Can Google Make a Case for Hangouts? - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD

Excerpt from a Hangout reality check

"Think of it in real-world terms: Gather a bunch of people in a room together who may or may not know each other, and it’s difficult to sustain an active conversation without direction. Similarly, as time passes in a Hangout, the novelty of a group video chat wears off. In the lack of direction, the retention rate suffers.
Thus the dilemma of Hangouts on Google+. Sure, it may be a cool feature, but in the long run, is cool enough?"

Can Google Make a Case for Hangouts? - Mike Isaac - Social - AllThingsD