. Where is the enthusiasm for how AI and other emerging technologies can support our education system? Where are the creative partnerships, the research and development teams, the initiatives to get educators up to speed? Risks are inherent with any major shift in how we learn, work, and live, but it seems that in the K-12 setting that we’re focused on the wrong ones. SHANGHAI’S APPROACH I recently spent time in Shanghai, with an international learning community of high-ranking school system and city officials who collaborate to identify common, high-priority problems, research best practices, and then develop effective, practical solutions that can be adapted to varying cultural and political contexts. On this particular trip, our goal was to learn about AI policy, practice, and pedagogy in China and bring it back to the U.S. What I quickly realized is that what we’re calling “AI in education” bears almost no resemblance to how it’s being implemented in Shanghai. There, it’s not merely the adoption of technology in classrooms; it’s a philosophical and systemic adoption. While we treat AI education as another curriculum topic or tool adoption challenge, they view it as critical national infrastructure, akin to their high-speed rail system. We aren’t facing a simple gap in implementation; this is a chasm in strategic thinking. What makes Shanghai’s approach so powerful isn’t the technology itself, but how it’s woven into the educational fabric. They’ve moved beyond “AI literacy” to “AI infusion,” where artificial intelligence becomes the underlying operating system for the entire educational experience. AN AI ASSISTANT FOR THE TEACHER Every teacher has an AI assistant—not as a nice-to-have, but as a standard issue. These assistants handle lesson planning, grading, analytics, and professional development. The goal isn’t replacement but amplification, freeing teachers to focus on mentorship, creativity, and human connection. Moreover, every student has a digital portrait—a comprehensive profile based on continuous, multi-dimensional data collection that adapts in real time. This isn’t surveillance for control, it’s diagnostics for growth and personalizing their learning journey. Educators receive tailored and specific feedback on teaching patterns, courses are reengineered to emphasize relationships between concepts to help students build system understanding rather than memorizing facts, and every school is part of a virtual ecosystem that extends beyond classroom walls. As we traveled north at 340 km per hour on the fast train out of Shanghai, I pondered not just our failed rail infrastructure, where anemic Acela trains are the best-in-class offering, but also our lackluster vision and leadership in AI for education. Too many of us still can’t imagine what AI can do to elevate pedagogy by fostering greater wonder and creativity, or enrich curriculum. Or even finally help us implement personalized learning that’s aligned to learner variability. AI can help us move productive struggle to a higher level, but not if we’re fixated on how students can use it to cheat their way through a term paper. Perhaps most instructive of all was our visit to the East China Normal University, where education psychologists and computer scientists at the Shanghai Institute of AI in Education have established an end-to-end development pipeline—from engineering to model testing to model evaluation—showcasing the power of a true R&D higher education institution. This isn’t simply an academic think tank; it’s one of the many R&D divisions driving the entire system and engineering tangible products at scale. They solve specific, high-value problems: AI math tutors that diagnose handwritten work and identify exact logic failures; essay systems providing nuanced feedback on ancient Chinese poetry; psychological counseling bots using cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. INDUSTRY AI USE VERSUS EDUCATION USE From breakthroughs in clean energy to space exploration to cutting-edge biomedical innovation, researchers and developers in the U.S. are leveraging AI to radically push the limits in other industries. Yet there is a vacuum that needs to be filled when it comes to AI in the K-12 setting. A telling moment came when a student explained why she saw AI as “more like a student than a teacher,” because she and her classmates had to teach it how to understand their assignments better. This spoke to something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately—how we aren’t necessarily in the era of artificial intelligence, but the era of human intelligence. Our students are ready for this partnership. Our systems are the bottleneck. If we want to bring what feels like a haphazard approach to AI in education into a coherent whole, we must build coordinated leadership across all levels—activating governors and state leaders while creating nested state district implementation pairs that ensure alignment between policy and practice. Only a multi-level approach, connecting governors, state agencies, districts, and national partners, will create the alignment needed to build our educational infrastructure rather than continuing with disconnected pilot projects. We have the innovation capacity. We have the technical expertise. The question isn’t whether we can catch up technologically, but whether we can develop the political will and strategic coherence to build an American version of this future—one that reflects our values of local control, individual liberty, and democratic participation. Jean-Claude Brizard is president and CEO of Digital Promise. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Runners often swear by the 80/20 rule for organizing their training—but there's no relation to the Pareto principle of the same name. Let’s talk about where the 80/20 idea comes from, how to implement it, and when it is and isn’t a good idea to train this way. What is the 80/20 rule for running? Briefly, it’s the idea that 80% of your running should be low intensity, and only 20% at medium or high intensity. Recreational runners (like you and me) often run closer to a 50/50 split. The 80/20 rule suggests that we should take some of those faster runs and slow them the heck down to reach a better training balance. The 80/20 rule was popularized in a 2014 book, 80/20 Running, by Matt Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, in turn, based his recommendations off research by Stephen Seiler, who found that elite athletes in a variety of endurance sports, including running, cycling, and cross-country skiing, did about 80% of their training sessions at intensities much lower than they would ever use in racing. In other words: To train your body to go fast, you have to log a lot of miles going slow. This is similar to the idea of “polarized training,” which means that you stick to the extremes—either working very easy, or very hard, rather than spending much time in the in-between. 80/20 Running Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Illustrated 2015 Paperback 26 Nov $19.00 at Amazon $27.85 Save $8.85 Get Deal Get Deal $19.00 at Amazon $27.85 Save $8.85 Note that 80/20 here only refers to how you split up your training: 80% easy versus 20% hard. This is not the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your…whatever. (80% of sales coming from 20% of customers, 80% of your needs met by 20% of the stuff you own, etc.) In running, there is only really one result—your race time—so the question is just how to split up your training time. 80% easy and 20% hard is the balance that, Fitzgerald and Seidler would argue, will get you the best race times. What counts as low-intensity running?If you’ve been paying attention to the “zone 2” trend, you’re probably thinking you should be in zone 2 (arguably 60-70% of your max heart rate) for 80% of your training. And you know what? That will get you close enough. Go with it. But the definitions more often used in the scientific research aren’t based on heart rate alone. Some of them use metrics we can’t easily measure on our own—go ahead, try to keep your blood lactate below 2 millimoles per liter. What’s more useful—and still borne out by research—is to use VT1, the “first ventilatory threshold.” That’s a fancy word for what old heads will know as the “talk test.” If you can carry on a conversation without taking extra breaths mid-sentence, you’re below VT1. That’s what 80% of your training should feel like. I know that’s not enough information for the more data-minded among you, so I’ll note that Fitzgerald reported in his book that this level is often found around 77% to 79% of elites’ max heart rate. The exact number might vary from person to person, and heart rate numbers are never totally objective, since they can be affected by heat and stress among other things. But as a gut check, 77% of my own known, tested max puts me around 153, which matches shockingly well to what I consider my easy pace—I try to stay in the low 150s for my easy runs. Taking this information together, it turns out we can go a bit higher than “zone 2” and still be at the right intensity for the 80% part of our 80/20 running—as long as it truly feels easy. If you’d like, you could customize your zones on your running watch so that you have a zone that tops out at 77% or so. (It might even make more sense for that to be zone 3 rather than zone 2.) Or if you want to round this number to get an easy-to-remember rule of thumb, you can keep 80% of your running below 80% of your (true) max heart rate and you'll be right on track. How to train with the 80/20 ruleBefore we can divvy up our training, we need to decide how we’re measuring our training. Are we aiming for easy runs to be 80% of our training sessions? 80% of our miles? 80% of our total training time? Fitzgerald, in his book, counted up minutes in easy, moderate, and hard intensity levels. But if you’re doing an interval run, he counted the intervals and the recovery between them as part of your harder intensity work. (A cooldown after those intervals would count as low intensity, though.) So you can do the same. It would also get you in the right ballpark to think in terms of miles or sessions. If you do one hard run for every four easy runs, you’re still doing 80/20 (as long as those runs are roughly similar in mileage). How important is it to stick to the 80/20 rule? Even though it’s called a “rule,” this isn’t a thing you have to follow. It’s just one way of training that matches what a lot of elite athletes do. There has also been research showing that recreational runners can benefit—but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to train. Seidler, the researcher, even told Fitzgerald, the author, that if he could only train twice a week, he’d do a mix of harder and easier work in both sessions. Research on competitive recreational runners found that a 77/23 split and a 46/54 split both resulted in small improvements to 10K time, and the difference between groups was not statistically significant. That said, these folks had 10K times (that’s a 6.2-mile race) under 40 minutes to start, so they were pretty fast to start with, compared to a lot of beginner runners. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of other research showing that casual runners can improve with almost any type of training, and that increasing your total mileage (measured in miles per week) is helpful for improving your fitness and your race times. The bottom lineIf you’re a runner with lots of room for improvement—which covers many of us beginner, intermediate, and casual runners—you don’t necessarily have to slow down 80% of your runs to a crawl. You can use any conversational pace that works for you, even if your watch says that’s zone 3. And since increasing mileage is usually part of improving as a runner, it may make more sense to think about adding easy miles, rather than turning your hard miles into easy ones. View the full article

There’s a growing problem in SEO and content marketing that doesn’t get talked about enough: everything is starting to sound the same. The same phrasing and structure, the same bland tone, the same safe language, the same robotic rhythm. The web is filling up with perfectly optimized content that no one actually enjoys reading. And that’s the real risk. Not that AI will replace SEOs, Google will penalize AI content, or automation will destroy search. The real danger is that brands lose their voice, their personality, and their identity in the name of efficiency. AI should make your SEO better, not blander. Faster, not flatter. Scalable, not soulless. Here’s how to use AI without turning your brand into beige wallpaper — and without losing what makes it worth ranking in the first place. AI works best when it supports strategy AI doesn’t replace a marketing plan, positioning model, or clear brand direction. It supports them. In the same way that tools like Google Analytics, Semrush, and Screaming Frog help you understand what’s happening, AI helps you work more efficiently and supports thinking. If your SEO strategy is simply, “We use AI,” you don’t have a strategy. You have a software subscription. Without a clear understanding of your audience, what they care about, the problems they’re trying to solve, how they speak, what tone they respond to, and what your brand stands for, AI will just produce generic content at scale. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Where AI adds real SEO value AI is genuinely good at certain parts of SEO, particularly areas that rely on scale, structure, and data processing. These include: Analyzing large data sets. Grouping keywords by intent. Spotting patterns in SERPs. Identifying content gaps. Mapping topics. Supporting internal linking. Handling repetitive technical tasks. This is where AI earns its place. It handles repetitive manual work, speeds up research, reduces basic human error, and helps teams operate more consistently at scale. None of that is threatening. It’s simply practical. Used properly, AI removes friction from SEO work and gives teams more space to focus on strategy and decision-making. The problems begin when people expect AI to execute SEO work it isn’t built for, treating it as a shortcut rather than a support system. When used this way, the output inevitably falls short of expectations. Dig deeper: How to train in-house LLMs on your brand voice Where AI falls apart AI struggles with the parts of marketing that build trust. Emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, tone, humor, empathy, and genuine understanding are difficult for it to replicate. It doesn’t truly grasp brand positioning, long-term thinking, or commercial judgment, and it can’t make ethical decisions in any meaningful way. It can copy patterns, but it doesn’t understand meaning. It can recreate tone, but it doesn’t feel it. It can build structure, but it doesn’t create identity. That’s why so much AI content feels fine but ultimately forgettable. It does the job, ticks the boxes, answers the question, follows SEO rules, and hits the word count. But it doesn’t create a connection that turns traffic into trust, and trust into customers. The biggest risk with AI in SEO isn’t penalties or algorithm changes. It’s gradual brand dilution. Over time, content becomes more neutral, more generic, and less distinctive. Visibility may stay the same, but identity weakens. Traffic grows, but loyalty doesn’t. Performance looks healthy, but trust doesn’t compound. AI should handle structure, humans should handle soul Effectively using AI in SEO requires role clarity. Let AI handle the structure and scale, but keep meaning firmly in human hands. AI is well-suited to researching, analyzing, clustering, outlining, drafting frameworks, data processing, repetitive optimizing, and detecting patterns. These are process-driven tasks where automation adds real value. However, everything that defines the brand and the relationship with the audience — voice, tone, storytelling, personality, trust building, emotional connection, commercial messaging, ethical judgment, and real audience understanding — should remain a human endeavor. AI can help you build faster, but it shouldn’t decide what you’re building. It supports the process, but the design still belongs to you. Dig deeper: How to blend AI and human input in your content approach Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Build your brand voice before you build with AI If you don’t define your brand voice, AI will default to something neutral and generic. That doesn’t happen because the technology is broken. It happens because you haven’t given it anything clear to work with. Before using AI for content, clarify: Who you’re speaking to. How you speak. The language you use and avoid. The tone you adopt. The personality you want to project. The values you stand for. The boundaries you won’t cross. Many people assume better prompts can fix weak content. But prompts, no matter how detailed, don’t replace thinking, brand clarity, audience understanding, or positioning. You can write the most detailed prompt in the world, but if your brand identity is fuzzy, the output will still be fuzzy. AI amplifies whatever you input, whether that’s clarity or chaos. There’s no middle ground. Dig deeper: Content marketing in an AI era: From SEO volume to brand fame Practical ways to use AI without losing your voice Here’s what works in the real world and not just in tool demos. Use AI for research: Let it gather data, insights, SERP patterns, questions, clusters, topics, and gaps. Then write the content yourself or heavily edit it. Use AI to create frameworks: Outlines, structures, and content maps are perfect AI jobs. Train AI on your tone: Feed it examples of your writing, content, emails, site copy, and brand language. But still treat outputs as drafts and not finals. Human edit everything: Your job is to brand edit. Does this sound like us? Would we say this? Would our customers recognize this voice? Does this feel human? Protect your commercial pages: Blogs are one thing, but core service pages, product pages, and brand pages should always be human-led. These pages define your business identity. Use AI to scale consistency, not sameness: Consistency is brand clarity. Sameness is brand death. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with AI will amplify whatever your brand already is Google doesn’t care whether content is AI-generated. It evaluates whether the content is useful, helpful, original, trustworthy, and valuable. Low-quality human content gets punished. Low-quality AI content gets punished. High-quality content wins, regardless of who or what created it. The myth that “AI content gets penalized” misses the point. What actually gets penalized is bad content, and AI simply makes it easier to produce bad content faster. The brands that will lead SEO over the next few years won’t be the ones with the biggest AI tech stacks. They’ll be the ones that combine human strategy with AI efficiency, clear positioning with scalable systems, and strong brand voice with intelligent automation. They’ll use AI to move faster, but not to think for them. Brands with clarity and identity will strengthen their position. Brands without them will simply become louder without standing out. Dig deeper: How to balance speed and credibility in AI-assisted content creation View the full article

The Social Security Administration is rolling out some big changes to how it handles disability payments while also upgrading its customer service. The changes come in the aftermath of a major overhaul by DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, in 2025, which resulted in the layoffs of more than 7,000 workers. First, let’s take a look at disability payments. The new process aims to cut the time it takes to determine eligibility for Social Security, speed up the time it takes beneficiaries to receive their checks, and, according to the Washington Examiner, reduce the agency’s current backlog. The SSA had a backlog of claims that was on track to exceed 2 million beneficiaries as of a year ago, according to the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank. That organization estimates that as of February 2025, applicants for SSDI and SSI disability benefits were waiting, on average, seven months just for an eligibility determination—and that the The President administration’s downsizing of the federal workforce would “assuredly make it harder to receive approval, meaning even longer wait times to receive their benefits.” According to the SSA, its early implementation of the new upgrades has already reduced its backlog by roughly 30% since June 2024. The SSA is also changing how it handles customer service by centralizing its operations. Until now, the agency operated its 1,250 field offices independently, so its workforce could address specific state and local issues for those applying for benefits. “Recipients should expect more nationalized, tech-driven access but also a bumpy transition,” finance expert Michael Ryan told Newsweek. “Faster phone pickup and online scheduling, paired with a real risk of slower, more confusing resolution for complicated cases that used to be handled by people who knew their state’s system cold.” Those changes go into effect on March 7. View the full article

In the high-stakes world of revenue orchestration, a quiet but costly friction is slowing down deals. It isn’t market volatility or budget cuts—it’s a fundamental disconnect between the generations tasked with closing the sale. Steve Cox, CEO of the newly merged sales tech powerhouse SalesLoft and Clari, sat down with me recently to discuss a startling finding from their latest report: generational conflict is costing sales organizations an estimated $56 billion in lost productivity annually. That’s not a typo. Billion, with a B. “When Boomers hear ‘AI makes you faster,’ what they really hear is ‘You’re too slow,’” Cox explains. Meanwhile, 39% of Gen Z sellers prefer to be managed by AI rather than a human, while many Baby Boomers admit they would prefer AI over working with a Gen Z colleague. This isolation creates a wedge where there should be a bridge. The challenge facing today’s intergenerational workplace is real: 28% of Gen Z reps are actively searching for new jobs to avoid working with Boomers, and 19% of Boomers plan to retire early due to frustrations with Gen Z. This isn’t mere annoyance—it’s a failure to transfer critical skills. Boomers possess deep institutional knowledge and relationship-building expertise, the “face time” that closes complex deals. Gen Z brings digital fluency and speed. When these groups isolate themselves, organizations lose the benefits of both. Yet within this friction lies tremendous opportunity. Here are five key insights from my conversation with Cox on how leaders can leverage AI to bridge the generational divide: First, acknowledge the trust gap before attempting to solve it. Work-life balance has sparked a generational standoff: 71% of Gen Z believe Boomers value hours worked over results, and 56% blame Boomers for today’s toxic work culture. Meanwhile, 64% of Boomers say Gen Z prioritizes work-life balance over business needs. The data reveal that both generations are retreating rather than engaging. Leaders must name these dynamics openly before any technology solution can take hold. Second, use AI as a collaborative bridge, not a replacement. Cox emphasizes that the solution isn’t simply deploying more software, but using AI to facilitate knowledge sharing. The data supports this: sellers believe AI can improve knowledge sharing (86%), bridge experience gaps (80%), and strengthen cross-generational communication (79%). When an AI agent can scrape the web for news and financial data on a prospect in seconds—a task that might take a human three hours—it satisfies Gen Z’s need for speed while freeing Boomers to focus on the relationship-building where they excel. Third, recognize that teaming is a strategic skill. Technology alone cannot solve a cultural problem. Cox emphasizes that leaders must be intentional about creating cross-generational learning environments, pairing digital-native sellers with relationship-focused veterans to create best practices that blend traditional methods with modern tech adoption. Fourth, position Gen X managers as translators. This often-overlooked generation sits perfectly positioned between digital natives and analog experts. They can serve as the human bridge while AI serves as the technological one. Fifth, advocate for inclusive AI implementation. “We need to combine institutional knowledge with digital efficiency,” Cox notes. The goal of platforms like the combined SalesLoft-Clari system isn’t to choose between the old way versus the new way—it’s to use predictive revenue technology to validate both approaches. The benefits of getting this right extend far beyond productivity metrics. Intergenerational workplaces that successfully leverage AI as neutral ground for collaboration can turn generational diversity from a liability into a competitive advantage. They preserve institutional wisdom while accelerating innovation. They create mentorship that flows in both directions. As Cox summarizes, the imperative is clear: “Bridge the . . . it a bridge rather than a wedge.” In an era where AI is reshaping every aspect of business, the organizations that thrive won’t be those with the most advanced technology. They’ll be the ones that use technology to amplify what’s irreplaceably human, across every generation. View the full article

Google has removed a whole section from its JavaScript SEO documentation because it was outdated and Google says loading content with JavaScript does not make it hard for Google Search.View the full article

Google is testing a new AI Mode widget within the main search results that drives searchers away from the core search results and recipe listings/cards and into AI Mode, which then shows those horrible AI-generated Frankenstein recipes.View the full article

(In fact, search Google for “reddit keyword research” and you’ll notice that 6 of the top 10 results are actual Reddit threads.) That makes Reddit unique and important. It’s a place where your brand’s reputation is shaped by real user…Read more ›View the full article

Google seems to be rolling out a new format for some of the AI Overviews it shows within search. This format shows a drop-down, expandable, accordion-style interface that you can expand to show more.View the full article