Just tried Google Helpouts

dave shared a link said Wed, Nov 20th 2013 at 12:28pm ET

http://helpouts.google.com
It's like an updated version of the old Google Answers thing. Live video chat. They let you try a free one with just a Google employee (presumably mostly asking about the service). The guy said it's about 3 weeks old, and they're still making lots of changes.

I did a search for some house stuff and didn't get results for most (installing the Nest thermostat, how to know how to clean your wood floor), though there was an interior designer who'd help with where/how to hang my pictures (but at $20 for 15 minutes, I'm not up for trying it).

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aaronhurt said Fri, Nov 22nd 2013 at 12:01pm ET:

Its an interesting experiment, but I'm not sure if its going to catch on. I thought about trying to whore myself out as IT support through there - but I'm not sure how'd I do working with random people. I like to pick my clients. That's the perk of having a day job I guess.

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shawn said Fri, Nov 22nd 2013 at 12:07pm ET:

Your search for 'Google Fonts on Google Chrome for Windows' didn't match any Helpouts: https://helpouts.google.com/search?q=Google%20Fonts%20on%20Google%20Chrome%20for%20Windows

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scarlet said Wed, Nov 27th 2013 at 12:49am ET:

There was an old version of this back in the last dot com boom that went belly up (keen.com was its name.) It turned into sex chat because that was the only thing that was selling, but originally when it started, people were also selling things like cooking advice, language translation, math help, programming advice. Most of the people who offered the services didn't actually have the credentials, just like looks to be happening here. And most vastly over-valued what such advice was worth (really, $20 for 15 minutes? Did this person go to thermostat installing school?)

What makes this weird for me is that Google told a bunch of us who were using Hangouts in early days that any Google employee can login/spy on any hangout call that's going on, so be aware that in any private hangout chat, you may have several dozen Google employees (or people who know Google employees) observing your call. I've had multiple Google employees pop into hangout calls I was in accidentally (errors unmasked them or they forgot to mute and so I could hear them in the background) and that's why I stopped using the service.

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jamesmurphy552 said Thu, Jan 16th 2014 at 12:47am ET:

@aaronhurt,
It is really great service for those who seek information or advice on a specific topic because it provides access to experts via live videos. It should be noted however that there is a charge for this. After using this service, I can say that it is a platform that is useful for so many subjects such as information about schedules and payments, how to interact with people, how to create and manage social profiles and how to get publicity on social media. For more information about Google Helpout, visit at http://www.dpfoc.com/blog/what-is-google-helpouts

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chrisk said Thu, Jan 16th 2014 at 9:10am ET:

I think @jamesmurphy552 works for google.

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- Bingo!
  
  barnabee said Thu, Jan 16th 2014 at 11:35am ET
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capguncowboy said Mon, Jan 20th 2014 at 1:17pm ET:

@dave How to clean your wood floor: A friend of mine owns a business that installs flooring for a living. He suggested I try a product called Bona. It works great and doesn't damage the wood. He did say NOT to use a steam cleaner on them or it will blacken the edges and ruins the finish over time

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