1.
Google+ Hangouts
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jason Townsend, Office of Communications

2.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
• Google+ Hangouts allow as many as 10 people or groups to
chat face-to-face, while thousands more can tune in to watch
the conversation live on Google+ or YouTube.
Google+ Hangouts on Air
• We’ve hosted
23 hangout
events to
date, taking
questions
from media,
schools,
libraries and
the public.

3.
Benefits to Hanging Out with +NASA
• Allows the public access to your
subject matter experts
• Allows you to showcase a
particular topic and expertise
• Can show a human side of your
government organization, thus
breaking previously held ideas of
your organization
• Able to get video broadcast from
remote locations and on the fly
with lower resource burden
• Saves travel costs to send everyone
to traditional broadcast facilities
for televised events
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

4.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
4
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
On Feb. 22, 2013, NASA
hosted it’s first Google+
Hangout with the ISS
We took questions
from social media
users using #askAstro
Had over 1,800 questions
asked, connecting 1,591
people directly with the
ISS at once & over 35,000
people have watched on
YouTube
First NASA Google+ Hangout from Space

5.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
5
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
On March 28, 2013, NASA
hosted it’s first Google+
Hangout in Spanish
We took questions
from social media
users using
#pregunteaNASA
on @NASA_es
Had over 375 questions
asked, connecting 1,026
people directly with NASA
experts & over 3,347
people have watched on
YouTube
First NASA Google+ Hangout in Spanish

6.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
6
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
On July 10, 2013, NASA
hosted it’s first Google+
Hangout Press Conference
announcing the solar
system has a tail
We took questions from
media via telephone and
social media users using
#askNASA
We connected 1,350
people directly our
scientists announcing a
new scientific discovery,
had 7 reporters on a
phone bridge & over
13,150 people have
watched on YouTube
First NASA Google+ Hangout Press Conference

7.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
7
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
On July 24, 2013, NASA
hosted it’s first
operational Google+
Hangout for a parachute
drop test of the Orion
Spacecraft
We broadcast this from
the remote desert
location of Yuma, AZ
with cooperation from
the U.S. Army
We connected 4,220
people directly with the
test & over 8,867 people
have watched on YouTube
First NASA Operational Google+ Hangout

8.
Required Accounts
8
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
YouTube account and
channel free of third-
party content claims
Google+ Page where the
YouTube account is an
admin user on

9.
What’s Needed?
• Staff:
– One on-air moderator (must be a NASA employee)
– One behind-the-scenes technical producer
– On-air talent (number varies based on topic)
• Resources:
– Backdrops & quiet locations with wired internet
connections for best results
– Each participant must have a webcam and
microphone, plus the Google+ Hangout Plugin
installed (may need admin rights on your computer)
9
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

10.
Tips & Tricks
 Internet: For the highest-quality video and clear audio, use
a high-bandwidth, wired connection
 Lighting: Hangouts work best in a well-lit environment. If
you can’t flood the room with light, make sure you set up a
light source behind the webcam facing you
 Audio: For the best audio, broadcast in a quiet, controlled
environment where there's nothing blocking your mic. One
participant per room is best to prevent different mics from
picking up the wrong person.
 Location: Find a very quiet place for the Hangout – even
small background noises can be distracting for other
participants and viewers.
10
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

11.
More Tips & Tricks
 Background: You may look for a background with some
depth and also consider a backdrop that reflects the topic
you’ll be. Backgrounds that are too busy can be distracting.
 Real Time: Ensure that you only have the Google+ hangout
open in one screen – if for example, you have the live
stream open you will create a feedback loop that will
create an echo in the Hangout
 Headphones: It is sometimes helpful to use headphones
during the event to prevent the audio of the other speakers
from creating an echo in the Hangout
 Frame the Shot: Frame the camera shot so that your eyes
rest at approximately the top 1/3 of the screen
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

12.
Taking Questions
• We’ve found that it’s best to take questions from
Twitter and Google+ using a common event
hashtag; and to post an update to Facebook to
allow comments on the Hangout asking
questions
• An off-screen producer will filter through the
questions in real-time and feed the best
questions to an on screen moderator to ask the
talent 12
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

13.
Two Weeks Out
13
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
 Secure your talent
 Send your talent a welcome
email with information
about the Hangout event
 Double-check that timing
doesn’t compete with
other agency social media
events & de-conflict the
event if needed
 Promote on your agency’s
Flagship accounts
 Draft an event one-pager
to circulate with date, time,
talent, moderator,
producer, Google+ page,
YouTube channel, topic,
and description

14.
One Week Out
14
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
 Create a Google+
Event Page
 Determine if call
outs to traditional
media or online
bloggers is
warranted
 Promote the
Hangout on your
social media (don’t
forget Twitter,
Facebook, YouTube
and others)

15.
Day Of
15
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
 Scan for questions on
your event hashtag
and send to on-
camera moderator to
ask talent
 Promote the Hangout
on your social media
(don’t forget Twitter,
Facebook, YouTube
and others)
 Add the YouTube URL
from the embed menu
to your event page
 Be sure to send a
direct link for your
Hangout room to your
talent and do NOT
distribute it widely,
lest you get uninvited
guests on camera

16.
Let’s Hang(out)!
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

17.
Your Title Here 17
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latest opportunities to connect and collaborate with NASA