If you just have to share a video of a sneezing baby panda bear, Google has just made it a bit easier. In a move that adds Google+ functionality to another Google product, the Web giant has integrated its social network even more closely with YouTube. Today, Google added a button to video pages on YouTube, letting Google+ users start a Hangout video conference with their friends while watching a video.
Google adds the ability to watch YouTube videos with friends, adding a button that lets Google+ users launch a Hangout video conference from YouTube. So now, at the bottom of that adorable sneezing baby panda video, and every other video on YouTube, users can click the "Share" button. From there, a set of options pop up including embedding the video, emailing it, as well as sharing links on Facebook and Twitter. Now, users have the option of watching the video in a Google+ Hangout as well. When Google+ users click "Start a Google+ Hangout", a new window opens, offering the chance to add friends from Google+ Circles to the viewing party.
Since the launch of Google+ in June, users could watch YouTube videos with friends in Hangouts. By adding the feature to the YouTube site itself, Google is widening the reach of Google+ in its bid to compete with Facebook, which began offering its own video chat service, powered by Skype, shortly after Google+ debuted.