Hanging Out on Google+ with NASA has allowed you to get a unique perspective on America's space agency. This presentation explores how NASA conducts Google+ Hangout events. Google+ Hangouts have embedded the taxpaying public into mission operations, breathtaking scientific discoveries, and agency events like never before. From Hangouts with Astronauts on the International Space Station to preparations for flying a scientific aircraft through a hurricane, NASA's use of Google+ Hangouts have brought out of the world experiences to large audiences.

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

2. 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
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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3. Required Accounts
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YouTube account and
channel free of third-
party content claims
Google+ Page where the
YouTube account is an
admin user on

4. Obtaining a New Account
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Request new
accounts only if
content cannot be
shared on an
existing account
Contact your
Center Social
Media Lead to
start the process
for a new account
on either Google+
or YouTube
Ames Research Center
Jessica Culler
Dryden Flight Research Center
Lisa Mattox
Glenn Research Center
Kathleen Zona
Goddard Space Flight Center
Aries Keck
Wallops Flight Facility
Rebecca Powell
NASA IV&V Facility
Bailee Morris
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Veronica McGregor
Johnson Space Center
Amiko Kauderer
Kennedy Space Center
Nancy Bray
Langley Research Center
Michael Finneran
Marshall Space Flight Center
Shannon Ridinger
Stennis Space Center
Samone Faulker
NASA Shared Services Center
Michael Tubbs
NASA’s Spanish Social Media Lead
Andres Adorno

5. Setting Up Your Account
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From your Google+ Page,
click on Start a hangout
Now, click on “Enable
Hangout on Air”

6. Setting Up Your Account
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You’ll need to verify your
YouTube account, usually
through a text message
Google+ will walk you through
any other issues needed to
verify your YouTube account

7. Setting Up Your Account
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Done? Now click on the button to
have your account checked again
If you know you have
already verified your
account and you see the
start of the verification
process again – check
which user you are
logged in as on Google+
and switch to your
YouTube Channel login

8. Setting Up Your Account
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Verify that the right
Google+ page and
YouTube Channel are
selected and click
Okay, got it!

9. Setting Up Your Account
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Agree to the Google+
Hangout On Air terms
and you will enter
your hangout room

10. Let’s Hangout!
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Once in the Hangout
room, setup and test
all participants audio,
video camera, and
other room options.
Familiarize everyone
with how to mute
their audio when not
speaking
Capture your Embed
code to give to bloggers
and capture your
YouTube URL for your
Google+ Event Page

11. The Show is About The Start
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When ready, click on
Start broadcast to
share your Hangout
with all of cyber
space!
Remember, your broadcast ‘On
Air’ portion of the Hangout will
appear on both your Google+
Page and your YouTube Channel
When you enter the room,
you are in setup mode and are
NOT broadcasting until your
click on ‘Start Broadcast’
After clicking Start
broadcast, there is a
10 second countdown
prior to actually being
LIVE on air
The number of
concurrent live viewers
is shown next the the
Embed code options

12. 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)
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13. 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.
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14. 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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15. 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
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16. How to Hang(out)
• Moderator opening: Introduce yourself, the event, and then the participants:
 Start with the NASA participants
 Then introduce any potential external participants (e.g. schools, reporters, partners,
etc.)
• Opening remarks: “We’ll now take opening remarks, let’s start with John Doe”
• Questions: Moderator begins asking questions to the participants:
 Take questions from people on the Hangout
 Take questions from prerecorded YouTube questions that are queued to be played
 Take questions from social media in advance and real-time
• Select a hashtag (such as #askNASA, #askAstro, #askJWST, etc.).
• Search the hashtag on Google+ and Twitter.
• Also, if you have a Facebook account, you can open up a thread for questions.
• Closing Remarks: Take closing remarks from participants (optional).
• Moderator closing: Moderator closes the event and provides a NASA.gov URL on the subject
matter.
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17. Production Magic
 An off-screen producer can use the Camerman app to select
which camera is shown in large on the Hangout (including
selecting each participant as they are introduced)
 Prepare graphics to be shared using Screenshare features
 Queue up YouTube videos to play when needed via
screensharing
 Feed in an external camera and/or microphone by connecting
it to your computer and selecting it in the Gear menu within
the Hangout window
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18. Two Weeks Out
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 Secure your talent
 Send your talent a welcome
email with information about
the Hangout event
 Double-check that timing
doesn’t compete with other
NASA social media events & de-
conflict the event if needed
 Notify your Center Social
Media Lead so your event can
be added to the agency social
media calendar & promoted on
the agency’s Flagship accounts
 Draft an event one-pager to
circulate with date, time,
talent, moderator, producer,
Google+ page, YouTube
channel, topic, and description

19. One Week Out
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 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)

20. Google+ Event Pages
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Select the Events
button in the left
column from your
Google+ Page
Then select Create Event
in the upper right corner

21. Creating Your Event
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1. Event Title: Name your event
2. Event Options: Open this
dropdown and select “Advanced
Options” – see next slide for
more
3. Time: Set the starting date and
time and ending time if you
choose.
4. Location: State “Google+
Hangout”
5. Description: Paste your
description from your one-pager
in here.
6. Guests: Invite individuals or
entire circles.
7. Theme: Don’t forget to upload a
topical image for the header

22. Setting Event Options
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Under the Event Options menu, uncheck
“Guests can add photos” unless you really
want spammy pics that you need to police
Then, select Advanced to bring up more
options
 Select Make this an event on air
 Select Show additional fields
Don’t check Google+ Hangout
since that will allow general
public users to enter your event
on camera.

23. Using Additional Fields
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For a website URL, put in a
NASA.gov URL for more
information about the topic
For YouTube URL, edit your
event after you start your
Hangout and paste in your
URL from the Embed options
in your Hangout

24. Day Of
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 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

25. Let’s Hang(out)!
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John Yembrick and Jason Townsend, Office of Communications

26. Your Title Here 26
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