If you're lost in the argument of whether or not Google+ is a ghost town or the walking dead, you might be missing out on the power of video made possible through Google Hangouts. Google+ Hangouts aren't for everyone, but we've built a strong community of Community Managers the past two years via My Community Manager #CMGRHangout. This presentation shares what a week in the life of a Google+ Hangout On Air (HOA) show looks like as well as presents benefits of using Google+ Hangouts, tips for running them smoothly and additional use case suggestions including team meetings, worldwide hackathons, Q&A, product demonstrations, sales presentations and keeping in touch with distant friends and family. Huge thanks to Liana Kreamer for the invitation to share this at Social Media Breakfast: Waterloo Region (#smbWR).

1. BANDING TOGETHER:
GOOGLE+
HANGOUTS
SHERRIE ROHDE • @SHERRIEROHDE

6. As with any other tool, it depends on who your audience is.
IS GOOGLE+ A GHOST TOWN?

7. Facebook Google+ LinkedIn
Twitter Instagram Pinterest

8. Zunger, Google+ Chief Architect, promises the platform isn’t going anywhere.
YONATAN ZUNGER

9. IS GOOGLE+
FOR ME?
MAYBE.

10. [video] wistia.com/learning/get-loose-for-the-camera
GET LOOSE FOR THE CAMERA

11. WHY
VIDEO?
VIDEO

12. Over 90% of how we communicate is through nonverbal cues. [Dr. Albert Mehrabian]
FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION

13. words tone of voice body language

14. VIDEO IS THE
CLOSEST THING TO
HAVING A FACE TO
FACE CONVERSATION
IN PERSON.

15. Elise Ramsay, Wistia
OUR CUSTOMERS FEEL SO MUCH
CLOSER TO US.

16. Trish Fontanilla, Vsnap
[VIDEO] MAKES OUR COMPANY MORE
HUMAN.

17. April 27, 2013: The first time our team was together in the same physical place!
MY COMMUNITY MANAGER

18. For a brand/page, this actually means “Follow.” New habits die hard.
LINGO: “CIRCLE US”

19. A nameplate to make it easy on those observing to know who panelists are.
LINGO: “LOWER THIRD”

20. #CMGRHANGOUT
CASE STUDY

21. [video] www.youtube.com/watch?v=De3qlBz9U1U
WHAT IS #CMGRHANGOUT?

22. Google+ Hangout On Air (HOA) with Twitter Chat using #CMGRHangout
WEEKLY LIVE BROADCAST

23. Our topics are almost always crowd sourced from our extended community.
STEP 1: SELECT A TOPIC

24. Who do I know? Who do people I know, know?
STEP 1: FIND PANELISTS

25. We invite panelists to a Google Calendar event as soon as they’ve confirmed.
STEP 3: GET ON THEIR CALENDAR

26. We have a separate circle for each hangout to simplify our actual event day.
STEP 4: CIRCLE PANELISTS/HOSTS

27. This allows us to schedule the event and invite anyone in our circles.
STEP 5: CREATE A GOOGLE+ EVENT

28. Each week we have a preview post with panelist bios and the event video/link.
STEP 6: CREATE A PREVIEW POST

29. We started this in steps 5 & 6, but now it’s time to spread the word on other channels.
STEP 7: SPREAD THE WORD

30. Invite panelists into the hangout for any needed prep/instructions before show time.
STEP 8: INVITE PANELISTS

31. Click that “Start Broadcast” button and get the party started!
STEP 9: AND WE’RE LIVE!

32. YouTube automatically processes the video when the broadcast ends.
STEP 10: YOUTUBE PUBLISHES US

33. • Unique Content
• YouTube Partner
• Repurposed Content
• Preview Post
• Live Broadcast
• Recorded Video
• Storify
• Takeaway Post
• Podcast
• Page Views
• SEO
• Referral Traffic
BENEFITS

34. TIPS

35. 99.99% of the time, this is going to be your highest quality connection.
TIP: USE A WIRED CONNECTION

36. Coffee shops usually mean a dropped connection and ambient noise.
TIP: CHOOSE A QUIET PLACE

37. You can hear better as well as avoid notification sounds and audio feedback.
TIP: WEAR HEADPHONES

38. It’s natural to look at other participants; you’ll look natural if you look at the camera.
TIP: LOOK AT YOUR CAMERA

39. You’ll feel more prepared and avoid most technical difficulties.
TIP: DO A TEST RUN

40. If panelists have your page circled in advance, they’ll receive the notification to join.
TIP: PANELISTS SHOULD CIRCLE YOU

41. Use Google Calendar for your events and circles for each hangout’s panelists.
TIP: STAY ORGANIZED

42. Our team at My Community Manager is the only reason things get done.
TIP: FIND A TEAM

43. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong!
TIP: RELAX, SMILE AND HAVE FUN

44. • Founded by Jeremiah
Owyang in 2010.
• Partnership with
HootSuite and My
Community Manager in
2013.
• 12 individual hangouts
• 12 different topics
• 86 speakers
• 7 countries
• 12 industries
• Partnership with over 11
different companies in
2014.
• 24 individual hangouts
• 23 different topics
• 13,457 posts by 6,279 users
• 15,102 page views with 7,481
unique visitors
COMMUNITY MANAGER
APPRECIATION DAY

45. • Q&A Session
• Moderator Roundup
• #MageHackDay
• Online Worldwide Hackathon
• Community Organized
• 15 hours
• Fireside Chat
• Event Streaming
MAGENTO
COMMUNITY

46. • Daily SCRUM
• Monthly Team Meetings
• Demo Days
• Troubleshooting
REMOTE TEAMS

47. • Panel Discussions
• Virtual Events
• Screen Sharing
• Sales Presentations
• Product Demonstrations
• Virtual Workshop
• Q&A Calls
• Interviews with Industry
Leaders
• Virtual Office Hours
• Collaboration (Docs)
• Distant Friends & Family
OTHER POSSIBILITIES

48. THANK YOU!
ANY QUESTIONS?
@SHERRIEROHDE
SHERRIE@MYCMGR.COM
GOOGLE.COM/+SHERRIEROHDE