This could become quite big in future, I don't know. Last Thursday, with a soft launch, Google announced that they are effectively entering the education-provider business in Australia.
https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAustralia/posts Google Australia 7th Nov 2013 Introducing Helpouts: Help when you need it over live video What if getting help for a computer glitch, a leaky pipe, or a homework problem were as easy as clicking a button? What if you could connect via real-time video to a music teacher or a yoga instructor from the comfort of your home? Helpouts https://helpouts.google.com/home Share what you know by giving Helpouts Helpouts is a new way to share knowledge and expertise over live video. Connect with customers in a one-on-one video call. Why give a Helpout? Helpouts gives you an opportunity to use your knowledge to teach others. It's easy to use, works on desktop and mobile devices and incorporates live video, scheduling and payments. Immediate and global reach Get instant access to customers, unrestricted by geography, time-zone or currency. Make your service accessible from anywhere. Convenient and flexible Set up your schedule decide what time works for you, give Helpouts at home or on the go, on your computer or mobile device. Get paid for helping Pick your price set your own rate for each Helpout and get paid easily using Google Wallet. Charge a fixed price per Helpout or set a per-minute rate. Browse Helpouts: Art & Music Computers & Electronics Cooking Education & Careers Fashion & Beauty Fitness & Nutrition Health Home & Garden Introduction to Helpouts Helpouts is an easy and convenient way to get help over live video. No matter who you are, where you are, or what time it is, you can talk to someone who can help you. Heres what Helpouts offers: A wide variety of providers. People offering help through Helpouts can be large, medium, or small companies as well as individuals. We call them Helpout providers. They were invited by Google to participate and had to pass our screening process to qualify as a Helpout provider. Providers create and maintain listings that explain what they offer, their qualifications, their prices, and their schedules. You can find the help you need by searching Helpouts, by browsing our categories, or through direct links on the web. Live interactive video. When you start a Helpout, a video window will pop up, and you can see the provider and they can see you. During the session, you can point your camera to show what you need help with. For example, you can point your camera at a broken appliance or your fingers trying to play the guitar. If you dont want the provider to be able to see you, you can always turn off your camera. If for some reason the connection breaks, a link to rejoin the Helpout will appear. Dont worry, youll only be charged for the time you were connected. And if both you and the provider agree ahead of time, a recording of the Helpout will be created and automatically saved in your Google Drive thats linked to your Google+ account. Scheduling flexibility. There are two ways to get a Helpout -- instantly and scheduled. Search results and category listings include the availability of each provider. When a listing has a green Available for live help now button, you are just a few clicks away from getting help instantly. If a provider is busy helping someone else, you can wait for them to become available. Youll be able to see your place in line, and it will be updated as people ahead of you finish. You can decide to leave the queue at any time. Otherwise, every listing has a link to the providers Helpouts calendar. You can pick a time slot or send a message to request a new one. And once a Helpout is scheduled, it can automatically be added to your Google calendar, and well send you a notification 5 minutes before the scheduled start to remind you. You can choose how you want to be notified either through email, SMS, or directly on the site through Helpouts settings. Payments. All payments are done through Google Wallet. That means, youll need to have a Google Wallet account set up prior to the start of a paid session. Free Helpouts sessions dont require a Wallet account. Payments using Google Wallet are easy and secure. We offer a full money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with a Helpout, well refund your money. Pricing options. There are two kinds of pricing based on either a per minute or per Helpout session. Prices are set by the providers. Some providers offer both options at the same time, leaving it up to you to decide which one is best for you. Reviews. At the end of each Helpout, youll be asked to write a review. We strongly encourage you to write a review to help others decide whether this Helpout is right for them. Ability to share your favorite Helpout. You can easily share your favorite Helpout through Google+, Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Tools. During a Helpout you can choose from a list of available tools that give you more options. These tools currently include things like the ability to take a photo during a Helpout, to allow the provider access to your computer remotely to help you fix a problem, or to access your Google Drive documents, photos, and presentations. Ready to get started? Visit Helpouts to create a listing. Money back guarantee If you are not completely happy with your experience, Helpouts has a 100% Money Back Guarantee. First, well suggest that you request a refund from the Provider of your Helpout. If the Provider does not issue a satisfactory refund, and you have complied with Helpouts Terms of Service and policies, Google will issue a refund. If you would like a refund, please contact us here. Note: Since we will use the recording of a Helpout to review each 100% Money Back Guarantee request, if you opt out of having your Helpout recorded, you forfeit your eligibility for the guarantee. (Read more about Recording of Helpouts here.) Refund request process: 1) You can request a refund from the Provider of the Helpout. A Provider can choose to grant a voluntary refund for a variety of reasons. Note: This refund request must be made within 72 hours of the end of the Helpout. 2) If you arent satisfied with the refund offered by the Provider, you can appeal the Providers decision through the Helpouts 100% Money Back Guarantee. We then may review the Quality Assurance Recording of the Helpout. If you have complied with Helpouts policies and our terms of service, you will be issued a refund. Providers will be reimbursed if they have complied with Helpouts Terms of Service and policies. Note: Some types of Helpouts cannot be reviewed because our policy disallows the quality assurance recording (e.g., a Helpout marked as a health service). Helpouts that are not recorded due to Helpouts policy exclusions are eligible for the 100% Money Back Guarantee. (Read more about Recording of Helpouts here.) Message sent using MelbPC WebMail Server
_______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
