EIJ13: Google+ Hangouts on Air and YouTube as Tools for Journalism
“Although Google+ hasn’t caught on the way some other social networks have, its ability to host live video conferences for up to 10 participants was highlighted Aug. 25 at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Excellence in Journalism 2013 convention in Anaheim, California.
The feature, known as Google Hangouts on Air, builds on the Hangouts chat technology already familiar to many Google Talk (known colloquially at “Gchat”) users. Hangouts makes the chat technology available inside Plus and Hangouts on Air adds video conferencing to the equation.
“Hangouts are essentially multi-person video chats,” Nicholas Whittaker, Google’s Media Outreach Lead, told panel attendees.
Hangouts on Air can both be watched live by audience members — anyone with the link to the conference can watch it — and uploaded to YouTube later. Up to 10 people can participate in one conference. (The Los Angeles News Group’s Inland group has used the technology to host editorial meetings.) Whittaker recommends using Google+’s Circles feature to set up lists of who to invite into a given video conference ahead of time.
“We don’t have to bring people into a news studio any more, and go through all the trouble, just to engage with them,” Whittaker said.
Who’s displayed in the main video depends on who’s talking, although the host can click on a portrait and lock the video on them. (Something I wish I’d known when I used this technology for a video interview with a local graduate turned astronaut earlier this year.)
The technology is already being used by various networks on their broadcasts.
“You can cover breaking news much quicker than if you had to make sure a studio was available,” Whittaker said.
It also enables live remotes such as, locally, wildfire coverage using the mobile apps to stream video and audio from the field back to a reporter back in the newsroom.
The videos is instantly saved to (but not publicly displayed on) YouTube, but viewers who come in late can also rewind the video within the Hangout On Air itself.
Plug-ins on the left side of the Hangouts On Air screen allow the addition of “lower third” participant identification and other features.
For newsrooms that intend to show this video to their audience, Whittaker recommends buying better webcams and microphones than typically come with a laptop as well as additional lighting and a portable tripod.
“People will forgive bad video, but they will not forgive bad audio,” he said.
A better camera and microphone will cost about $75 each, he said, and a tripod will cost about $150.
He also recommends the use of an Ethernet connection in lieu of wifi, although he’s had good experiences with 4G/LTE wireless Internet connections.
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