Google Plus Hangouts offer you the ability to video chat with family, friends and acquaintances who are part of your circle and who, in turn, have reciprocated by making you part of their circles.
The benefits and options associated with Google+ Hangouts are extensive and growing as Google refines this facility and small businesses find new applications for hangouts.
{Photo Credit: Birgerking – Chat like mad]
Using Google Plus Hangouts for Internal Communications with Staff
Helen Barrett of The Guardian recently reported that Google+ has attracted considerable interest from charities. In the report, she identifies some key uses by charities:
- including primary keywords for posts in their Google+ stream (to increase their search engine rankings)
- sharing technical/medical/scientific information in the Google+ stream to attract a early adopters to improve their lifestyle and/or participate more fully in the charity’s work
- using the Google Plus Hangouts for internal communications
The potential applications of Google Plus Hangouts for staff communications include:
- provide information about product updates
- maintain contact with work-at-home staff
- develop a training program
- conduct a brainstorming session
- share planned marketing activities
- facilitate project team communications or undertake project planning
- connect with staff in remote localities
- maintain contact with volunteers (public sector or charitable organizations)
- share YouTube Videos for training, for fun or creative endeavor – everyone can watch the same video but have different volume controls (including mute) and anyone can change, play or pause a video.
Peter McDermott has provided a very useful Beginner’s Guide to Google Plus Hangouts that will enable you to further explore the potential of this tool for staff communications:
Charities have already started to realize the potential of Google Plus Hangouts for marketing – it is time that this tool was used effectively by small businesses for staff communications.