Hanging Out on Google Plus Hangouts

By: Joe Prasad
Category: Social Media
August 3, 2012

Google has always wanted to be your gateway to the internet, and Google Plus is another move towards this goal. Because of Google Pluses open architecture this is a lot easier than Facebook. You don’t have to have permission to add people to your circles, and there is something unique about Google Hangouts that Facebook doesn’t offer.

 

Google Hangouts is based on the immense YouTube infrastructure, so people can hang out with, and meet others, in a virtual space with face to face to face interaction. Google continues to create and add new features and applications to the platform, here are a few.

 

Symphonical

Symphonical is an app that allows different Hangout participants to work together on projects or to-do lists. You can manage projects and also host presentations using this app. The information is stored directly on Symphonical’s website, allowing the users access to it even when the Hangout is no longer in session.

 

SlideShare

SlideShare is a well known and growing social presentation platform. The host of a Hangout may use the SlideShare app and feature presentations. This can be used for business meetings because you’re able to share your hangout with a few people or the entire world. The privacy and share settings are easy to use.

 

You Tube Videos

You can provide YouTube videos for all parties to view together during a Hangout. This can add another interactive layer for meetings and conference calls. It can be used for a simple family gathering. You can share the new video of Susie taking her first steps with her grandparents in Des Moines. The possibilities are as boundless as your imagination will allow.

 

Cameraman

Google introduced the Cameraman app in July. Used with Google Hangouts on Air, it helps people create more professional broadcasts. This app is ideal for controlling how and when guests will appear on a broadcast. Sarah Hill an Anchor/Reporter and Hangout Host at KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO was the first to utilize this app for broadcasting.

 

 

Hangouts on Air

Hangouts on Air, which allows hosts the opportunity to broadcast on a public level, or to  groups is a social game changer in my opinion. Some of the biggest public figures and even President Obama have used it to reach viewers globally. Hangouts on Air can be viewed in a variety of ways, like a embedded link on a website, on YouTube, or from the Google Plus page. Hosts can even see the exact number of viewers watching the event as it happens live. Event and broadcast planners are able to interact with their viewers through submitted comments or questions using hash tags.

 

Once a Hangout ends, a recorded copy can be uploaded to the host’s YouTube channel, as well as to the Google Plus post. The benefits of this are huge, in that the Hangout can be viewed and shared with ease.

 

Statistics tell us Google Plus already has over 200 million users worldwide. This would make it the fastest growing social media platform in the history of the internet. The most significant yet under utilized feature of Google Plus is Hangouts. I think it’s the best feature of the platform. It will have greater adoption as people realize how cool it is, and more applications are developed to use along with it. Individual apps will make Hangouts a unique experience and this will only improve.

 

For more information, FAQs and support, visit the Google Plus Homepage.

 

If your already on Google Plus add me to your Circles and lets hangout.