Google+ Hangouts: Now on air and archivable

Google announced yesterday that its Google+ Hangouts can now be both broadcast and archived. Hangouts On Air was tested over the past year with a limited number of broadcasters, enabling them to go live with friends and fans, for all the world to see.

This official (but gradual) launch of Hangouts On Air allows Google+ users to take conversations, presentations, performances live in front of a global audience—to stream them live, embed them, record them, archive them to your YouTube channel and to your Google+ post.  Unfortunately, I don’t yet see the Enable Hangouts on Air option with my login..

The post shares:

With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to:

• Broadcast publicly. By checking “Enable Hangouts On Air,” you can broadcast your live hangout—from the Google+ stream, your YouTube channel or your website—to the entire world.
• See how many viewers you’ve got. During your broadcast, you can look inside the hangout to see how many people are watching live.

This feature has dramatic potential for educators.  We can use Hangouts On Air to reach out globally and broadly share, to stream and archive lessons, debates, presentations, concerts, author visits, professional development.  (Note: Hangouts On Air is not yet available for every country and is only for users who are 18+ and to those who have a YouTube account in good standing without any strikes.)

I can’t wait to try this!

Filed under: Google, webcasting