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Most people do not put New York City and golf together, nor do they consider the game to be a team sport. The 2025 Ryder Cup is challenging these views. The competition will be held just outside of the Big Apple at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. From Friday, September 26, through Sunday, September 28, 12 Americans and 12 European men will go head-to-head. Let’s take a look at the history and format before covering how to tune in for every stroke and birdie. The history of the Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is named after its patron, Sam Ryder, a British businessman and golf enthusiast. He fell in love with the sport after taking it up to help him recover from an illness and wanted to help the game gain international acclaim. The first official event took place in 1927 at the Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. Originally, the competition was just between American and British men, with the United States taking home the first trophy. American team captain Walter Hagen led the Americans to prevail over Great Britain under Ted Ray’s leadership. The Americans dominated the early years of the competition, so in 1979, Great Britain’s team began allowing other Europeans to eventually even the playing field. The Americans still have the upper hand, with 27 wins to Europe’s 15. The format of the Ryder Cup The competition takes place every two years. The teams play 28 matches total, with each match being worth one point. The first team to 14.5 wins. In the event of a tie, the defending champion keeps the cup. The first two days are team-based play in foursomes and four-balls formats. In foursomes play, two players from each team join forces and share a ball, alternating shots. The lowest score wins the hole. Four-balls play is similar, but each team member uses their own ball and the lowest of the two scores counts for the team. The team with the lowest score wins the hole. The third day of competition is much simpler. There are singles matches with players facing off, one-on-one. Who is playing in the 2025 Ryder Cup? There are two ways to make the American or European teams. The first six players automatically qualify based on past performance and rankings. The next six are picked by team captains. Keegan Bradley, while not playing himself, will oversee the Americans. He named Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, and Cameron Young. They will join Scottie Scheffler, J.J. Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English, and Bryson DeChambeau. This year, the Americans have an extra incentive to participate. They will be awarded $500,000 each for their efforts, with $300,000 going toward charity and the players walking away with a $200,000 stipend. The Europeans do not have this payday and are in it for bragging rights. Luke Donald is the team captain on the European side. Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Højgaard, and Tyrrell Hatton automatically qualified. They will be joined by Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, and Ludvig Åberg, who were appointed by Donald. How to watch the 2025 Ryder Cup There are many ways to catch all the action. For the visually minded, the drama will be spread out on multiple television networks. The opening ceremonies will be broadcast on the Golf Channel on Thursday, September 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. ET. The following day, the USA Network gets the honors, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. NBC will air the final two days of competition. On Saturday, the action takes place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. On Sunday, you can sleep in, because the coverage goes from noon to 6 p.m. ET. Those who prefer radio can tune in to Ryder Cup Radio on SiriusXM during the same broadcast hours as the televised versions. Cord-cutters can see some selective matches on RyderCup.com, the Ryder Cup app, and NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service. If you just can’t get enough coverage, Peacock will have a morning pre-show hosted by SNL‘s Colin Jost. View the full article

Amazon reached a $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday over whether the e-commerce giant used “deceptive methods” to sign up consumers for Prime subscriptions, then made it “exceedingly difficult” to cancel. The agency argued Amazon enrolled millions of customers in Prime subscriptions without their consent, and knowingly made it difficult for consumers to get out of the agreement. That settlement, which comes just three days into the civil trial in federal court in Seattle, included a whopping $1 billion civil penalty, the highest in history, and a $1.5 billion fund to refund Prime users harmed by the deceptive enrollment practices. The e-commerce giant must also create an easier way for users to cancel, which includes modifying its interface, and “cease unlawful enrollment and cancellation practices.” “Today, we are putting billions of dollars back into Americans’ pockets, and making sure Amazon never does this again,” FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said in a statement. The FTC case charged Amazon and several company executives with knowingly misleading millions of consumers into enrolling in Prime, violating the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). Documents in the lead-up to trial were cited to show Amazon executives and employees “knowingly discussed these unlawful enrollment and cancellation issues”—making comments such as, “subscription driving is a bit of a shady world,” and stating that leading consumers to unwanted subscriptions is “an unspoken cancer.” Amazon did not admit to or deny the FTC’s allegations about misleading customers in the settlement, and told Fast Company in a statement: “We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world.” Amazon also said it will “move forward and focus on innovating for customers” following the settlement. Industry experts react Reactions to the settlement have been mixed. “After defrauding tens of millions of people with an intentionally labyrinthine cancellation process, the FTC is allowing Amazon and its executives to walk away scot-free,” said Nidhi Hegde, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project, a non-profit that advocates for corporate accountability legislation. “That double standard is why so many Americans have lost faith in this administration’s willingness to hold corporate lawbreakers accountable.” Others said the settlement may have made Prime easier to cancel, but the program will continue to remain in many American households. “The settlement with the FTC may streamline Prime’s cancellation process, but it won’t dent the program’s dominance,” Emarketer analyst Zak Stambor told Fast Company. “Prime brought in $44 billion in subscription revenue last year alone—so the payout represents just 5.6% of that total. With more than 200 million global members, including three-quarters of U.S. households, Prime is the backbone of Amazon’s business model.” Meanwhile, some consumer watchdog groups were pleased by the settlement, and called on the FTC to resurrect “click-to-cancel” rules to make it easier to cancel auto-renewing agreements such as streaming subscriptions and gym memberships. “This is a great day for consumers—not just Amazon customers, but everyone who gets roped into any kind of subscription or agreement in questionable ways,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at U.S. PIRG Education Fund. “In the meantime, we hope this Amazon settlement sends a strong message to any company operating in ways that could conceivably confuse customers or thwart their efforts to not be customers any more.” View the full article

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said it was extending an order limiting operations at Newark Liberty International Airport through October 24, 2026. The order, which limits the rate of arrivals and departures, follows comments from the New Jersey airport’s operator and airlines on extending flight limits to help address congestion at one of three main airports serving New York City. Newark is a major hub for United Airlines. —Jasper Ward, Reuters View the full article

Despite years of congressional hearings, lawsuits, academic research, whistleblowers and testimony from parents and teenagers about the dangers of Instagram, Meta’s wildly popular app has failed to protect children from harm, with “woefully ineffective” safety measures, according to a new report from former employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups. Meta’s efforts at addressing teen safety and mental health on its platforms have long been met with criticism that the changes don’t go far enough. Now, the report published Thursday, from Bejar, the Cybersecurity For Democracy at New York University and Northeastern University, the Molly Rose Foundation, Fairplay and ParentsSOS, claims Meta has chosen not to take “real steps” to address safety concerns, “opting instead for splashy headlines about new tools for parents and Instagram Teen Accounts for underage users.” Meta said the report misrepresents its efforts on teen safety. The report evaluated 47 of Meta’s 53 safety features for teens on Instagram, and found that the majority of them are either no longer available or ineffective. Others reduced harm, but came with some “notable limitations,” while only eight tools worked as intended with no limitations. The report’s focus was on Instagram’s design, not content moderation. “This distinction is critical because social media platforms and their defenders often conflate efforts to improve platform design with censorship,” the report says. “However, assessing safety tools and calling out Meta when these tools do not work as promised, has nothing to do with free speech. Holding Meta accountable for deceiving young people and parents about how safe Instagram really is, is not a free speech issue.” Meta called the report “misleading, dangerously speculative” and said it undermines the important conversation about teen safety. “This report repeatedly misrepresents our efforts to empower parents and protect teens, misstating how our safety tools work and how millions of parents and teens are using them today. Teen Accounts lead the industry because they provide automatic safety protections and straightforward parental controls,” Meta said. “The reality is teens who were placed into these protections saw less sensitive content, experienced less unwanted contact, and spent less time on Instagram at night. Parents also have robust tools at their fingertips, from limiting usage to monitoring interactions. We’ll continue improving our tools, and we welcome constructive feedback — but this report is not that.” Meta has not disclosed what percentage of parents use its parental control tools. Such features can be useful for families in which parents are already involved in their child’s online life and activities, but experts say that’s not the reality for many people. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez — who has filed a lawsuit against Meta claiming it fails to protect children from predators — said it is unfortunate that Meta is “doubling down on its efforts to persuade parents and children that Meta’s platforms are safe—rather than making sure that its platforms are actually safe.” The authors created teen test accounts as well as malicious adult and teen accounts that would attempt to interact with these accounts in order to evaluate Instagram’s safeguards. For instance, while Meta has sought to limit adult strangers from contacting underage users on its app, adults can still communicate with minors “through many features that are inherent in Instagram’s design,” the report says. In many cases, adult strangers were recommended to the minor account by Instagram’s features such as reels and “people to follow.” “Most significantly, when a minor experiences unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate contact, Meta’s own product design inexplicably does not include any effective way for the teen to let the company know of the unwanted advance,” the report says. Instagram also pushes its disappearing messages feature to teenagers with an animated reward as an incentive to use it. Disappearing messages can be dangerous for minors and are used for drug sales and grooming, “and leave the minor account with no recourse,” according to the report. Another safety feature, which is supposed to hide or filter out common offensive words and phrases in order to prevent harassment, was also found to be “largely ineffective.” “Grossly offensive and misogynistic phrases were among the terms that we were freely able to send from one Teen Account to another,” the report says. For example, a message that encouraged the recipient to kill themselves — and contained a vulgar term for women — was not filtered and had no warnings applied to it. Meta says the tool was never intended to filter all messages, only message requests. The company expanded its teen accounts on Thursday to users worldwide. As it sought to add safeguards for teens, Meta has also promised it wouldn’t show inappropriate content to teens, such as posts about self-harm, eating disorders or suicide. The report found that its teen avatars were nonetheless recommended age-inappropriate sexual content, including “graphic sexual descriptions, the use of cartoons to describe demeaning sexual acts, and brief displays of nudity.” “We were also algorithmically recommended a range of violent and disturbing content, including Reels of people getting struck by road traffic, falling from heights to their death (with the last frame cut off so as not to see the impact), and people graphically breaking bones,” the report says. In addition, Instagram also recommended a “range of self-harm, self-injury, and body image content” on teen accounts that the report says “would be reasonably likely to result in adverse impacts for young people, including teenagers experiencing poor mental health, or self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviors.” The report also found that children under 13 — and as young as six — were not only on the platform but were incentivized by Instagram’s algorithm to perform sexualized behavior such as suggestive dances. The authors made several recommendations for Meta to improve teen safety, including regular red-team testing of messaging and blocking controls, providing an “easy, effective, and rewarding way” for teens to report inappropriate conduct or contacts in direct messages and publishing data on teens’ experiences on the app. They also suggest that the recommendations made to a 13-year-old’s teen account should be “reasonably PG-rated,” and Meta should ask kids about their experiences of sensitive content they have been recommended, including “frequency, intensity, and severity.” “Until we see meaningful action, Teen Accounts will remain yet another missed opportunity to protect children from harm, and Instagram will continue to be an unsafe experience for far too many of our teens,” the report says. —Barbara Ortutay, AP technology writer View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. The fall version of Amazon's Prime Day is approaching fast. Prime "Big Deal Days" will take place from Oct. 7-8., and we'll keep you updated with all the best deals leading up to and all throughout the sale. But before you purchase anything, here's how to set your own prices for Prime Day and every other day. If you're an impulse buyer, you know that shopping events like Prime Day can be bad. Even though we know Amazon is using all kinds of manipulation techniques to get us to buy things we don’t need, it still works, so this year, try setting your own prices and only choosing things you already want to buy. How to “set your own prices” on AmazonYou can’t make Amazon lower its prices at your whim, but you can set up an alert system to let you know if anything you want to buy dips in price enough for it to make sense for you to purchase it. Below is a step-by-step guide to setting your own personal maximum price for any item sold by Amazon: Identify the items you’d like to purchase and throw them into your Amazon wishlist. Make sure your wishlist is set to “public.” Visit the Amazon price-tracking website CamelCamelCamel and make a free account. There are other price-tracking apps and websites that, more or less, do the same thing—Slick Deals, Honey, Keepa, etc.—so check out this overview of the best price-tracking tools if you want to compare them. Spoiler alert, though: CamelCamelCamel wins. Click “import wishlist.” (You’ll have to copy and paste the URL from your Amazon wishlist.) Once you’ve done that, CamelCamelCamel lets you add specific maximum prices (or percentage drops) for everything in your wishlist. Enter the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for each item in your list, and then you can tell it to send you an email when any item’s price drops to your set spending limit. Ignore all the Prime Days hype and wait for the email alert letting you know that your chosen items have become cheap enough for you to buy. Spend Prime Day feeling smug and agree with yourself that you actually are the smartest person alive. Don’t even look at Amazon’s website. Seriously. Well, maybe just for a second. This time you’ll have the willpower to avoid buying another chocolate fountain or a self-stirring mug with “SELF STIRRING MUG” written on the side, right? Right? More ideas for imposing limits on your spendingIf you want to take tech-based shopping guardrails beyond the basic "time to buy" alert system described above, here are some ideas. Block ads: If you're the type of person who responds to online ads, you can block a ton of them with a simple tool or app. Here's our overview of the best ad-blocking software. Track your expenses: Whether you do it with pencil and paper or use an app, seeing how much you're spending can be a powerful motivation to be more thrifty. Budgeting over time can even give you a bit of a surplus, so you can splurge when Prime Day rolls around if you want to. Save up for something: Saving up for something in the future—a vacation, an electric surfboard, whatever—can make it easier to resist spending now. Hit your internal pause button: If you can make a habit of waiting a day or two between thinking "I want those sunglasses" and entering your credit card numbers, you may decide your old sunglasses are just fine. Set up a one-in-one-out system: For everything you buy or acquire, get rid of a similar item (or more!) to make room for it. Knowing something has to go if you hit "buy now" can stop you from making an impulse buy, and following this rule keeps your home less cluttered. Bonus points if you resell an item before getting a similar one. Make money before spending money, and save space while you're at it. Consider professional help: It's normal and common to sometimes have a little difficulty controlling spending, but researchers say about 6% of Americans suffer from compulsive buying disorder which may be part of a larger psychological problem. So if your spending is driving you deep into debt, you're suffering real-world consequences based on your buying habits, or you just feel like shopping might be a problem for you, talk to a professional. Looking for something else? Competing retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Prime Day Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $199.00 (List Price $249.00) Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.9" 64GB Wi-Fi Tablet (Graphite) — $159.00 (List Price $219.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Blink Outdoor 4 XR + Mini 2 — Wireless and plug-in security cameras, motion detection, extended range. Sync Module XR included — 2 camera system + Mini 2 (Black) — $89.98 (List Price $219.98) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus — $79.99 (List Price $149.99) Ring Alarm 8-Piece Kit with Outdoor Cam Plus, Battery and Ring Battery Doorbell — $239.99 (List Price $449.97) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen, 2-pack, White) — $49.98 (List Price $79.99) Roku Streaming Stick Plus — $29.00 (List Price $39.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $34.99 (List Price $69.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

As the dust settles on a botched logo redesign that turned it into a political and cultural flashpoint this summer, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is no doubt looking to put 2025 behind it. In the meantime, the restaurant company has also trimmed its physical footprint as it looks to 2026. Reporting its fourth-quarter financial results earlier this month, Cracker Barrel revealed the planned closure of 14 Maple Street Biscuit Company locations. That amounts to roughly 21% of its company-owned stores for the fast-casual brand, which Cracker Barrel acquired in 2019 for $36 million. The company is projecting revenue for fiscal 2026 of $3.35 billion to $3.45 billion, and a comparable store traffic decline of 4% to 7%, in part due to the closures. Cracker Barrel also plans to open two new locations for its flagship Cracker Barrel brand during the period. Julie Masino, the restaurant chain’s CEO, addressed the logo controversy in an earnings call on September 17, saying it underscored deeply held feelings and a love for the brand among fans. The company reverted back to its old branding and halted a planned remodeling of some of its restaurants in the wake of intense backlash that followed the logo change. Maple Street Biscuit Company, founded in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012, largely escaped getting swept up in the negative publicity. The brand has locations mostly centered around the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas. Which Maple Street locations are closing? Cracker Barrel did not provide a list of impacted locations. Although it disclosed the closures as part of its outlook for fiscal 2026, a spokesperson confirmed with Fast Company that the locations it cited have in fact already closed. Based on a Fast Company review of Maple Street’s store locator tool and review websites such as Yelp, the 14 recent store closures span six states, with the most located in Texas. The full list, which Cracker Barrel confirmed, appears below: Florida 2233 Gulf to Bay Blvd Clearwater, FL 33765 7756 113th St N Ste E Seminole, FL 33772 Kentucky 2270 Nicholasville Rd Ste 120 Lexington-Fayette, KY 40503 Ohio 9711 Sawmill Pkwy Ste A Powell, OH 43065 South Carolina 965 Wood Duck Dr Ste 108 Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 1739 Maybank Hwy Ste U Charleston, SC 29412 Tennessee 10837 Hardin Valley Rd Knoxville, TN 37932 Texas 967 Keller Pkwy Keller, TX 76248 4836 Waterview Town Center Dr Ste 300 Richmond, TX 77407 14999 Preston Rd Ste 226 Dallas, TX 75254 3288 Main St Ste 111 Frisco, TX 75034 3040 E FM 544 Ste 400 Wylie, TX 75098 8801 Eldorado Pkwy McKinney, TX 75070 4020 W University Dr, McKinney, TX 75071 A Cracker Barrel spokesperson pointed out that Maple Street Biscuit Company still has more than 50 locations. “We appreciate the continued patronage of the many guests who have dined with Maple Street at these 14 locations over recent years and thank our team members for their passionate dedication to Maple Street and focus on delivering delivered fantastic guest experiences day in and day out,” the spokesperson said. “We hope our loyal guests will continue to dine with us at our many other Maple Street locations.” Shares of Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ: CBRL) are down roughly 5% since its earnings report. The stock has fallen around 30% since late August. View the full article

One option is to lift the restriction for working families, but Labour MPs are pushing for abolition of the contentious policy View the full article

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Matt Cooke on surrender: “Surrender isn't giving up; it's letting go of the need to control what's never been yours to carry. There's power in releasing the grip. In trusting the process even when you can't see the outcome. You weren't meant to figure it all out; you were meant to feel your way through it. When you surrender, you create space. When you trust, you allow movement. That's where things shift, not through force, but through flow. So, if it feels uncertain right now, that's okay. You're not lost. You're just in the space between. Let go. Lean in. And trust that what's meant for you knows exactly how to find you. So, remember, surrender isn't giving up, it’s allowing in.” Source: Beyond Wanting: The Art of True Manifestation II. William Vanderbloemen on self-awareness: “Being self-aware makes you better at finding solutions. Knowing yourself comes with a guaranteed pinch (or more) of humility, so when a self-aware person is faced with a challenge, they can decenter themselves from the issue. Being self-aware is knowing all about you while knowing that it’s not all about you. Whatever the crisis, the Self-Aware remain even-keeled and committed to the goal. A great summary of how self-awareness can serve you in a crisis is the first few lines of Rudyard Kipling s “If.” It’s all about keeping calm while others are losing their heads.” Source: Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. View the full article

When you’re tasked with creating a logo, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. The right logo maker can simplify the process and provide you with stunning design options. Several top websites cater to different skill levels and needs, ensuring that you can find the perfect fit. From user-friendly interfaces to advanced customization features, these platforms offer valuable tools. Let’s explore the best logo creation websites that can enhance your brand identity effectively. Key Takeaways Canva offers a vast library of over 8,000 customizable logo templates, ideal for creating stunning designs with ease. Wix Logo Maker automates logo design, making it beginner-friendly while providing personalized customization options for unique branding. Turbologo uses AI to generate tailored logos, offering extensive editing features for a highly personalized design experience. Adobe Express combines powerful customization tools with access to a vast template library, perfect for creating professional-quality logos. Hatchful by Shopify provides a quick and free logo creation process with customizable options, making it excellent for startups seeking stunning designs. Overview of Top Logo Makers When you’re looking to create a logo, comprehending the available tools can streamline the process and help you achieve the best results. Canva is a top choice for its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates, perfect for both free and premium options, facilitating cheap logo creation. If you’re a beginner, Wix Logo Maker simplifies design by automating the process based on your input. Turbologo utilizes AI to generate logos customized to your business, allowing easy edits afterward. Adobe Express integrates with Creative Cloud, offering a variety of templates and stock images for improved customization. Finally, Hatchful by Shopify focuses on speed, providing quick solutions, though it may not offer detailed customization options. Features to Look for in a Logo Maker Finding the right logo maker can greatly impact your branding efforts. Start by looking for a user-friendly interface that makes navigation easy, especially if you have limited design experience. An apparel logo maker should offer a variety of customizable templates and design elements, allowing you to create a logo that reflects your brand identity. It’s essential to check for high-quality output options in formats like PNG, JPG, SVG, and EPS for versatile use. Extensive branding packages, including business card designs and social media templates, help maintain a cohesive brand presence. Finally, verify the service provides features like lifetime ownership of your logo, unlimited post-purchase changes, and reliable customer support to assist you throughout your branding expedition. Best Overall Logo Maker: Canva Canva stands out as the best overall logo maker thanks to its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for anyone to navigate, whether you’re a professional designer or just starting out. With an extensive library of templates and customization options, you can create a logo that truly represents your brand. This platform allows you to experiment with different designs and find the perfect look that fits your unique identity. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can be a challenging task, especially for those without design experience. Luckily, Canva’s user-friendly interface simplifies the process considerably. As a clothing brand logo creator, you can easily navigate the platform, thanks to its intuitive layout. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can customize your logo by adjusting colors, shapes, and layouts to match your brand vision. Canva provides a vast library of templates, graphics, and fonts, which makes it easy to find elements that resonate with your identity. Once you’re satisfied with your design, you can download high-quality files in various formats like PNG and JPG, ensuring your logo looks great for both web and print applications. It’s a practical tool for any aspiring designer. Extensive Template Library An impressive selection of over 8,000 logo templates awaits you in Canva’s extensive library, making it easy to discover a design that aligns with your brand vision. These templates are crafted by professionals, covering a wide range of industries, including options perfect for a Canva logo maker. You’ll find relevant designs that maintain high quality, ensuring a polished look for your brand. Canva’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface allows you to modify templates effortlessly, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer. Furthermore, you can improve your logo with various shapes, graphics, fonts, and colors. Explore Canva’s library of icons and illustrations to add more visual elements, helping you create a unique logo that truly reflects your brand identity. Customization Options Available When you’re ready to customize your logo, you’ll find that the options available in Canva are both extensive and user-friendly. You can modify shapes, graphics, and frames to create a unique design that reflects your brand identity. Canva offers a vast library of color combinations, or you can adjust them to improve brand recognition. The platform’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for anyone, including those creating a clothing logo design free, to tweak logos to their liking. After inputting your brand name and preferences, Canva generates multiple design options, ensuring a wide range of choices. If you opt for a premium subscription, you’ll access additional features like brand kits, streamlining your customization across various projects. Best for Beginners: Wix Logo Maker If you’re just starting out, Wix Logo Maker offers a user-friendly interface that makes logo creation straightforward. You’ll benefit from automated design suggestions customized to your business information, which simplifies the process even more. Plus, the platform provides numerous customization options, allowing you to adjust colors and shapes to create a logo that truly represents your brand. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can feel intimidating, especially for beginners without design experience, but Wix Logo Maker simplifies the process. Its user-friendly interface is customized for those who want to create a clothing brand logo generator without hassle. Here’s what you can expect: Automated templates that align with your business name and preferences. Customization options for colors, shapes, and alignments, allowing you to personalize your logo. Quick logo generation, making it ideal for users needing a professional design in a short time. SVG file downloads included in the cheaper plan, enhancing the quality of your logos. With Wix, establishing your brand identity becomes an engaging and straightforward task, ensuring you feel confident in your design choices. Automated Design Suggestions Automated design suggestions can greatly ease the logo creation process for beginners, as they provide customized templates based on your business information and preferences. With Wix Logo Maker, you’ll find an intuitive platform that acts as an excellent logo creator for clothing. It generates templates customized to your specific needs, guaranteeing you don’t have to start from scratch. Although the platform simplifies the design process, it likewise allows for flexibility with features that let you adjust colors, shapes, and object alignments. Plus, you can easily download SVG files in the more affordable plan, making your logo versatile for various applications. Regular updates guarantee you stay current with design trends, enhancing your branding efforts effectively. Customization Options Available When you start using Wix Logo Maker, you’ll quickly discover a wealth of customization options that cater to your specific needs. This platform is designed for beginners, allowing you to create a logo that truly represents your brand. You can easily explore the following features: A variety of free logo design templates to kickstart your project Customizable colors to align with your brand identity Shape adjustments for precise object alignment SVG file availability for versatile use across different platforms With these customization options available, you can guarantee your logo stands out. The intuitive interface requires no design experience, making it easy for anyone to craft professional-looking logos efficiently. Start designing today to reflect your unique brand vision. Best for Customization: Turbologo Turbologo stands out as an excellent choice for anyone seeking customization in logo design. As a logo creation website, it uses AI automation to generate logos customized to your business name, slogan, and industry. Once the initial design is created, you’ll find extensive editing options available. You can resize, change colors, and modify elements to guarantee the logo aligns with your vision. After purchasing your logo for a one-off fee, you’ll have the ability to amend the design for a limited time. Turbologo likewise provides various formats, including high-resolution files suitable for web and print applications. With its user-friendly interface, even those without design experience can create and customize their ideal logo efficiently. Adobe Express: A Powerful Option Adobe Express is a robust option for logo creation, thanks to its user-friendly interface that makes the design process accessible for everyone. You can explore extensive customization options, allowing you to tailor your logo to reflect your brand identity effectively. With a variety of templates and design elements at your fingertips, creating a professional-looking logo becomes a quick and straightforward task. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can be a straightforward task, especially with tools that prioritize user experience. Adobe Express stands out as a user-friendly logo creation website, offering a drag-and-drop interface that caters to both beginners and seasoned designers. Here are some key features that improve its usability: Access to thousands of free Adobe Fonts and professional logo templates for easy customization. The ability to upload personal images and assets, adding uniqueness to your logos. High-quality downloads in PNG and JPG formats, suitable for a variety of applications. Real-time collaboration and project-saving in the Brand Kit for consistent branding. With these features, Adobe Express simplifies the logo creation process, ensuring you can design effectively and efficiently. Extensive Customization Options When you want to create a logo that truly reflects your brand, the extensive customization options available can make a significant difference. Adobe Express allows you to experiment with various design variations, styles, and colors to align perfectly with your vision. You can draw your logo online using their user-friendly interface, which includes drag-and-drop editing features. With access to thousands of free Adobe Fonts, you can select typefaces that improve your design. Furthermore, you can personalize your logo by uploading your own images and assets. Real-time collaboration lets your team contribute and refine ideas collectively, ensuring a well-rounded final product. Overall, Adobe Express equips you with the tools needed for effective logo customization. Hatchful by Shopify: Quick Logo Creation Hatchful by Shopify offers a streamlined approach to logo creation, allowing you to design a professional logo in just a few minutes. This logo creation website is perfect for those who want quick results without sacrificing quality. Simply enter your business name and select your industry, and the platform generates customized logo suggestions. Key features include: A user-friendly interface that’s accessible for everyone, regardless of design experience Customizable options for colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand identity A variety of logo styles and templates to choose from High-resolution downloads suitable for both digital and print use Best of all, Hatchful is free, making it an economical choice for startups and small businesses. Looka Logo Maker: A User-Friendly Experience Looka Logo Maker simplifies the logo design process by utilizing AI-driven algorithms that tailor logos to your business name and industry. As a user, you’ll find extensive customization options, allowing you to resize, alter colors, and adjust layouts to perfectly match your brand’s vision. With a one-time fee per logo, you can download high-quality files in multiple formats, including PNG and SVG, suitable for both digital and print use. To access these features, you’ll need to create an account, which streamlines the branding process. Furthermore, Looka offers a thorough branding package, providing extra assets like business cards and social media templates. This makes it an effective logo creation website for establishing a cohesive brand presence. Graphic Design Software as Logo Makers Graphic design software can be an excellent choice for creating logos, especially if you want complete control over the design process. These graphic design software as logo makers offer a range of features suited for both novice and professional designers. Here are some notable options: Xara Designer Pro X: A thorough tool for bitmap and vector graphics, ideal for detailed logo designs. Adobe Illustrator: The industry standard, providing advanced features for precision and customization. Affinity Designer: A cost-effective option with a one-time purchase, perfect for those avoiding subscriptions. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite: Includes multiple applications customized for diverse design tasks, appealing to experienced users. Tips for Creating an Effective Logo When creating an effective logo, it’s essential to begin with a clear comprehension of your brand’s identity. Start by selecting a color palette that reflects your brand’s essence, as colors can evoke specific emotions. Incorporate iconic symbols to create memorable imagery, improving recognition. Design your logo in high-quality formats like PNG for versatility across different platforms. Test your logo in various sizes to guarantee clarity, whether on a business card or billboard. Collaborate with team members for diverse perspectives, which can boost creativity. Here’s a quick guide on how to create a good logo: Step Action Purpose Understand Identity Define your brand’s mission and values Establishes a strong foundation Choose Colors Select colors that resonate with your brand Evokes emotions Design Symbols Use icons that represent your brand Improves memorability Test Formats Check clarity in different sizes Guarantees versatility Collaborate Gather feedback from team members Encourages creative input Frequently Asked Questions Which Website Is Best for Making Logo Design? When you’re looking to make a logo design, consider your needs and skill level. If you want ease of use and a variety of templates, Canva’s a great choice. For beginners, Wix Logo Maker simplifies the process with automated templates. If customization is key, Turbologo offers extensive editing options. For deeper integration with design tools, Adobe Express is ideal. If speed is a priority, Hatchful provides quick solutions, though customization may be limited. How Do I Make My Logo Look Elegant? To make your logo look elegant, choose a minimalist design with clean lines and a limited color palette. Use classic fonts, like serif or script styles, for a timeless appeal. Incorporate subtle details that reflect your brand’s essence, but avoid clutter. Select high-quality file formats, such as PNG with transparent backgrounds, to maintain clarity. Finally, test your logo in various sizes and backgrounds to guarantee its elegance is consistent and recognizable. How to Create an Amazing Logo? To create an amazing logo, start by entering your brand name and selecting a style that reflects your vision. Use online tools like Canva or Adobe Express for their user-friendly features and customizable templates. Incorporate elements that represent your brand’s essence, choosing colors that boost recognition. Finally, make sure your logo is downloadable in high-resolution formats like PNG or SVG for versatility. This approach will help maintain consistency across your branding materials. What Is the Best Logo Design Contest Website? To find the best logo design contest website, consider your specific needs and budget. DesignCrowd offers a wide range of submissions from global designers, whereas 99designs connects you with thousands of professionals. If you want a competitive environment, try LogoTournament, where designers compete for your project. For user-friendly experiences, Hatchwise and Crowdspring provide direct engagement with designers. Evaluate each option to determine which aligns best with your vision and requirements. Conclusion To conclude, choosing the right logo creation website can greatly impact your brand’s identity. Consider your needs, whether it’s ease of use, customization options, or quick designs. Canva is ideal for all-encompassing features, whereas Wix Logo Maker suits beginners. For extensive customization, explore Turbologo, and Hatchful is great for fast results. Remember to focus on clarity and relevance when designing your logo, ensuring it effectively represents your brand’s essence. These platforms provide valuable tools to help you achieve that. Image Via Envato This article, "Best Logo Creation Websites for Stunning Designs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

When you’re tasked with creating a logo, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. The right logo maker can simplify the process and provide you with stunning design options. Several top websites cater to different skill levels and needs, ensuring that you can find the perfect fit. From user-friendly interfaces to advanced customization features, these platforms offer valuable tools. Let’s explore the best logo creation websites that can enhance your brand identity effectively. Key Takeaways Canva offers a vast library of over 8,000 customizable logo templates, ideal for creating stunning designs with ease. Wix Logo Maker automates logo design, making it beginner-friendly while providing personalized customization options for unique branding. Turbologo uses AI to generate tailored logos, offering extensive editing features for a highly personalized design experience. Adobe Express combines powerful customization tools with access to a vast template library, perfect for creating professional-quality logos. Hatchful by Shopify provides a quick and free logo creation process with customizable options, making it excellent for startups seeking stunning designs. Overview of Top Logo Makers When you’re looking to create a logo, comprehending the available tools can streamline the process and help you achieve the best results. Canva is a top choice for its user-friendly interface and extensive library of templates, perfect for both free and premium options, facilitating cheap logo creation. If you’re a beginner, Wix Logo Maker simplifies design by automating the process based on your input. Turbologo utilizes AI to generate logos customized to your business, allowing easy edits afterward. Adobe Express integrates with Creative Cloud, offering a variety of templates and stock images for improved customization. Finally, Hatchful by Shopify focuses on speed, providing quick solutions, though it may not offer detailed customization options. Features to Look for in a Logo Maker Finding the right logo maker can greatly impact your branding efforts. Start by looking for a user-friendly interface that makes navigation easy, especially if you have limited design experience. An apparel logo maker should offer a variety of customizable templates and design elements, allowing you to create a logo that reflects your brand identity. It’s essential to check for high-quality output options in formats like PNG, JPG, SVG, and EPS for versatile use. Extensive branding packages, including business card designs and social media templates, help maintain a cohesive brand presence. Finally, verify the service provides features like lifetime ownership of your logo, unlimited post-purchase changes, and reliable customer support to assist you throughout your branding expedition. Best Overall Logo Maker: Canva Canva stands out as the best overall logo maker thanks to its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for anyone to navigate, whether you’re a professional designer or just starting out. With an extensive library of templates and customization options, you can create a logo that truly represents your brand. This platform allows you to experiment with different designs and find the perfect look that fits your unique identity. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can be a challenging task, especially for those without design experience. Luckily, Canva’s user-friendly interface simplifies the process considerably. As a clothing brand logo creator, you can easily navigate the platform, thanks to its intuitive layout. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can customize your logo by adjusting colors, shapes, and layouts to match your brand vision. Canva provides a vast library of templates, graphics, and fonts, which makes it easy to find elements that resonate with your identity. Once you’re satisfied with your design, you can download high-quality files in various formats like PNG and JPG, ensuring your logo looks great for both web and print applications. It’s a practical tool for any aspiring designer. Extensive Template Library An impressive selection of over 8,000 logo templates awaits you in Canva’s extensive library, making it easy to discover a design that aligns with your brand vision. These templates are crafted by professionals, covering a wide range of industries, including options perfect for a Canva logo maker. You’ll find relevant designs that maintain high quality, ensuring a polished look for your brand. Canva’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface allows you to modify templates effortlessly, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer. Furthermore, you can improve your logo with various shapes, graphics, fonts, and colors. Explore Canva’s library of icons and illustrations to add more visual elements, helping you create a unique logo that truly reflects your brand identity. Customization Options Available When you’re ready to customize your logo, you’ll find that the options available in Canva are both extensive and user-friendly. You can modify shapes, graphics, and frames to create a unique design that reflects your brand identity. Canva offers a vast library of color combinations, or you can adjust them to improve brand recognition. The platform’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for anyone, including those creating a clothing logo design free, to tweak logos to their liking. After inputting your brand name and preferences, Canva generates multiple design options, ensuring a wide range of choices. If you opt for a premium subscription, you’ll access additional features like brand kits, streamlining your customization across various projects. Best for Beginners: Wix Logo Maker If you’re just starting out, Wix Logo Maker offers a user-friendly interface that makes logo creation straightforward. You’ll benefit from automated design suggestions customized to your business information, which simplifies the process even more. Plus, the platform provides numerous customization options, allowing you to adjust colors and shapes to create a logo that truly represents your brand. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can feel intimidating, especially for beginners without design experience, but Wix Logo Maker simplifies the process. Its user-friendly interface is customized for those who want to create a clothing brand logo generator without hassle. Here’s what you can expect: Automated templates that align with your business name and preferences. Customization options for colors, shapes, and alignments, allowing you to personalize your logo. Quick logo generation, making it ideal for users needing a professional design in a short time. SVG file downloads included in the cheaper plan, enhancing the quality of your logos. With Wix, establishing your brand identity becomes an engaging and straightforward task, ensuring you feel confident in your design choices. Automated Design Suggestions Automated design suggestions can greatly ease the logo creation process for beginners, as they provide customized templates based on your business information and preferences. With Wix Logo Maker, you’ll find an intuitive platform that acts as an excellent logo creator for clothing. It generates templates customized to your specific needs, guaranteeing you don’t have to start from scratch. Although the platform simplifies the design process, it likewise allows for flexibility with features that let you adjust colors, shapes, and object alignments. Plus, you can easily download SVG files in the more affordable plan, making your logo versatile for various applications. Regular updates guarantee you stay current with design trends, enhancing your branding efforts effectively. Customization Options Available When you start using Wix Logo Maker, you’ll quickly discover a wealth of customization options that cater to your specific needs. This platform is designed for beginners, allowing you to create a logo that truly represents your brand. You can easily explore the following features: A variety of free logo design templates to kickstart your project Customizable colors to align with your brand identity Shape adjustments for precise object alignment SVG file availability for versatile use across different platforms With these customization options available, you can guarantee your logo stands out. The intuitive interface requires no design experience, making it easy for anyone to craft professional-looking logos efficiently. Start designing today to reflect your unique brand vision. Best for Customization: Turbologo Turbologo stands out as an excellent choice for anyone seeking customization in logo design. As a logo creation website, it uses AI automation to generate logos customized to your business name, slogan, and industry. Once the initial design is created, you’ll find extensive editing options available. You can resize, change colors, and modify elements to guarantee the logo aligns with your vision. After purchasing your logo for a one-off fee, you’ll have the ability to amend the design for a limited time. Turbologo likewise provides various formats, including high-resolution files suitable for web and print applications. With its user-friendly interface, even those without design experience can create and customize their ideal logo efficiently. Adobe Express: A Powerful Option Adobe Express is a robust option for logo creation, thanks to its user-friendly interface that makes the design process accessible for everyone. You can explore extensive customization options, allowing you to tailor your logo to reflect your brand identity effectively. With a variety of templates and design elements at your fingertips, creating a professional-looking logo becomes a quick and straightforward task. User-Friendly Interface Creating a logo can be a straightforward task, especially with tools that prioritize user experience. Adobe Express stands out as a user-friendly logo creation website, offering a drag-and-drop interface that caters to both beginners and seasoned designers. Here are some key features that improve its usability: Access to thousands of free Adobe Fonts and professional logo templates for easy customization. The ability to upload personal images and assets, adding uniqueness to your logos. High-quality downloads in PNG and JPG formats, suitable for a variety of applications. Real-time collaboration and project-saving in the Brand Kit for consistent branding. With these features, Adobe Express simplifies the logo creation process, ensuring you can design effectively and efficiently. Extensive Customization Options When you want to create a logo that truly reflects your brand, the extensive customization options available can make a significant difference. Adobe Express allows you to experiment with various design variations, styles, and colors to align perfectly with your vision. You can draw your logo online using their user-friendly interface, which includes drag-and-drop editing features. With access to thousands of free Adobe Fonts, you can select typefaces that improve your design. Furthermore, you can personalize your logo by uploading your own images and assets. Real-time collaboration lets your team contribute and refine ideas collectively, ensuring a well-rounded final product. Overall, Adobe Express equips you with the tools needed for effective logo customization. Hatchful by Shopify: Quick Logo Creation Hatchful by Shopify offers a streamlined approach to logo creation, allowing you to design a professional logo in just a few minutes. This logo creation website is perfect for those who want quick results without sacrificing quality. Simply enter your business name and select your industry, and the platform generates customized logo suggestions. Key features include: A user-friendly interface that’s accessible for everyone, regardless of design experience Customizable options for colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand identity A variety of logo styles and templates to choose from High-resolution downloads suitable for both digital and print use Best of all, Hatchful is free, making it an economical choice for startups and small businesses. Looka Logo Maker: A User-Friendly Experience Looka Logo Maker simplifies the logo design process by utilizing AI-driven algorithms that tailor logos to your business name and industry. As a user, you’ll find extensive customization options, allowing you to resize, alter colors, and adjust layouts to perfectly match your brand’s vision. With a one-time fee per logo, you can download high-quality files in multiple formats, including PNG and SVG, suitable for both digital and print use. To access these features, you’ll need to create an account, which streamlines the branding process. Furthermore, Looka offers a thorough branding package, providing extra assets like business cards and social media templates. This makes it an effective logo creation website for establishing a cohesive brand presence. Graphic Design Software as Logo Makers Graphic design software can be an excellent choice for creating logos, especially if you want complete control over the design process. These graphic design software as logo makers offer a range of features suited for both novice and professional designers. Here are some notable options: Xara Designer Pro X: A thorough tool for bitmap and vector graphics, ideal for detailed logo designs. Adobe Illustrator: The industry standard, providing advanced features for precision and customization. Affinity Designer: A cost-effective option with a one-time purchase, perfect for those avoiding subscriptions. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite: Includes multiple applications customized for diverse design tasks, appealing to experienced users. Tips for Creating an Effective Logo When creating an effective logo, it’s essential to begin with a clear comprehension of your brand’s identity. Start by selecting a color palette that reflects your brand’s essence, as colors can evoke specific emotions. Incorporate iconic symbols to create memorable imagery, improving recognition. Design your logo in high-quality formats like PNG for versatility across different platforms. Test your logo in various sizes to guarantee clarity, whether on a business card or billboard. Collaborate with team members for diverse perspectives, which can boost creativity. Here’s a quick guide on how to create a good logo: Step Action Purpose Understand Identity Define your brand’s mission and values Establishes a strong foundation Choose Colors Select colors that resonate with your brand Evokes emotions Design Symbols Use icons that represent your brand Improves memorability Test Formats Check clarity in different sizes Guarantees versatility Collaborate Gather feedback from team members Encourages creative input Frequently Asked Questions Which Website Is Best for Making Logo Design? When you’re looking to make a logo design, consider your needs and skill level. If you want ease of use and a variety of templates, Canva’s a great choice. For beginners, Wix Logo Maker simplifies the process with automated templates. If customization is key, Turbologo offers extensive editing options. For deeper integration with design tools, Adobe Express is ideal. If speed is a priority, Hatchful provides quick solutions, though customization may be limited. How Do I Make My Logo Look Elegant? To make your logo look elegant, choose a minimalist design with clean lines and a limited color palette. Use classic fonts, like serif or script styles, for a timeless appeal. Incorporate subtle details that reflect your brand’s essence, but avoid clutter. Select high-quality file formats, such as PNG with transparent backgrounds, to maintain clarity. Finally, test your logo in various sizes and backgrounds to guarantee its elegance is consistent and recognizable. How to Create an Amazing Logo? To create an amazing logo, start by entering your brand name and selecting a style that reflects your vision. Use online tools like Canva or Adobe Express for their user-friendly features and customizable templates. Incorporate elements that represent your brand’s essence, choosing colors that boost recognition. Finally, make sure your logo is downloadable in high-resolution formats like PNG or SVG for versatility. This approach will help maintain consistency across your branding materials. What Is the Best Logo Design Contest Website? To find the best logo design contest website, consider your specific needs and budget. DesignCrowd offers a wide range of submissions from global designers, whereas 99designs connects you with thousands of professionals. If you want a competitive environment, try LogoTournament, where designers compete for your project. For user-friendly experiences, Hatchwise and Crowdspring provide direct engagement with designers. Evaluate each option to determine which aligns best with your vision and requirements. Conclusion To conclude, choosing the right logo creation website can greatly impact your brand’s identity. Consider your needs, whether it’s ease of use, customization options, or quick designs. Canva is ideal for all-encompassing features, whereas Wix Logo Maker suits beginners. For extensive customization, explore Turbologo, and Hatchful is great for fast results. Remember to focus on clarity and relevance when designing your logo, ensuring it effectively represents your brand’s essence. These platforms provide valuable tools to help you achieve that. Image Via Envato This article, "Best Logo Creation Websites for Stunning Designs" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Want to switch to Apple Music because you can’t find your favorite indie band on Spotify? Or maybe you’re on Amazon Music but saw a new subscriber offer on Tidal that’s too good to pass up. There are a variety of reasons to change music providers. But if you’re thinking about it, and you’re worried about losing your library of saved songs and personalized playlists, fear not: there are ways to bring all of it with you. Many music streaming services don’t make it obvious — often burying instructions deep in FAQs and making the process arduous — but they do offer options to help migrate your collection. Apple made it easier last month when it quietly rolled out a new feature allowing users to import libraries from rival sites. Having Apple officially incorporate the feature might give reluctant users the confidence to move. Some pointers to help you along with your musical migration. Importing into Apple Music The iPhone maker recently published a help page to walk users through the process of importing libraries into Apple Music. The feature, buried in your settings, is provided by a third-party service called Songshift. It’s currently available to users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. To use it, you’ll need an Apple Music account and the latest version of iOS or the Android Apple Music app. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Apps, then Music. Tap “Transfer Music from Other Music Services” to pop up a list of various streaming services. Android users can follow a similar process. Transfers can also be done through a web browser at music.apple.com. After choosing a service, another screen appears, prompting you to log into the target account. Now you get a menu with options to import “All Songs and Albums” as well as “All Playlists.” If you don’t want all your playlists, you can untick the ones you don’t want. However, you can’t pick individual songs and albums. Apple Music will then replicate your library based on your choices. Importing my Spotify library, with about 150 playlists, went fairly smoothly, although the process took about half an hour because the service also downloaded around 1,230 songs and albums to my iPhone. I had assumed that ticking “All Songs and Albums” meant that Apple Music would mirror the handful of music I had downloaded to my Spotify app, but it also downloaded all 63 albums in my Spotify library and the 440 songs on my Liked Songs list, which I normally listen to via streaming. If you don’t want to download everything, unselect that option before you start. Also note that Apple says playlists “created by the music service” can’t be transferred, so I couldn’t bring Spotify-curated lists like This is Taylor Swift or Alternative 80s with me. It also meant that my Liked Songs list, which Spotify generates for every user — and a list I’ve been adding to over the years — couldn’t be replicated. Any downloaded songs were just dumped into Apple Music’s library. After this story was first published, reader Linda Feaster wrote in with a workaround: create your own playlist and then add all the tracks from the Spotify playlist. It could be tedious if there are hundreds of songs but should do the trick. If you’re tempted to try out the tool, note that it probably won’t work the same way with every service. Apple warns that what can be transferred is up to the source platform. Playlists made by others, such as BBC Music’s The Sounds of 1994, for example, did make it over. After the move is done, you’ll have 30 days to review songs that aren’t available or don’t have an exact match in Apple’s catalog, and choose from any alternate versions. Working with other music platforms Most of the other big music streaming platforms offer ways to transfer your library to their site. They mostly rely on standalone third-party services that have been around for a while, are free to use, and don’t need app integration to work. Tidal and Deezer both direct users on their websites to one such service, Tune My Music, which works with popular platforms like Spotify as well as a host of lesser known sites. Amazon Music’s webpage has dedicated buttons for Tune My Music and two similar services, Songshift and Soundiiz. Google also advises third-party services for YouTube Music users who want to import or export playlists, albums, artists and tracks. However, for Apple Music users who want to move to YouTube Music, the process is different. You’ll have to sign in to Apple Music and request a transfer a copy of your data, then export it directly to YouTube Music. “The transfer process may take several hours if you have many playlists,” Google warns on its support page. Spotify says it’s currently testing a way for users to transfer their libraries and expects to provide more details soon. Using a third-party service to migrate between platforms It was super easy to move my Spotify library to Deezer using Tune My Music. I clicked a button on the Deezer website that got the process started by prompting me to log in to my Spotify account. Then a menu came up with pre-ticked options on what I could migrate: my entire library, favorite songs, favorite albums, favorite artists and any or all of my 150 playlists. I decided to move it all over, which amounted to more than 16,359 items. It took about five minutes. Unlike Apple Music, Deezer didn’t download any files, it just copied lists. A few dozen songs went missing, Tune My Music said. “It usually happens because the song doesn’t exist on the new platform, or it’s named a bit differently and couldn’t be matched,” it said, but added that I could download a list of missing tracks to look for them on the new platform. After you finish transferring your music library, don’t forget that it’s still on the original platform and hasn’t been deleted. Most third-party transfer services are free, but also offer premium levels with more features, such as instant syncing of libraries between multiple streaming sites. ____ Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip. —Kelvin Chan, AP business writer AP Business Writer James Pollard contributed to this report. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source. The market for fitness bands competing with Whoop is beginning to fill out, and the latest one I’ve gotten my hands on is the Polar Loop. (I recently reviewed Amazfit’s Helio Strap and Garmin’s screenless tracker, which turned out to be a sleep-only specialty device.) My full review of the Polar Loop will have to wait until I have more data, but right away I noticed some significant physical differences between the Polar Loop and its competitors. Below is a size comparison of the Whoop MG (left), the Polar Loop (center), and the Amazfit Helio Strap (right). The three devices are lined up in declining order of both price and size: the Whoop is the smallest and costs anywhere from $199/year to $359/year depending on which tier of membership you choose. The Polar Loop is $199.99 as a one-time purchase with no subscription, and the Amazfit Helio Strap is $99.99, also with no subscription. Left to right: Whoop MG, Polar Loop, Amazfit Helio Strap Credit: Beth Skwarecki I’m not sure if the Loop will be able to justify being double the price of the Helio, at least on functionality (but we’ll see how I feel after I put it through its paces). In its defense, though, I will say it seems that the Polar team put a little more effort into styling than Amazfit did, and in one respect perhaps a bit more than Whoop. The Whoop device only comes in black, although you can cover it with bands of any color. The Polar Loop, meanwhile, comes in black if you buy it with a black or brown strap, and in a pale grayish color if you buy it with the greige strap. Credit: Beth Skwarecki The shiny accent under the band is a nice touch. Like both the Whoop and the Helio, the Polar Loop covers its device with a fabric strap. Its design looks simpler to replicate, though: just thread a 21-millimeter strap through the slots and you have a Polar Loop strap. Meanwhile, the Whoop has its own unique shape of band and clasp (and the current 5.0/MG Whoop takes a different band than the 4.0 generation). The Helio can take any 22-millimeter watch strap, but only if you’re OK with the blank plastic face of the device showing. The third-party strap market looks more promising to me for the Loop than for its competitors. And while Polar probably doesn’t love to think about it that way, I consider plentiful, affordable strap selection to be a plus for any wearable. View the full article

Learn what keywords are, why they matter, and how to research and use them in SEO and AI search. View the full article

Two keyword clustering and topic modeling methods include automated clustering using SEO tools and grouping keywords manually. View the full article

You do LLMO by creating quality content, building web presence, formatting for AI parsing, and ensuring technical accessibility for crawlers. View the full article

You can reduce PPC costs by improving Quality Score, targeting long-tail keywords, using negative keywords, and optimizing ad scheduling and bids. View the full article

Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword appears on a page. And it doesn’t matter anymore. View the full article

Leading SEO service providers include NP Digital, WebFX, Siege Media, and Victorious. Choose based on your budget and specific SEO needs. View the full article

Content marketing boosts brand visibility by creating valuable content, improving search rankings, and encouraging social sharing View the full article

Google‘s algorithm analyzes your search query to understand your intent, then evaluates and ranks web pages based on relevance and quality. View the full article

You should generally use subfolders for international SEO because they consolidate domain authority, are easier to manage, and typically perform better. View the full article

Keyword research is important to content marketing because it tells you whether a particular topic has clear demand or not. View the full article

Key strategies for competitive analysis include ​​monitoring competitor content, analyzing SEO performance, tracking ad campaigns, and studying customer feedback. View the full article

If you think Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late night television this week spells the end of that whole saga, well, think again: A group of investors is demanding that Walt Disney share information about why he was suspended in the first place. Lawyers representing the American Federation of Teachers, Reporters Without Borders and other groups of Disney shareholders sent a letter to the entertainment giant on Wednesday requesting internal documents and communications related to the decision to remove Kimmel from the air. Kimmel was suspended by ABC “indefinitely” last week related to comments he made about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The group of shareholders are seeking to learn whether the decision to yank Kimmel was driven by politically-fueled threats from federal regulators and broadcast affiliates and if Disney’s board and executives didn’t live up to their fiduciary duties—to act in the best interest of shareholders. The group said that, given the The President administration’s threats to free speech, it was writing to “seek transparency” about the initial decision to suspend Kimmel and his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! “There is a credible basis to suspect that the board and executives may have breached their fiduciary duties of loyalty, care, and good faith by placing improper political or affiliate considerations above the best interests of the company and its stockholders,” the letter said. DISNEY’S SELLOFF The group of shareholders is requesting a wide broad range of information from Disney—including financial information to estimate the effect of Kimmel’s suspension on Disney’s revenue to any communications board members, including CEO Bob Iger, had with political organizations and federal regulators. Though Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night and his opening monologue has racked up 20 million views on YouTube, Disney shares have yet to recover from last week’s suspension. What’s more, his show still isn’t being aired to about one-quarter of U.S. households served by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group stations. Disney shares fell 3.3% during the time when Kimmel was suspended and the move triggered a consumer boycott of Disney-owned streaming services, including Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN. QUESTIONS REGARDING ROLE OF FCC The group of investors linked Kimmel’s suspension with threats from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The selloff in the stock illustrates “fears of brand damage and concerns that Disney was complicit in succumbing to the government overreach and media censorship,” the group said, while negative repercussions on Disney and its shareholders remain given President Donald The President’s continued threats to ABC. Nexstar currently requires the approval of the FCC for its planned $6.2 billion merger with Tegna. “Disney shareholders deserve the truth about exactly what went down inside the company after Brendan Carr’s threat to punish ABC unless action was taken against Jimmy Kimmel,” Randi Weingarten, AFT president, said in a statement from Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit watchdog group that helped organize the shareholder letter. “The Disney board has a legal responsibility to act in the best interests of its shareholders—and we are seeking answers to discover if that bond was broken to kowtow to the The President administration,” Weingarten said. View the full article

A newly released report from Senate Democrats alleges the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has “copied Americans’ sensitive Social Security and employment data into a cloud database without any verified security controls,” and is “operating outside federal law, with unchecked access to Americans’ personal data” at the Social Security Administration (SSA), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). DOGE was initially led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The report, released on Thursday by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)—a ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee—found DOGE is “working without any accountability” to agency leadership, Congressional oversight, or the public. “DOGE isn’t making government more efficient—they are bypassing cybersecurity protections, evading oversight, and putting Americans’ personal data at risk,” Senator Peters said in a statement. “We cannot allow this shadow operation to continue operating unchecked while millions of people face the threat of identity theft, economic disruption, and permanent harm.” The 44-page “Peters report” is based on staff investigations and information from multiple whistleblowers, including Chuck Borges, former chief data officer at the Social Security Administration, who said DOGE employees at SSA had access to personal data on all Americans—including Social Security numbers—in an insecure cloud environment. Additionally, the report alleges it’s very likely that foreign adversaries, such as Russia, China, and Iran, are already aware of this new DOGE cloud environment. The report cited an internal SSA risk assessment that determined the likelihood of a data breach with “catastrophic adverse effect” is between 35% and 65%. The database reportedly includes not just Social Security numbers (SSNs) but also people’s date of birth, city, work permit status, and parents’ names, according to The Verge. DOGE report conclusions The report concludes that the loss of Social Security numbers (SSNs) could allegedly trigger widespread identity theft, delay access to benefits, and destabilize core systems Americans rely on. Peters is calling for The President administration agencies to immediately halt DOGE operations and access to information systems, given the report’s findings about the catastrophic risk of a serious data breach. According to the risk assessment, in a worst-case scenario, one whistleblower disclosed the possibility that such a breach could require re-issuing Social Security numbers for every American—a process that would disrupt access to banking, employment, health care, and housing. View the full article