Senior Bowl hosts video chat between players, fans

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The Senior Bowl is a big deal for NFL draft hopefuls looking to showcase their talents, and this year organizers of the bowl game are also taking advantage of the national stage.

"We want to bring maximum exposure to the Senior Bowl," said Bryon Lambert, RosterWatch host.  "With the growing momentum in social media what better way to do than with Google+ Hangouts."

Google+’s Hangout feature lets you chat online with up to nine people, face-to-face, all at once.

Tuesday, nearly a dozen players made themselves available for the Google chats, including one-time Heisman trophy candidate Denard Robinson, from the University of Michigan and Rutgers' Khaseem Greene.

"These players are great kids and this helps to get their names out there… Get them some exposure to help them with their transition to the draft and the NFL... Through the off-season process," said Lambert.

Organizers say while some of the players are already using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, the use of Google+ is new for the Senior Bowl.

Interviews with the players were streamed live on the Senior Bowl’s Google+ and YouTube pages, allowing fans the opportunity to watch from home. Fans that logged onto the Hangouts got to learn more about their favorite players, like their hobbies outside of football.

The Hangout feature is growing in the Google + network.

The company recently made some modifications to its Hangout, most notably, adding colorful notifications and a sidebar which consolidates key function tools, like invites, chat and frequently used apps.

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