Since writing my last post about Google+, I have fiddled around a good deal more with the site, and I have come to the conclusion that Hangouts are the best feature of Google+. This is followed closely by Circles, of course.

Just what is a Hangout, you ask? Well, dear readers, a Hangout is the next in a long line of advancements in technologically-facilitated group communication. Decades ago, we had party phone lines, best exhibited in the “Telephone Hour” scene of Bye Bye, Birdie, by which several teenagers could all talk on the phone together. At the turn of the century, we had AIM chat rooms, enabling us to instant message dozens of people at once. Party lines and chat rooms were all very nice, but they were a bit limited. You couldn’t actually see the person you were talking to.

Now, thanks to the G+ Hangout, you can, because a Hangout is a group video chat. You and up to nine of your friends can all video chat at the same time. You can even watch a YouTube video together. I found this little feature particularly neat, because, while the YouTube video is playing on the main screen, G+ still shows, below it, the thumbnail versions of the camera feeds of the people in the Hangout, so you can watch your friends’ reactions to what you’re all watching.

Even if G+ never overtakes Facebook or becomes even a modest success, I sincerely hope that they keep the Hangouts feature as part of Gchat. For people like me who have moved around a lot and have friends scattered across the country, it’s an extremely useful and much appreciated feature.