Google+ Multi-Party Video Conference Test 01

Google+ Multi-Party Video Conference between 2 Googlers, (Dan in New Zealand, wife Toni in California on a Mac runnng Google Chrome browser) & Villan Cliff in Florida on a PC Tablet running Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, all 3 (of up to 10) of us voice chatting in a Google+ "Hangout", sharing viewing of a YouTube video & utilizing a text chat window for sharing a link to a site for purchasing the video DVD.

Once we'd signed up for the Google+ Beta invite, I clicked the Google+ homepage Chat link to pop down the list of contacts available online for video chat (green camcorder icon adjacent name - including my name, originally setup in Gmail video chat via required download/install of a voice and video chat plug-in), then clicked the Google+ homepage Circles button & setup a Google+ "Friends Circle" for wife Toni & a mutual friend, then clicked the Google+ homepage "Start a hangout" button, directing it to use the Circle contacts to create a multi-party video conference. On each recipient Google+ homepage a message appeared offering a join hangout button, & moments later I could see & hear Toni (our mutual friend was not online) & she could see but not hear me. The audio problem turned out to be operator error on my part, as I'd forgotten to switch my PC's default audio system from the Plantronics headset I use for voice translation ("you talk, it types"), to the Logitech webcam for the video conference, which change was done through my Windows Control Panel > Sound > Recording > Microphone setting. To add a 3^rd party, Toni clicked her Google+ Hangout screen Invite button, entered Dan's email address & moments later he appeared. As each participant joined, they appeared in a large video window above a row of smaller thumbnails showing all participants, & as each person spoke, their video image would automatically swap to the large window (example screenshot). A ways in to the talk I wanted to share a video with the group, so clicked the Hangout screen YouTube button, entered the video title & the video appeared at the top of everyone's Hangout screen, overlaying the large video chat window, as shown in the print screen above, leaving the row of meeting participant thumbnails (from left-to-right me, Dan & Toni) - we were all able to watch the video simultaneously, as well as continue to make conversation, & both Dan & Toni were able to load other videos as well. Lastly I wanted to share a link to a page where the video DVD could be ordered, so clicked the Hangout screen Chat button & entered the link, which then appeared on everyone's screen. Overall the system was impressively responsive, simple & easy to use, & invites further exploration of its additional features, particularly Stream (share text posts, pictures, videos, links, locations), Photos (including albums), Sparks (shared interest news feeds), Mobile (Stream posts, photos, Circles to smartphone), Huddle (mobile notifications) & Instant Upload (photo/video to Stream). -- Cliff Thompson '67