Google is putting its new Helpouts offering front and center, advertising it on the Google homepage and in the Chrome New Tab page.
Google points users to things it wants to promote here from time to time, but it certainly doesn’t do it with everything it launches. Obviously, Google wants to get Helpouts in front of as many people as possible. Don’t be surprised to see a TV ad sometime in the near future.
If you’re unfamiliar with Helpouts, it’s a new service that Google offers, which lets users search for things they need help with (or browse topics that they’d like to learn more about), and participate in a live one-on-one video session with an expert on that subject. Experts and businesses can schedule these as they like, and charge however much they want (including free).
The product was first spotted in the wild back in the summer, but last week, Google officially launched it.
While there are other similar products on the market, the weight of Google’s brand, and its ability to put it on such a highly-trafficked page like the Google homepage, give Helpouts an obvious advantage over competitors.
For more on how Helpouts works, read this. Here, TakeLessons (an early Helpouts provider) shares its experience with the product.