We all have talents and skills. For example, I can juggle and… well, I have few marketable skills. But the point is, we all have something to teach each other. Just not for free, and Google is going to take full advantage of that with Google Helpouts.
As you may have guessed from the name, Google Helpouts are like Google Hangouts, except you get paid for them and you may not have to get naked to collect the cash. Here’s the deal, if you’re longing for an exciting role in the world of tech support:
Anyone can sign up to provide help; just enter in your skills, availability, qualifications, and pricing, and Google will match you with people in need of your assistance. You can even include an introductory video of the services you’ll be providing. Once you’re all set up, customers can schedule a video chat session during your available hours.
In other words, Google is bringing the world of cam modeling to the rest of us, except we’ll actually be doing something useful instead of feeling vaguely dirty for accepting the money. If you’re wondering what Google gets out of this, aside from a warm fuzzy feeling, the answer is “20% right off the top.”
What, you didn’t expect them to do it for free, did you? You’ll also be heavily tied to Google services, obviously; you’ll need a Google+ account to sign up, and you’ll only be able to get paid via Google Wallet.
On the other hand, if you’ve got a degree of experience in something, whether it’s woodworking, cooking, or faking knowledge in various fields, this does seem like a pretty easy way to pick up some extra cash. Besides, it beats all the other ways of making money on webcams.