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Rethinking Webinars: The Possibilities of Google+ Hangouts On Air

Date published: January 22, 2013
Last updated: January 22, 2013

Last May, Google released the Hangouts On Air feature to their Google+ network. Before launching, only 10 participants could participate in the Google+ Hangouts video conference. Because Hangouts On Air automatically record and broadcast via YouTube, an unlimited amount of people could view the video conference. With this added YouTube functionality, many marketers have begun producing interactive presentations via Google+ that combine elements from traditional webinars, expert interviews and roundtable discussions.

So, could Google+ Hangouts On Air completely replace your webinar strategy? Here are a few pros and cons:

The Pros:

Interactivity:

The biggest selling point for Google+ Hangouts is the interactivity. Viewers see the presenters via webcam. The participants are also visible by their webcams. Additionally, the host can un-mute any participant and bring their video feed to the main screen to ask a question or make a comment. A chat window is always open during the presentation. Additionally, the host can share his or her own screen to reference a webpage.

YouTube Integration:

While many webinar and teleconference providers like WebEx and GoToMeeting provide audio/video replays after a presentation concluded, the YouTube integration with Google+ Hangouts is unmatched.

Not only does it broadcast the Hangout live via YouTube, it automatically uploads the video replay to the YouTube Channel associated with the Google account of the Hangout initiator. This could potentially replace several workflow steps. Producing a recording of a webinar, exporting it from WebEx/GoToMeeting, and uploading it to YouTube.

Furthermore, the quality of the recording is equal to that of the broadcast itself. As opposed to being compressed in any way.

Those who understand the power of repurposing content will appreciate the benefits of publishing a webinar to YouTube. You can make it an integral element of your webinar strategies.

The Cons:

10 Participant Ceiling

While an unlimited amount of people can view the broadcast via YouTube, a Google+ Hangout On Air is still limited to 10 live participants. This includes the host and guest(s). This, of course, limits interactivity to the 10 within the Hangout. A traditional webinar with interactive functionality could field questions and comments from every participant within the presentation. A nice workaround would be to rely on Twitter to collect viewer questions and comments.

Lack of Lead Capture

The lack of lead capture functionality in Google+ Hangouts to be a deal breaker. Especially for marketers who produce webinars and other online presentations for the purpose of generating leads. In light of a traditional registration form, the 10 Hangout participants can only be invited via Google+. This means you must connect with them on the network. While anyone can watch the live YouTube broadcast, there is no built-in way to capture those viewers as a lead without sending them to a form during or after the presentation.

Google+ Hangouts On Air represent possibilities for interactive presentations. However, it may be hard to replace your traditional webinars with them. Due to the ease of planning a Hangout, they can be a way to supplement your webinar schedule. Have you seen any interesting uses of Google+ Hangouts? Let us know in the comments below.

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