3 out of 4 stars
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Meetup - Google - Hangouts on Air by Akil Head is a how-to guide for Meetup.com event organizers. The reader will learn how to use Google Hangouts on Air (HOA) to record live events. The book is divided into eight sections. Step-by-step instructions on organizing and recording an event are included. Helpful pictures throughout this book compliment Mr. Head’s explanations. The visuals are well-formatted for an e-reader.
The guide is a quick read at 15 pages. The introduction clearly defines the book’s scope and the target audience. The author is a technical consultant, a Meetup organizer, and a software training coach. His biography illustrates that he is knowledgeable and skilled in the topics presented in this book.
The author gives advice on what to do before, during, and after a Meetup live recording. For example, Mr. Head recommends instructing the audience to hold their questions until the end of the presentation in order to obtain a smoother recorded performance. This advice will be helpful to organizers new to hosting live events.
The author provides additional resources for the reader. A list of references on the last page of this guide includes links to further reading about YouTube, Google Hangouts, and Meetup.com. Information on terms of use and copyright issues are also included in the references.
A moderate level of technical knowledge is required to use this guide. The reader needs three laptops, a digital video camera, and a digital microphone in order to record a presentation as the author instructs. This could be cost-prohibitive for some organizers.
The guide is easy to follow and well-organized, but there are some inconsistencies. For example, the author starts off by providing a detailed explanation of how to set up a Gmail account. He later instructs the reader to use HOA "Screenshare," but he does not define or explain this. I needed to perform an online search for Screenshare to learn how to use this feature. I would have liked the same level of detail throughout the book. If someone needs help setting up an email account, he will also need more detailed instructions on using the HOA features outlined by Mr. Head. If the reader already knows how to use features like Screenshare, he will not need instructions on setting up a basic email account.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. Overall, this is a useful guide for the very specific group of people it is targeted towards. After reading Meetup - Google - Hangouts on Air, I have a better understanding of how to record a live presentation with HOA. The guide did not receive 4 out of 4 stars for a few reasons. The book shows a lack of consistency at times. There are very detailed instructions in some areas, and there are very little details in other sections. Providing more visuals, such as actual screenshots of HOA, would also improve this guide. Budget-conscious Meetup organizers will not find this guide useful unless they can obtain the specific equipment needed for the set-up Mr. Head calls for. While it did not affect my rating, I would like to mention that aiming the guide at only Meetup organizers limits its appeal. The intended audience for this book could be anyone who wants to use Google Hangouts on Air to record a presentation.
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Meetup - Google - Hangouts On Air
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