LIVE Drink Driving Operation Hangout on Air from West Midlands Police and Kerry Blakeman on Sat 1 Dec 2012 at 6pm

Google+ Even Page

On planning a LIVE Hangout On Air, there are a number of posts to be made to ensure it all runs smoothly. 

This post will let you know what they are and where they are located across platforms like Google+, Twitter and YouTube.

Comment Tracker

Facebook is also included, but to a lesser extent as a LIVE Hangout On Air can be posted in facebook and linked to, but not watched LIVE. 

So, any viewers will be redirected directly to YouTube. Twitter users may have the option to watch a mini YouTube player on their smart phones/pc without leaving twitter. Google+ users can watch in the stream or at YouTube.

So far, we have the West Midlands Police Press Release,  Google+ Event Page:  Live Hangout on Air from Drink Driving Operation with West Midlands Police, Hangout Comment Tracker. 

Press Release

The hashtag #askwmp (which will be used on all platforms, the link is to twitter using Topsy), West Midlands Police @WMPolice and @Kerry Blakeman's Twitter account.

At YouTube, the West Midlands Police Channel has 1,317 subscribers (with over 2.4 million video views). 

What Hangouts On Air give the Police (Law Enforcement in the US) is the ability to use Twitter, leapfrog Google+ and arrive LIVE at YouTube (and in people's homes and hands) for free. 

There has been a meteoric rise in mobile videos views. This is know as the second, third and even fourth screen experience (the first screen being that of traditional Television).

To achieve a LIVE experience like this, we would of had to rely on main stream media (like the BBC, ITV and SKY to support us). Not any longer. This broadcast will be brought to you with nothing more than a mobile wifi hotspot and a laptop with built in webcam (with a smart phone headset and microphone).

At time of writing (Sat, 1 Dec 12 at 1:35pm), West Midlands Police has broadcast just one LIVE hangout On Air: New Police Crime Commissioner sets out plans for the future (22 Nov, 2012 ). This will be the second. 

Massey Tower Demolition

As I am supporting this Event, I will not be a part of the LIVE Broadcast, so that lets me open up a Hangout Green Room and watch the broadcast with up to nine other people. This is a valuable way to crowd source information and not miss any comments links or photos that can be added to the Event Page in Realtime.

An early example of this was the LIVE Coverage of the Demolition of the Massey AGCO Tower from Coverage (8 July 2012) also organised by Kerry Blakeman.

 The LIVE Broadcast is now over, watch again now ..



Google+ UPDATE: Monday, 3 Dec 2012 4pm

The LIVE Drink Drive Operation Hangout by +Kerry Blakeman of +West Midlands Police is the Featured Video at the Force Channel.

Everyone should be aware of the reach of Hangouts. LIVE views maybe a dozen, but the upload is there forever. In this case, there were about 700 views yesterday, that is now about 1,400. The Interview with a traffic cop has been seen by 3,900 people.

In YouTube standards, these number are small, but where New Media is a niche audience.. if a few of these views have made people think twice and left the car at home, then it's been worth it ..

Other people to follow in Police and Law Enforcement are: +Kerry Blakeman +Gordon Scobbie +Tayside Police +Warwickshire Police +Nick Keane  (UK) / +Scott Mills  +Lauri Stevens (US/Canada) / +Janita Docherty (from Australia) .. 


Interview with a Traffic Cop


Interview with a bereaved Mother