Just five days after I posted the previous “Google+’s Biggest Advantage over Facebook” blog, I initiate a Hangout to learn more about Hangouts features. I video chat with the other two members of the Vauxite team: +Kristin Llamas, +Joe Abraham and even a friend who lives in London joins in. This is really cool I think to myself. We tease each other by muting each other and watch and change a couple youtube videos, and share some laughs. After a while we all agree we need to get back to work and say our goodbyes. As soon I close out, I see in my stream that Mark Hoppus from the band Blink-182 just started a Hangout. Hangout with a member of one of my favorite bands growing up? Sure, why not? I click Hangout. I check my hair. I get in. Mark asks where everyone is from as the chat quickly fills up. He says he’s currently on a lunch break from filming segments for his Fuse tv show “Hoppus on Music”. He fields questions as people scramble to think of what to ask next. Questions like, When is a new single going to be released? “Soon, but I can’t reveal exact details just yet.” Mark replies. What band, past or present would you love to tour with? “The Beatles.” he answers with little hesitation. I ask, “What is your most played song in iTunes?” “It’s a track called Esther’s from Amon Tobin’s album Foley Room.” Throughout the session there’s serious questions, joking around, and even some awkward silence here and there. For fifteen minutes it’s ten random people hanging out, except one of them happens to have sold over 27 million records worldwide. This is the power of Google+. Granted, chatting with a celebrity is an exception, but even before I was video chatting with a famous musician, I was Hanging out and having an emotional connection with people I’ve known for years. Some how Google is doing something Facebook hasn’t been able to do for me, make interacting through a computer more of a personal experience. When asked if he thought Google+ would take out Facebook? Mark answered, “I don’t know about that, but it seems cool and I’m liking it so far.”

I am too.

Check out some of the other celebrities that are on Google+:

+Mark Hoppus
https://plus.google.com/106086121009771648314/posts

+Alyssa Milano
https://plus.google.com/118254993345625377660/posts

+Mark Zuckerberg (It really is him, it’s been confirmed, and ironically he is the most followed Google+ user)
https://plus.google.com/104560124403688998123/posts

+Ashton Kutcher
https://plus.google.com/100300281975626912157/posts

+Pete Wentz
https://plus.google.com/111431694377519332046/posts

+Kanye West
https://plus.google.com/114559689060216093873/posts

Know any others that you’re pretty sure it’s really them? Post them in the comments.

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