Earlier today, Google officially launched a new service that"s been in testing since July which claims to offer qualified one-on-one video help from a range of experts on a variety of subjects. The new venture is called Google Helpouts and is an extension of the company"s older Hangouts chat service.
Basically, Helpouts lets people connect to experts who can assist in, for example, learning how to play the guitar, how to fix a gas furnace and more. There are currently eight categories for the Helpouts service, including Computers and Electronics, Cooking, Health, and others.
While many of the people who are listed in Google Helpouts are offering their advice for free, most are charging for their video assistance, either with a price per video session or a per minute charge. Google will take 20 percent of the revenues from Helpouts.
The big question: How do you know the people listed on the website really know what they are talking about? Google"s listed policies for the providers who sign up for Helpouts state they must give listings on their page that are "accurate, complete and not misleading." In the case of some subjects, such as health care, Google will also ask that the provider offer proof of a license to the company if their subject requires it.
Source: Google | Image via Google