Google Helpouts launched in 2013 as an opportunity to connect users with experts. The categories range from art and music, computers and electronics and fitness and nutrition to education and careers, home and garden and cooking, helping users replicate face-to-face interactions without the hassle of traveling or scheduling. A former TechCrunch editor is using the platform for assistance on navigating “the minefield that is the tech press,” offering startup PR advice to help with pitches and preparing for interviews with reporters.
Would you pay $300 for one hour with Kincaid? When I first heard about Helpouts, I thought it was a great idea. It’s a way to connect industry hopefuls with experienced professionals in their field, whether they’re looking to improve a skill, learn something new or solve a problem. In a tech press world full of startups, “ground breaking” products and “breaking” PR pitches, I would say this is a problem many startups would like to solve.
“Given my past as a reporter and the fact that I still write about the tech world, it’s understandable if you’re concerned about confidentiality. All information you share during these sessions will be treated as confidential (e.g. if I talk to two people working on exactly the same thing, I won’t tell one about the other, and I won't tell anyone else, either),” Kincaid’s description reads.
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His description also notes the Helpouts are an experiment – something Google definitely had in mind when it developed this platform. It’s for feeling out what will work best, what topics see the most demand and more importantly, how Web-based, real-time solutions like this can help users with their online experience.
As Google has been one of the forerunners in the development of WebRTC, it may come as a surprise that Helpouts, which seemingly would fit perfectly as a WebRTC application, is in fact not WebRTC. At least not yet. Helpouts supports Chrome, IE 10+, Firefox and Safari browsers, and requires that users install the latest version of the plugin – the opposite of what WebRTC tries to enable. It could be a matter of time before it is, though. Google Hangouts is in the midst of upgrading to HD video chat and switching to VP8 and WebRTC, so we could see a similar transition with Helpouts as the technology develops.
Kincaid’s next Helpout is Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. Visit his Helpout’s profile page to learn more.
Have you signed up for a Helpout yet? What do you think of this platform to connect people with experts in dedicated fields? Let us know in the comments!
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
