Top Scientists and Science Writers To Follow In Google Plus

Top Scientists and Science Writers To Follow In Google Plus
+Philip Plait Astronomer
+PZ Myers Biologist
+Maggie Koerth-Baker Science editor boingboing.net
+Fraser Cain Publisher Of University today
+Nikolay Koldunov Arctic Oceanography
+Sean Carroll Physicist at Caltech. Master of time and space.
+Adrian West Astronomer
+Pamela Gay Astronomer
+Nicole Gugliucci Noisy astronomer
+Emily Lakdawalla Planetary Society blogger, space writer
+John Baez Mathematician and physicist
+Joerg Heber 
Physicist,Science writer
+Rebecca Watson Skepchick
+Gail Barnes Physicist
+Brad Snowder Astroholic
+Diogo Melo 
Physicist, Writer,  Philosopher
+Andrew Jones Editor at Black Gate magazine
+Ian O'Neill Space Producer for Discovery News
+Ray Sanders Sci-Fi geek, astronomer

Google+ iPhone app v 1.0.2.1966

 a new version of our Google+ iPhone app (v 1.0.2.1966) will be rolling out in the Appstore over the next few hours. Get it hot off the presses from: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google/id447119634?mt=8 

The latest and greatest updates to the Google+ iOS app, including support for iPod Touch & iPad, better +mention support, hide 1:1 Huddles, and much more!



What's New in Version 1.0.2.1966
- Huddle settings
- Aggregated circle add notifications
- iPod touch & iPad support
- Performance and stability improvements



The app takes a few hours to roll out. So if you are having issues, check the version number (go to Homescreen, tap on gears icon) and ensure it is v1.0.2.1966.

4 Reasons Google+ Brand Pages Will Be Better Than Facebook’s

Via Mashable,In a month or two, Google+ will launch its highly anticipated brand pages. Here are four reasons why marketers are right to be excited and why Google+ brand pages will provide a better branded experience than Facebook.

1. Better Search Opportunites

A major challenge with driving paid search ads to a Facebook page is that the Facebook.com domain generates a lower click-through rate (CTR), most likely due to people finding the domain irrelevant to their query. The low CTR makes for a low quality score in Google’s auction-model, which typically increases cost per click for paid search ads driving to Facebook versus a unique brand domain. The loss in cost efficiency of driving to a Facebook page has been an ongoing struggle for advertisers, particularly on Google, which has over 60% of the search market.

It would be crazy for search giant Google not to have search benefits for Google+ brand pages, whether it is a “certified check mark” callout (like on Twitter), a colored box around the listing, or possibly page-rank priority. Search benefits would likely be the strongest reason for brands to adopt a Google+ brand page. The only flaw in this theory is that giving brand pages’ extra benefits in search could raise the specter of anti-trust action and legal challenges.

2. More Customization

Facebook ad types are limited to just ads, sometimes with a video or poll, allowing for few branding or creative opportunities. Looking at the design of Google+ personal pages, I predict the two skyscraper-sized white spaces on each side of the profile will be opportunities for custom skinning of your brand page and for display or rich media ads.

Google+ users are probably cursing me for suggesting the placement of ads on the currently clean design of Google+, but I am speaking specifically about allowing brands to advertise and skin their own pages as seen on branded YouTube channels such as Old Spice and Miracle Whip. These are great examples of how Google+ brand pages can deliver stronger brand experiences and help brands raise awareness of special promotions, as well as letting them drive qualified traffic to pages outside of Google+.

I would not be surprised if advertising opportunities were immediately available after the launch of Google+ brand pages, since Google is fully prepared to support it with its Google Display Network, AdWords and DoubleClick advertising products.

3. Better Analytics

People who have used Google Analytics know how detailed the data is, including metrics like time spent on page, top content, referring sites and geographic information. It seems inevitable for Google to integrate Google Analytics into Google+ brand pages, so that brands can gain valuable insights into who their fans are, what content their fans are consuming, and where they are coming from.

All this data will guide brands in the prioritization, organization and creation of content for their page, which will lead to an improved experience that better suits fans’ interests and needs. More importantly, Google Analytics and DoubleClick reporting products will let advertisers tie paid media placements to page interaction, and help to optimize and maximize the value of media spend.

4. Google Can Learn from Facebook

Facebook pioneered one-on-one connections between a brand and its fans through social networking, and will continue to be valuable for inherently social brands like musicians and celebrities. But for less social industries such as insurance, health and, say, paper towels, Google+ provides a platform that is open to conversation and focuses on providing branded content and valuable information in one place.

Facebook’s successes and missteps offer invaluable lessons, giving Google second-mover advantage in creating a brand page based on brands’ need for more customization, a hub to aggregate content across the web, strong search presence and user-engagement data. However, if Google+ brand pages turn out to be a replica of Facebook’s, the battle could be over before it’s begun.

Inviting To Google Plus Got A lot Easier

Inviting your friends to Google+ just got a lot easier, thanks to a subtle change that Google+ has rolled out to its users.

The update gives you the ability to share Google+ invites by simply sharing a link. By sharing your unique link with your friends, up to 150 of them can instantly sign up for Google’s social network. The search giant still offers inviting friends via email as an option.

The update was announced earlier this week by Google+ engineer Balaji Srinivasan. “Since we’re still in field trial, we’re limiting sign-ups from these links to 150 per person for now,” Srinivasan noted in his Google+ post.

 According To Balaji Srinivasan
We’ve heard that you want to invite your friends, but sometimes you don't know their email addresses... or sometimes its not easy to find it.
To address this, we’ll be rolling out a new feature over the next few days that lets you invite others simply by using a link.

When you click the “invite friends” button on the right-hand side of the page, you’ll find a new link that you can IM to friends or post on the web.
Since we're still in field trial, we're limiting sign-ups from these links to 150 per person for now. We hope you'll like this easy way to bring your friends onto Google+. Thanks and keep the feedback coming!

How to make good use of Google+’s Circles

I was going to write more about the nuts and bolts ofGoogle+, but that’s changing so fast that I’ve decided to hold off on that for now. Instead, I want to share with you what I’ve found out so far about how to make the most from Google+’s circles.

Let me start with the basics. Google circles are a way of organizing the people you choose to follow on Google+. People can add you to their circles, but they’ll only see your posts that you choose to make public, unless you add them to one or more of your circles.

So, for example, if you post “I really like Spotify [the new online music service]” to the public, everyone who has you in one of their circles can see it. If you post it to your “Friends” circle only the people you’ve placed in your Friends circle will be able to read it.

The reverse is also true. Let’s say you really don’t want to see all of great aunt Tillie’s pictures of her prize winning Siamese cats. You just read your Friends circle’ stream of messages instead of your Family circle’s stream.

You’re also in charge of how much other information other people can see about you based on your circle. So, for example, you can set your circles so that only “Friends” and “Family” can see your phone number.

In any case, no one but you knows who’s in your circles or which circles you’ve placed them in. So, you’ll know that your annoying uncle Joe has been placed in the circle “Ugly Relatives,” but no else will.

What all this adds up to is control. Unlike Facebook, where pretty much anyone your friends with can see everything you post, Google+ gives you fine control of who sees what and what you see.

My friend and fellow journalist Mike Elgan, has proposed what I think is a really useful overall way of looking at circles. Elgan’s taxonomy of Google+ circles goes like this:

Instead of saying, “I’m going to write a blog post now,” or “I’m going to send an e-mail” or “I think I’ll tweet something” you simply say what you have to say, then decide who you’re going to say it to.

If you address it to “Public,” it’s a blog post.

If you address it to “Your Circles” it’s a tweet.

If you address it to your “My Customers” Circle it’s a business newsletter.

If you address it to a single person, it can be a letter to your mother.

That’s a darn good start. Now let’s refine it.

If you’re addressing something to the public, it doesn’t have to be a blog post. It can be anything that you think is interesting and you want to share with the world.

Just keep in mind that if you want to keep people reading your words show some sense about what you post. For example, I can already tell you that a lot of Google+ users are already sick and tired of animated GIF graphics-no matter how cute they are.

You can divide up “Your Circles” in several ways. The basics, as I see it are: personal; work; and interests. A personal circle is just what it sounds like: Friends, Close Friends, and Family. You get the idea.

Work circles get more interesting. You could have everyone in your company in a circle; your workgroup in another, the guys you’re plotting to take over the company with another… oh did I say that?

Or, you can have work circles of business partners, press who cover your company, or customers. That’s what the CEO of Seesmic, a social media company, did for Salesforce. This Google+ Salesforce experiment appears to have worked very well indeed.

I can see this working in other ways. Perhaps a customer support circle in addition to your other customer support forums? Or, you could also try Google+’s Hangouts, Google Plus’ built-in video-conferencing, for business meetings or technical support. The last isn’t my idea by the way, It’s Michael Dell’s, CEO of Dell, notion.

Dell, I might add, has floated this idea in his public circle. So, it seems to both myself and Mr. Dell that you can also use business circles for basic marketing research.

Last, but not least, you can set up circles by interests. Want to hang out with your colleagues? Listen to other people who like Shih-Tzu dogs, like yours truly and Bill Gates? Suffer with fellow Chicago Cub fans? Just find like-minded people and set up a circle.

At the moment, Google+ circles aren’t ideal for interest circles. For example, if you were to follow me in a dog-lovers circle, I might only mention pups once every other day or two. It’s my understanding though that Google intends on making it easier to post by topics. I certainly hope they do.

I’m only touching the surface of what can be done with Google Circles here. In part, I’m doing this because I’m still getting the hang of this myself. The other part is that Google is far from done with circles yet. You can expect big changes in circles in the next few weeks.

Four Things Artists Love about Google Plus.

Lots of artists are posting their work on Google+. We got in touch with a few of them to ask about their experience so far. The response? They love it. As Carsten Bradley, an illustrator in Atlanta, Georgia, writes:

At this point, for artists it is almost like a social networking utopia. We get instant feedback on our work, and visibility far exceeding the capabilities of Facebook and Twitter combined. With the power of circles, we can share works in progress to select individuals and get immediate feedback and critiques without exposing the work publicly. Maybe it doesn't have anything to do with those reasons. Maybe it's just because it's new and shiny. [But the truth of it is] that artists are really coming together here, and it's wonderful.

Daniel Ibanez, an artist and illustrator living in Fort Collins, Colorado, loves it so much he can see it becoming his primary art blog.

Here are a four things artists love about the site:

1. Google+'s image display page looks really classy. Art shines on its transparent black background. Not to pat our own backs, The Atlantic's In Focus blog has set up a camp on the site, and the results are awesome.

2. The traffic has been immense, especially relative to the rather paltry artist's private site usually receives. Eric Orchard, a cartoonist living in Toronto, says that the Google+ traffic is translating into a spike in sales of his work.

3. One reason for the increased traffic: Unlike Facebook, it's the norm on Google+ to follow people who are complete strangers. As Canadian artist Linsay Blondeau puts it, "There's no pretense of being actual 'friends.'" Of course, if you're an artist trying to market your stuff, reaching beyond the people you already know is going to be crucial.

4. Twitter, like Google+, is good for interacting with strangers. But Twitter's not a great way to display art (you can include one photo or a link to your site, but not an album like Google+ allows). Additionally, French artist Benjamin Basso points out that Google+ doesn't have a big spam problem (yet), something that can be a bit of an annoyance on Twitter. And the real humans on Google+ are a chatty bunch, giving artists an unusual opportunity to receive feedback on their work.

How to Display Latest Google Plus Update on Your Blog [wordpress]

Google Plus is the newest project from Google and it is also the new invitation-only social media kid on the block that wants to knock Facebook off the mountain. If you are currently using Google Plus and want to add the latest Google Plus update on your blog, that’s possible, you can copy and paste the following on your WordPress files.

<?php
 include_once(ABSPATH.WPINC.'/rss.php');
 $googleplus = fetch_feed("http://plusfeed.appspot.com/103329092193061943712"); // Replace 103329092193061943712 by your own ID
 echo '<a href="Here_To_Put_Your_Google_Plus_ID';
 echo $googleplus->items[0]['link']; echo '">';
 echo $googleplus->items[0]['summary'];
 echo '';
?>

P/S: Don’t forget to put your Google+ ID on line 3.

Google vs Microsoft in Android Patent Dispute

Google and Microsoft have been going at it the past few days over patent disputes. Google recently shot back at Microsoft and revealed that Google had turned down the opportunity to partner up with Microsoft in bidding for patents.

So lets start from the beginning. Google's Cheif Legal Officer, David Drummond, apparently accused company's like Apple and Microsoft of participating in an organized campaign to take Google's Android platform down though patent lawsuits.

Brad Smith from Microsoft then soon revealed that Google was talking a load of crap and that Google was offered to partner up but had turned down an offer to bid for patents together. Frank Shaw, Microsoft's Head of Communications, posted an email discussing the deal between Google and Microsoft. He even tweeted "Free advice for David Drummond[Google] – next time check with Kent Walker[Google] before you blog."

Drummond responded by saying, "It's not surprising that Microsoft would want to divert attention by pushing a false 'gotcha!' while failing to address the substance of the issues we raised. Making sure that we would be unable to assert these patents to defend Android — and having us pay for the privilege — must have seemed like an ingenious strategy to them. We didn't fall for it."

Frank Shaw, from Microsoft, responded on twitter by saying: "We offered Google the opportunity to bid with us to buy the Novell patents; they said no. Why? BECAUSE they wanted to buy something that they could use to assert against someone else. SO partnering with others & reducing patent liability across industry is not something they wanted to help do."

So apparently, Google did turn down Microsoft's offer. It makes sense because if Google did buy the patents together with Microsoft, it would not have helped them against any litigation against Microsoft. But really, does this sort of public bickering really need to take place?

Yeah, doubt this little fight is over. Lets see who says what next!

Google Docs Tests New Interface which depicts Google+ Interface

Google Docs has a new interface inspired by Google+ and you can try it here. The interface is clean and there's a lot of white space. You'll also find the familiar red buttons, the gray buttons, the new scrollbars and the labelless search button.

The new interface looks better, but there's a lot of white space that could be used to show more information about the files. The details view is no longer available from the interface, but you can enable it in the old UI and the setting is preserved.

Gmail Unveils Preview Pane: Browse Emails While You Reply to Them

Gmail is taking a few cues from its tablet apps with Preview Pane, Google’s newest Gmail Labs feature.

Preview Pane, which is now available in Gmail Labs, allows users to simultaneously preview parts of an email while reading or replying to others. Users of Gmail for iPad or Android will instantly recognize the interface — its design is directly inspired by the email service’s mobile web apps.

Activating Preview Pane opens up a three-window panel for Gmail, with the Preview Pane in between the navigation and email panes. Activating the horizontal split places the preview pane at the top and emails below the preview pane. Users can change pane settings with a button that appears on the top right corner of Gmail.Google‘s Official Gmail Blog suggests that users with higher-resolution screens will get the most out of the feature.

The concept of a Preview Pane sounds intriguing, but my initial tests lead me to conclude it’s a clunky and incomplete product. It breaks up my Gmail Labels in a way that keeps them from lining up with Gmail’s navigation pane, leading to a ugly and cluttered look. The standard two-pane system is cleaner, although you probably can get through more emails with Preview Pane activated.

Will you be switching to Preview Pane? Test it out and let us know what you think of it in the comments.

5 Free Tools for Recording Google+ Hangouts

I search whole internet for special software that record Google+ hangout but nothing found. But we can use one more alternative method for record Google+ hangout using screen recorder. We well known that that screen captures and recorder can record all things on pc screen or you can choose specific window area for record in some software’s.  Here I am going to publish some good screen recorder’s that you can use for record Google+ hangout.

1. Screen2exe

I like this software most because it is easy to use and create exe files of recorded videos and we can use these exe files on any computer without worry about any codec pack. You can choose any window area for record like you can select only Google+ hangout record area only for record. After complete recording you can add annotation, text images, fade in/out and cut video frames effects on video and make it more attractive. So I think it is good option for record your Google plus hangout.

[Download Screen2exe]

2. CamStudio

CamStudio is another freeware Windows tool for record Google+ hangout. CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files. You can also use its built-in SWF producer for convert recorded AVI files in SWF formats. You can use this software create video tutorials and other types screen recording. According to me if you are looking for record Google+ hangout in AVI format then you must use this software. If AVI code is not installed on your computer then you can download and install manually codec from website.

[Download CamStudio]

3. BB FlashBack

One more freeware tool we can use for record Google+ hangout and it is BB FlashBack. It can record screen, microphone, PC sounds and webcam video. After record you can export recorded video in SWF, AVI and FLV format in freeware version. In paid version you can select some more format for export video files like mpeg4, wmv and QuickTime formats. The BB FlashBack Express free screen recorder has one-click upload to YouTube, Blip.tv, Viddler and Revver.

[Download BB FlashBack]

4. Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is the online screen recorder for one-click recording from your browser on Windows, Mac, or Linux without any software installation on system. Screen-O-Matic is available as free and paid version in freeware you can get only basic features but paid you will get more. Java plugin must be install for use this online recording tool. We can use also this tool for record Google Plus hangout.

[Use Screencast-O-Matic]

5. HyperCam

HyperCam is also most popular screen capture software. Using this software you can save you Google Plus hangout in AVI format. HyperCam captures the action from your Windows  screen and saves it to AVI (Audio-Video Interleaved) movie file. Sound from your system microphone is also recorded. HyperCam supports text annotations, sound, and screen notes (great for creating automated software demos and software training!). You can also select Frame rate and compression quality prior to recording your movie.

[Download HyperCam]

A Guide to Google+ Privacy and Information Control

Google+ is the new social networking kid on the block, and one of the main reasons so many people are interested in the service over Facebook is Google+'s proclaimed focus on protecting users' privacy. Whether you're a new Google+ user or you're already a pro, understanding how to control your information on the site can make you feel much more at ease on the social network. Here's the lowdown on Google+'s privacy controls, including a few of the more buried settings you'll want to know about.

This guide will take you through setting up Google+'s circles with an emphasis on how they work from a privacy perspective, how to control what others can see about you on your profile, your options for selectively sharing posts with others, and some miscellaneous settings you'll want to tweak—like only allowing friends to start Huddles with you.

A note on pseudonymity: Google has taken a strong and, I think, awfully mistaken stance on not allowing people to use Google+ with a pseudonym. While this is definitely a privacy issue, it falls outside of this post's purpose of explaining how to use Google+'s privacy settings. Kee Hinckley, a Consulting CTO for Somewhere.com and Lead Architect at Zinc.tv, has written acompelling and thorough post on the subject, and hopefully Google is listening and will rectify this issue

Google Realtime Search is coming back soon, and it will include data from Google+

Google Realtime Search is coming back soon, and it will include data from Google+ and other social sources.

Realtime Search was, until last month, the search giant’s method of delivering relevant data from Twitter, Facebook and other social media services in real time. Whenever a major current event made headlines — such as Osama bin Laden’s death — Google Search would start displaying tweets and Facebook updates from users talking about the recent developments. It made Google‘s search engine more relevant during major world events.

It didn’t last, though. Google took Realtime Search down in July after it failed to come to an agreement with Twitter for continued access to Twitter‘s firehouse of data. Without a constant stream of tweets, the product was far less useful.

“The value the product was providing was not enough,” Google Fellow Amit Singhal said about the decision to turn off the feature during a search panel in Mountain View, California.

When asked about if or when Realtime Search would return, Singhal responded by saying the Google Search team is “actively working” on bringing the product back. He added that the team was experimenting with adding data from Google+ and other sources. It seems as if Google doesn’t believe it needs Twitter data to deliver a compelling real-time search offering.

10 creative uses for Google + Meetups

At first glance the hangouts or stay at Google + does not seem to attach to the tool, are like a feature added at the last minute. But then you end up realizing that this form of videoconferencing is extremely similar to placing a post and receive written responses. After 5 chats you think about the technological and conceptual genius behind the hangouts. You can chat openly with anyone who will follow in Google +, you can chat with a particular circle, or an individual. The maximum possible is 10 people, and the dynamics are highly fluid, both from standpoint of videoconferencing software, such as the involvement of your classmates talk.

It's amazing what you can achieve from your browser. The tool has virtually no delay, despite the terrible bandwidths that we have in South America. The talk is very fluid, and to be a first version, everything is very well made and fitted. When someone talks is placed on the big screen, so it moves the "role" of the talk, depending on the participation of each person. The use that we can give to this feature of Google + is varied, depends to some extent of our creativity. Here we offer 10 chances to get a full game.

1. Teaching. Is a more than evident. A teacher could organize a circle of students and teach courses to a maximum of 10 students at a time. Can be used for mentoring work with several postgraduate students. The same can work for small issue webinars. After completing any talk is a post on Google +, where you can ask questions, contribute to the conference or class, and so on.
2. Conducting job interviews. You can create a circle of candidates for office, and begin interviews with Hangout. You can group interviews, or individual. Still, after every conversation you have left a post in which you can ask the candidate to provide more data on their performance in previous jobs or other information you need. These posts are private, the circle or individual that was performed.
3. Provide technical support and customer service. You can create a post on Google + in which it indicated times at which you can make one left to resolve problems or concerns. You can have an open post in which to answer questions related to any product or service your company. If a message requires more support, you can start a videoconference with the person. It is important to remember that this tool is combined with everything that is Google +, should not be seen like a chat room isolation.
4. Set up a video surveillance system at home. A cheap way to create a small video surveillance system. It's an idea I saw on Lifehacker, and it is very interesting. It is not a definitive solution because it does a check Google + every 90 minutes if there are people or not any of the talks.
5. Rock concert for fans who have won a contest. Imagine you have a rock band, you want to reward your best fans, which are scattered around the world. How about doing an exclusive concert for 10 people?
6. Knowing your favorite author. You're a young writer, recently published your first book. You can use those left to tell your potential readers details the creative process. If you are a dedicated writer can exchange views and answer questions. You can devote 10 minutes to each group. It's how to sign books of the future.
7. Meetings. The same boring meeting every day, with 10 co-workers, and a bill for posterity in the comments of the post.
8. Make a news conference. Invited 10 journalists, talk with them a curfew. The press conference of the future. The questions are expanded in the post resulting from the left.
9. Perform a product launch. Google Launches + product, and give it to the top 10 coming into your talk. Sure you have some other ideas after reading this.
10. Play. Ever play mime? It is a good day to invite your friends, who were your city and return to those simple moments and fun.

Google+ Android App version 1.0.5

Features In

v1.0.5
August 2, 2011

1. Improved notifications reliability
2. "___ added you to Google+" notifications shown in bulk
3. Share stream posts to individual people (search people & contacts)
4. Clicking a +mention takes you to the person’s profile
5. Stream no longer resets to top when screen is rotated
6. Nearby accuracy & refresh improvements
7. Start a one-on-one huddle from a person’s profile or a group huddle from a circle profile
8. Hide one-on-one huddles
9. Clickable links in huddles
10. Confirmation text when leaving a huddle ("Are you sure you want to leave?")
11. Improved autocomplete (people/contacts) when adding a person to a huddle
12. Reshared posts show correct profile photo

PinIt Chrome Extension For Google Chrome

Neat little Chrome extension that lets you "pin" Google+ threads to your sidebar so you can come back to them later easily. One of those things Google should do but this will do for now. 

With the Pin It extension you can, "Pin" your favourite post to the sidebar in Google+ so you can always find them and follow a particular thread, post or conversation. Pin your favourite post today!

Click Here for Extension

5 Ways Google+ Will Drive Social Video Growth

More Focused Sharing

While some have taken advantage of Facebook’s features to segment their personal friend network, many have let their friend pool remain one large network with whom they share everything.  This means that when they share a video on Facebook, it goes out to a very broad audience, which includes many people who won’t be interested. Some of us may also hesitate to share a video if it means that everyone in our network — including family and even co-workers — will see it.

The Google+ “Circles” feature, which offers an intuitive way to segment your friend groups, will ease the process of sharing creative brand videos with groups that you know will appreciate them. While I would normally be a little reluctant to share a video as absurd as Skittles Moneyshot with my widely varied Facebook friends, my newly created “Social Video Junkies” Google+ circle will appreciate it.


Co-viewing Experiences
The Google+ Hangouts feature allows for live video chat in the same “room” as multiple friends.  Hangouts’ tight integration with YouTube allows for genuinely new social video group experiences.

We all love sharing hilarious videos with friends. The only thing better than getting comments on your Facebook feed or via email is to hear people’s laughter and reactions live, “in person.” Hangouts will offer a new real-time, collaborative viewing experience for social video campaigns, which will massively amplify the benefits of these videos for the brands that create them.


3. Better Data

Data is king at Google. The Google+ Business profiles already promise to include deep analytics, and while little has been announced as yet, one can imagine that powerful new types of social data insights will become available to advertisers about their YouTube campaigns.

By providing rich data capabilities, Google+ could allow advertisers to gather new insights on the quantity and quality of sharing for their campaigns. Google+’s new collaborative features could also introduce interesting new data categories for advertisers, such as average co-viewing view length (how long a group watched a brand’s video together) versus individual view length stats or engagement metrics via Huddle (mobile) versus Hangouts (desktop).

4. SEO Opportunities

While the relationship between the +1 button, Google+ and Google Search is still being sorted out (probably even by Google itself), there are clearly going to be opportunities for advertisers to boost their search results with videos that go viral. Whether content is surfaced based on the +1s of people in your circles or through broad social sentiment around search results, popular social video campaigns stand to gain more search relevance as users interact with it. And once a great video gets discovered, Hangouts and Huddles are sure to follow.


5. Mobile Reach
Now imagine you have created a Hangout with friends. You’re all hysterically laughing at a video together, but one of your friends is not online to join. Google+’s “Huddle” feature now comes into play. With Huddle, you can text groups of people or individual friends via the Google+ mobile app to let them know you’re gathering to watch a video.  When friends receive a new message in Huddle, Google+ sends a push notification to their phone.

Huddle stands to be a really interesting way to extend conversations that start at the desk and move into the mobile space. It’s a great way to connect a disparate audience around a good piece of content.

Google+ Hangouts Adding YouTube Live Video Viewing

The Hangouts group video chat platform on Google+ now lets video-chatting groups of up to ten people watch live streaming videos together on YouTube.

The ability to watch recorded YouTube videos together has been possible in Hangouts from the start, but now, YouTube Live product manager Brandon Badger told GigaOM that Google‘s been quietly rolling out live video stream viewing while chatting in Hangouts.

While it’s not exactly simple to enable a live video feed alongside a Hangout chat now, Google plans to add tools that will make it a lot easier to find those live video feeds on YouTube while using Hangouts. According toGigaOM, it’s already possible to incorporate live feeds into hangouts using the following five-step manual method:

• Start a Hangouts session in Google+ and invite your contacts to join you.
• In a separate browser tab, head over toYouTube.com/Live and select a live stream of your choice
• Copy the YouTube video I.D. of the selected live stream. Not sure how to find it? Just click on the share link below the video. You’ll get to see a link like http://youtu.be/XXXXXXXX – the cryptic code after the slash is the video I.D.
• Switch back to hangouts, open the video tab and search for the I.D.
• Click play, and you’re all set.

It doesn’t stop there. As you can see above, this is not a convenient way to incorporate live video into a Hangout, so YouTube plans to create tools that will tightly integrate the feature into its Google+ interface, as well as integrate Hangouts into YouTube Live.

For example, Google+ users will be able to watch a live stream on YouTube and see which of their friends are watching that stream in a Hangout. Then, they’ll be able to join their pals to watch that live video, letting them, say, virtually gather together to watch a live football game, with the ability to interact with each other face-to-face at the same time.