Google+ Hangouts and Features

So have you tried using Google+ yet? Although it is similar to Facebook in many ways, it does have some cool features – most of which I haven’t used yet. First you create circles. For instance, I have a circle for family, another for marketing friends, etc. Then when you post a comment, you choose which of the circles to send it to. That way your family notices can be kept private.

The image on the left shows some of the options available on your right Google+ sidebar.  You can send invitations to others, start a hangout, or create a Google+ page. I didn’t even notice the create a page option until today, so haven’t tried it yet. I imagine it’s Google’s version of a Fanpage, but can’t say for sure.

What I can say is how much I’ve been enjoying using the hangout feature. You can invite up to ten people for an impromptu video chat. The quality of video and audio are both clear and if you don’t have a webcam, or are in a don’t look at me mood, you can still participate and your photo will show instead. There is also a text chat feature.

Here’s a look at the first screen you’ll see once you start a hangout:

Underneath the green ‘Hang out’ button, there is an option to use ‘Hangouts With Extras’. If you do, you’ll have the ability to share your screen – great if you are trying to explain a concept to someone.

The only problems we’ve had so far are that the share screen can be a bit finicky and doesn’t always work, and once in a while one of the five people in our hangout gets booted off the call and has to re-join. For a free service, I can live with those things.

Have you tried Google+ yet? And the hangouts option in particular? Would you like me to do a video tutorial for it? Let me know by commenting below.

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