Finding Your Soul Mates Across the World:
Using Google+ Hangout Video Chats to Create a Better Life!


by


Yifat Cohen

(Winter 2013)


Google+ Hangout Video Chats

    Google has managed to do something that no one else has managed to do, and not for lack of trying. It did take time, but much less time than it could have, considering everything seemed to be stacked up against it succeeding so fast. Certainly, while observing FaceBook, Twitter and Skype, Google+ could not have imagined that its signature achievement in real-time communication––The Google+ Hangout Video Chat––would become so successful in just two years!

    And maybe it took off because Google didn’t go out broadcasting its achievement to everyone, but just allowed those who were invited and who wanted to to come in and try it, to get involved. So, using already-motivated Googlers, it grew popular the old-fashioned way, by word of mouth. 

    Certainly G+ was the antithesis of the continuous and shallow ruckus of heat and hate being broadcast in the mainstream media (especially the political craziness)! By including real people who were sick of that kind of thing, the use the G+ engagement worked to the advantage of a more profound (and less bombastic) interactivity. Those who were authentic, those who were open to the possibility for true human relationships (instead of ad hominem attacks and ego-boosterism) could even get a chance of experiencing a connection with real people who shared their real interests! It was now possible through G+ to find actual soul-mates across the world, especially through Google Hangouts. I am wondering if maybe Google didn’t even realize how valuable their creation would turn out to be!

    To me, a true connection is when your eyes meet and you can feel each other’s vibes and energy. A true connection with soul-mates is when you share the same values, the same interests, the same passions, and you invest the time to explore and create together. This is what I’m experiencing through Google Hangouts and so are thousands of others around the world.

    Sarah Hill, 12-time Emmy award winning reporter for the Veterans United Network, calls it The Human Media, Google calls it Hangouts and I say that being able to meet people in real time all around the world to discuss real ideas is a force that will change the world. It certainly has already changed my world and that of many people like Sarah and I who have invested time in the experience of finding valuable relationships through what I think is as close to a face-to-face encounter as can be achieved online.


What is a Google Hangout Video Chat?

    In case you have been on a different planet the past two years and do not know about Google+ (;’)), I should explain that Google Hangouts are a free, ten person, video chat that is connected to most of Google’s services (YouTube, Drive, Google+, etc.). Hangouts can keep up with you wherever you go––you can start them on your desktop, move them to your smartphone, and even cast them on your big screen TV! If you are in the Google Explorer programs, you can use them with Google Glass.

    Many apps come free with Hangouts that allow you to work from anywhere in the world that has Internet access, any time you choose to, with anyone you want, directly in the cloud. This means less sitting in traffic to get to work, no more missing your kid’s party because you had to attend a meeting. With Hangouts, you are still getting everything done face-to-face because through these video chats you are still meeting real people in real time. In many ways, these meetings are even better than traditional meetings, because all the resources of the Internet are available to you while you converse!


Changing the World

    Why I think Hangouts are changing the world is because I think our deepest need is to belong, to connect, and to be heard. Not only do we desire to develop these relationships from close ones and our business peers, but also in our community - even the community members we haven’t met yet. And that’s what Hangouts bring to life––conversations with former-strangers, who can become soul-mates, who may share our passions, who speak our language (even if it’s in a different dialect), and who are we may discover are as motivated as we are to engage in the same topics that ignite our enthusiasms.  

    Don’t you agree that’s an amazing achievement?


Life Before and After Google+ Hangouts

    Imagine life now without Hangouts and without the Google+ platform that supports them. Think of all the local Meet-ups and networking events one would have to physically attend in order to find like-minded people to exchange a few words. The time it takes to drive, the cost of fuel, food, parking, etc. Think of all the blog posts and videos that you create in hopes of receiving valuable comments to add to the conversation and validate or challenge your opinions and efforts. 

    Then imagine, instead of having to travel all over to achieve that contact, being able to do all that from your own home! That’s what Hangouts can do for your life!

    Next, imagine your dinner table and a talk show running on TV. Maybe it’s a panel on CNN talking about a topic dear to your heart and you find yourself screaming at the TV in vain. No one can hear you, no one can invite you into the conversation to have a debate. You are left frustrated, angry and on some occasions, with a hoarse voice too!

    Now, imagine life as it is now with Hangouts and the Google+ community in it. You discover a post that speaks to you. You can engage in the conversation and comment. The post’s author comments back. A real conversation begins. Then the post’s author might start a Hangout around that post and invite you in for a real-time conversation. Now the discussion continues eye-to-eye, voice-to-voice, and you’re laughing, conversing and building true relationships!


Maintaining Contact


    What I find particularly helpful for developing lasting relationships online is the continuity built in to the Google+ experience. The hangout isn’t over when you leave it! It continues on your phone and in your browser’s chat. You can snap pictures on the go and share them with everyone you just spoke to! Because you started with shared interests and have invested real time in conversations, the relationships may thrive, and––my point in this essay––you very well may have found your personal online “tribe.”


Doing it Yourself

    Aside from the integrated Google Drive apps that are available in Google Hangouts, take a minute to take a look at the application Symphonical which provides real-time walls that let you get all sorts of things done together a group. 

    Going back to the political discussions you hear on TV, you can still hear them on TV through Hangouts . . . only this time, instead of yelling at the screen, you can join the conversation from the convenience of your smartphone! As you type away your comments, the host can respond to them live while you, say, enjoy your dinner! He might even invite you to join in person through online video so you can and share your point of view (but, as of this date, you cannot share your meal!)  

    The important point is that now you can be an active participant and not just a passive viewer!

    Let’s take the experience further, did you know you can start or join a Hangout on any major story in the news right from the Google News page?

    If politics is not your thing, what about your hobby?  Perhaps you have a hobby that fills up your soul with a deep satisfaction and makes the time fly by… maybe it’s one you may discover that you can get paid for!  Seriously, whether it’s teaching someone how to cook, or play the guitar, or use Google+ (;’))? You can now make money doing it with Helpouts!

    You don’t even have to overcome the technical obstacles of creating a site, you can immediately connect to eCommerce, advertise, buy and sell, etc.  If you have a skill, Google gives you a one-stop platform to monetize it! All you have to do is log in and create a listing that Google approves and you can begin to get paid for your passion!  And maybe meet more soul-mates!

    But what really matters to all of us––are those special moments with those special someones in our lives.  Using Hangouts with our nearest and dearest, we can share those times––the moment grandma opens the Xmas card your child sent her, for example, you can  “be” there to see her reaction even though she’s many miles away. Maybe your nephew’s play, or your sister’s reaction to a funny video you shared with her, or your wife or husband’s smile when they see your face on the screen, and hear their voice when they share their thoughts with you––even when they’re not at home but can get to their smart phone! All of that is possible to achieve now!

    Hangouts can connect you with the family and friends you love and, maybe, the new friends you haven’t met yet––on all your devices, wherever you might be, and for free.

    Hangouts have already changed my world by giving me numerous friends that I now feel are soulmates whom I would never have met if not for Google+. I’d love to hear how Hangouts are changing your life!





<Return to The Table of Contents






Writer info:

    Hi, I'm Yifat - Your G+GoTo Gal, and I am passionate about the possibilities Google plus brings to our lives and to our business. You can find me discussing Google+ strategies, Google+ marketing, engagement and relationship building on my weekly hangout show - Unscripted!

    But what rocks my boat, what really gets me going, is the relationships I’ve found here - on Google+. I have met amazing people who become a new family to me and with whom I now spend much of my time. These relationships and what they brought with them, are the reason I am so passionate about Google+ and I can not wait for you to experience this level of engagement, this sense of community and this depth of conversation and ideas. They will change your life for the better. Trust me on that.

I walk my talk

    I am now making a living coaching, engaging and speaking about the topic I am most passionate about - Google plus and Google plus hangouts, and I can show you how to do the same: How to turn your passion into real income. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make a living from something you are completely passionate about as I am about Google+ coaching and hangout hosting and moderating?

Let me show you how to:

UNSCRIPTED! HANGOUTS

I host a weekly hangout onAir show, Every Thursday at 11am CST, called Unscripted Hangouts (and you might be able to be a guest on one of them). 

Unscripted Hangouts put my audience face to face with high profile experts where they learn of my guests, what they do, and are able to engage in a free, unscripted conversation with them.

Topics range from SEO, Google ranking factors, Story selling, YouTube marketing, to more entrepreneurial interviews with the likes of TJ Marchatti Senior Vice President, Digital Marketing at The Walt Disney Studios.

My Google+ Creds:  

  • Active user every day since Google+ Day 2.5 (one of the first 100 people to receive an invitation directly from Google)
  • Invited by Google as a speaker in events across the globe - Israel, Brazil, Mexico.
  • Appeared as a guest on Google Developers Top Geek show to discuss Hangout tips
  • Been voted The Best Google+ Users in 2011 CHOSEN BY Google+ COMMUNITY
  • #286 on The Who's Who for Google Plus - The top 1000 Gplussers in the World in 2012.
  • In the Top 1500 of 500 million G+ Users by an engagement-based metric.
  • Listed as #1 for Top Google+ users working as Google+ Marketing on GPlusData.
  • Was among the first to receive Hangouts onAir privileges before it became publicly available
  • Known as the G+GoTo Gal for my Google+ strategies and tips.
  • Invited by Google Israel to speak at a bloggers conference about Google+
  • Member of the initial Google TV ambassador program (Invited to the Google complex for a tour as part of this initiative)
  • Well-known Hangout host, with a weekly entrepreneurial interview show.
  • One of the few non-Googlers invited to present a Google product (Hangouts as a business tool) at the Google office in Austin, TX.
  • Featured on Mashable: How to Host a Google+ Hangout on Air
  • Philanthropist: of the core group that launched Social Good Summit in Austin, TX, responsible for Work From Home Day.


----- ★ღ ----- Ah, but you want to know more about me...? ----- ★ღ -- 

I’m a lover. I love life. I love my amazing husband and my incredibly cute son. I love to laugh, eat, try new things, experiment, travel (oh boy, do I love to travel). I love to push my own limits. I love to argue. I love movies and learning new things. I love compliments. I love to play. I love to read. I love to be right. I love to be loved and I really love to love. 

Google+ marketing is the 2nd love of my life (family comes in #1). I spend most of my time playing with it and showing others how to succeed in it. I love talking about it, figuring out how it works and then how to break it, discussing it with other people and finding solutions to common problems. I own a social media marketing company, Motech Marketing (http://www.motechmarketing.com) and I love helping people accomplish their online goals easily and quickly. 

I really love what I do. I work from home, with people that are fun to be around and a pleasure to collaborate with. I always meet new people that I can service and I just love helping them realize how easy it is to increase their online visibility and profits. 

----- ★ღ ----- 

If you decide to follow me (on Google+) then I'd like to know who you are, and which circle to add you to. You can add me to this circles: 

  • Everything Google+ (tips and tricks, how to's, Google updates, you get the drill) 
  • Google plus marketing for business 
  • Technology
  • Humor
  • CEO / Entrepreneur 
  • Gadgets 
  • Parents (Got a 4 year old? How do you contribute to their well being?) 
  • Travel / out doors 
  • Creatives 
  • Inspiration 
  • Science 
  • Geek / SciFi / Fantasy 
  • Hangout host
  • Social Media  
  • Foodies / Baking / Wine  
  • Authors 
  • Austin, TX 
  • Israel (Hebrew and culture).  

Which circle should I put YOU in? If you decide to follow me, send me a PM (personal message) and let me know. 

I circle back people who are engaged and active, so let me know what you think of my posts (comment, share), and I'll do the same for you :) 

I'm looking for quality in my stream and meaningful relationships. So if you're a real person, let's really get to know each other. And...

Welcome to my stream :) 

Bragging rights

Served in the Israeli Air Force (didn’t kill anyone), When I was 21 I backpacked through 6 countries in South America on my own, sky dived in San Marcus TX, Paraglide in Peru, Bungee jumped in Ecuador, Co-created my son Lior in Austin, Married for 12 years, Speak three and a half languages, Love to travel, laugh and make new friends. Social Media go-to gal. Coined the phrase - "May the G+force be with you. Always."




About the Artist:

     José Toledo Ordoñez is a Guatemalan sculptor, painter, movie producer, and art and literature promoter. This multifaceted profile has allowed him to expose his sculptures in 22 individual exhibitions, in places as prestigious as the José Luis Cuevas’s Museum and Diego Rivera’s Museum, both in Mexico, the Art Gallery of the International Development Bank in Washington, D.C., and now at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. He has also unveiled 10 urban sculptures in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

     In his Geneva exhibition, the Ambassador of Guatemala, Carla Rodríguez Mancia, stated: “No better place could have been chosen for this première than the city of Geneva which is internationally known for its commitment to peace, security, and development, seat of the Office of the United Nations, a global message for a global city and a global word. Many have also approached me for an explanation on the title of the exhibition: Dangerous Sculptures. I can really assure you tha
t the only danger that you might face while admiring these sculptures is the danger of changing your mind and your attitudes in a way that will surely contribute to a better world for all.”
 
    Finally, the artist quoted: “My message goes against the destruction of nature and the degradation of human relations in all senses: violence, war, injustice, and of course, the destruction of art itself associated with truth and human values. Hence the name of this expo: Dangerous Sculptures, because truth hurts and the search of freedom threatens human race oppressors”.

The photograph of the sculpture that introduces this article is entitled, "Scorpio."