When he talks about the "Hangout" feature on Google+, Google's Head of Social Vic Gundotra likes to compare it to sitting on your front porch.
"It allows you - in a very nice way, it's not socially awkward - to say, hey I'm hanging out on my porch," Gundotra said in a recent interview. "I'm available, if you're available too, you can join."
But Google probably didn't expect anyone to sit on their front porch for this long...
Avid Google+ users have put the platform's servers to the test with a continuous group video chat that just doesn't seem to end. It's been going on for three full days (more than 72 hours) and counting.
The "Marathon Hangout" has garnered quite a bit of interest along the way. It now has its own website, a Twitter account, and all the action is being livestreamed on Ustream.
The topic of discussion has continuously rotated, along with the participants. An estimated 1,000 are believed to have stopped by, perhaps as many as 2,000 to date.
It all started with FamilyLink.com's Mark Olsen, who clicked "Start a Hangout" on July 20.
The next day, Olsen wrote on his Google+ profile page, "Today we have had many Google Hangout engineers join in with us which we really appreciate - one of them confirmed this hangout is the longest to date - even surpassing their own internal tests! " (The Hangout hit 44 hours at that point.)
On July 23, it was still going strong. And there was no end in sight.
"We hope for it to go on perpetually," Olsen told The Huffington Post in the Hangout.
The experiment has had some hiccups. Every now and then, the room fails or there are some technical issues. But as long as someone jumps back within 15 minutes, the URL is preserved. The URL has indeed remained in tact since the beginning.
Founder of Dot TV Social Media Services Michael Nast has been one of the Hangouts' most loyal viewers. He claims to have joined within its first hour. He hasn't really gone anywhere since, minus a few hours for sleep.
"People are sleeping in the Hangout," Nast said. "You just don't want to miss anything."
Googlers took notice. Engineer after engineer began popping in on Thursday and Friday - from all around the world - noting that they'd heard about it from internal messages being circulated.
Google software engineer Mikael Nilsson said about the Hangout: "Wow! I'm proud our servers can manage that." Google+ Project "Ads Guy" Christian Oestlien called the Hangout, "Pretty impressive."
Olsen says it's the "great conversation" that keeps him excited and people popping in.
Nast added, "I've been using social media for years, but Google's totally flipped everything around [with Hangouts and their interaction]."
The ways people find the Hangout are endless.
For some, it's gphangouts.com, a site that indexes Hangouts going on around Google+.
For serial entrepreneur James Kennemore, he says he heard a Google developer mention it. He stopped by and stayed for hours.
Others found it on Twitter, via Huddles, or had a friend in the Hangout in their Stream.
Perhaps most interesting about the Hangout is it's all being livestreamed, as mentioned before. At one point, 67 people were watching at once, even though only 10 can be in a Google+ Hangout at any given time. At peak times, as soon as someone leaves, it takes seconds to fill the spot.
A.J. Klein, an emerging media and communications student at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in the Hangout that he's met incredible people that he would have never had the chance to interact with, thanks to Hangouts.
Klein says the trick is to "get lucky" in terms of who you'll meet.
Sounds like the Hangout can give Google's old "I'm feeling lucky" new meaning.
Follow the author of this post Craig Kanalley on Google+ and on Twitter.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.