I'm alway looking for new ways to use video when new applications pop up on the web.
Google+ Hangouts is changing the way we have conversations in real time.
I left the camera on and went back to bed.
Having a Conversation
When I came back to check on the video hangout, people were in there having a conversation.
Steve Ellwood, Tom Elko, Michael Denton, Peter Marquardt, Paul Geffen, and Wayne MacPhail were having a great conversation about Google+.
My hangout had provided a forum.
I joined in.
Technical Talk
We talked about some technical features and requests. Right now, when you are talking, your video does not pop up on the big screen. It should.
One thing that we noticed is that when you are looking at your own video, it's mirrored. Like looking into a mirror. The way we are used to looking at ourselves.
Interesting.
Recording a Google+ Video Hangout
The idea came up to record the stream so others could watch it later. There are ways to do this with screen capture apps, but I said that the process of making it a recorded session would change the nature of the session itself.
By knowing that we weren't being recorded, we had a very comfortable and free flowing conversation. Much like you'd have at a water coller or a bar.
The moment that it starts being recorded or live streamed, the participants change the presentation and content. Sometimes unknowingly.
Authentic and Real
As people get more used to talking on live video like this, I'm sure we'll get to a point where authentic and real water cooler chats like this can remain the same and be recorded and shared.
Some people already get what I'm saying.
The thought process I use when I do my live show SteveGarfield.tv is similar, but modified to fit the 'TV Show' mold. It's me and my guests talking. I try to structure the conversation to cover specific topics and move quickly.
Back in the early days of videoblogging we had group video chats that were archived and had the water cooler feel to them. They were fun for a like minded group of people to get together and chat.
To make it interesting for viewers, there probably needs to be structure, topics, and moderation.
Maybe not.
I'll be experimenting with live broadcasting and archiving of water cooler chats. I think they're really interesting.
What are your thoughts?
Update:
Just saw this from Om Malik, he's calling it The Alive Web, Google Hangouts gives the “Alive Web” a big boost:
Hangouts is about having a conversation, albeit over video. It isn’t a chat (in the traditional Internet sense) and it isn’t a conference call. Hangout with folks you want to connect, even for a few seconds, enjoy an immersive interaction and then move on. It is just for hanging out — just like some of the early killer apps of the Internet such as BBS, IRC and AOL Chat Rooms. And for that precise reason, Hangouts is very different from the video chatting offered by Skype and Facebook.Exactly!