Kobo has announced plans to integrate its ereaders and reading ps with the social reading platform StoryGrh in June. StoryGrh is an independent alternative to Goodreads that exists outside of Amazon’s ecosystem and offers users more control over their recommendations.

“For a lot of us, the best part of reading is the community. It’s a part of how we show up in the world as readers every day,” Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn said in a statement. “That’s why I’m so excited about our integration with StoryGrh. We wanted to strip away the friction between finishing a chter and and sharing your progress. Now, Kobo readers can do exactly that, seamlessly.”

When the new integration launches in June, Kobo ereaders and reading ps will automatically sync with connected StoryGrh accounts. The integration will update book progress percentages, add books you’re currently reading to StoryGrh’s In Progress shelf and mark finished books as “Read.” Besides ebooks, the integration will also work with any audiobooks you listen to through Kobo’s platform.

As an alternative to Amazon’s more popular, but restrictive Kindle ecosystem, it makes a lot of sense Kobo would work with StoryGrh. Both companies are aligned on giving readers more control over their reading experience. StoryGrh is also just one of several integrations Kobo currently offers. The company’s ereaders have an Inster integration for reading saved web articles and the ability to access files from cloud storage providers like Dropbox and Google Drive.

With Google transforming search into an AI-driven experience, it was only a matter of time before AI ads entered the fray. As part of its Google I/O week announcements, the company previewed how Gemini-powered, conversational ads will start pearing in search results. Fortunately, all of the new AI-generated ad formats will be labeled as “sponsored.”

Google is testing two new ad types in AI Mode, both powered by “an independent AI explainer.” First, Conversational Discovery Ads will pear in AI Mode’s answers. The company explains to its advertisers that “your ad answers a person’s specific question.” (Who among us hasn’t dreamed of their questions being answered by ads?) Then there’s “highlighted answers,” which insert ads into AI Mode’s recommendation lists. For example, if you ask it about the best language ps, a sponsored entry for Duolingo might pear.

Standard Google Search will also be getting AI ads in the coming months. AI-Powered Shopping Ads are tailored to “big” purchases. (Google’s examples include a refrigerator, TV, or espresso machine.) When searching for one of these items, sponsored products will pear in the AI-fueled search results. As the company explains to its advertisers, “Gemini will pull up your most relevant products and instantly write a custom explainer highlighting why your product may be the right choice for them.”

Then there’s Business Agent for Leads. This Gemini-powered ad format places a “smart brand agent” (a custom chatbot that speaks as a company representative) within search ads. For example, a student researching universities might see a box with a “Chat” or “Ask a question” button within a sponsored search result.

Finally, Google’s Direct Offers feature is expanding to include more personalized deals. You’ll start seeing things like AI-powered product bundles, giveaways, and local coupons. Meanwhile, a built-in checkout feature lets you snag deals without leaving search, and you’ll also start seeing personalized travel deals within AI-assisted trip planning.

The platform would advocate for affected creators whenever that hpened, and it was able to get Stripe to unfreeze their funds and to continue accepting money on their behalf so they could finish their campaigns. However, Kickstarter wasn’t always successful in getting Stripe’s decision reversed. It thought that the best path forward was to “close the g” between its rules and Stripe’s so that creators would only have one set of rules to deal with.

“That was the intent, but the decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, f*ck the establishment spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable,” it wrote in its post.

Under its previous rules, which have now been reinstated,pornogrhy and illegal content are still prohibited. But the rules are less restrictive, as they’re more “bare bones and not as specific.” Kickstarter said that Stripe can still suspend campaigns due to their nature, but it promised to advocate for creators and to help them make adjustments to make their projects acceptable to Stripe. The platform called it an “imperfect temporary solution,” so it could still implement changes surrounding mature content in the future.

Kickstarter isn’t the only website affected by payment processors’ policies. Last year, Steam also started banning games that violate the rules and standards of”payment processors and related card networks and banks,” which affected titles with adult themes. Years before that, credit card companies Mastercard and Visa blocked the use of their cards on Pornhub and even severed ties with the advertising arm of the adult website’s parent company MindGeek.