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Have you Googled yourself lately? Were the results what you wanted to see?
If you’re not a celebrity, search results about you may be limited. But if you are a celebrity, your results may include many articles that aren’t exactly what you want people to read about you.
Google is giving celebrities a chance to tell “their side of the story” with Cameos, a new app for people who are searched frequently.
Cameos is a free app from Google, available for iPhone only, that can be used by invitation only. Google released the app on Thursday of last week, for celebrities and other famous people “to help reach your audience right where they search.”
With Cameos, a celebrity can see which questions about them are most frequently searched on Google. Using Cameos on their iPhone, celebrities can record a video response to those questions.
Videos are shot in portrait mode, with the celebrity talking to the camera and answering a commonly searched question about them. The celebrity can give answers and speak to the searcher as if they were together having a chat.
When a celebrity is satisfied with their video answer to a question, they can submit the video to Google using the Cameos app.
The Cameos video then will appear in the Google search results. That way, anyone asking that popular question about the celebrity can see the answer straight from the celebrity on the Google results page.
Instead of searchers finding answers to questions in articles about celebrities, they can watch and listen to the celebrity answer the question in a video. Google search results will be soon be featuring Cameos videos so searchers don’t have to dig for the answers to frequently asked questions.
Cameos is almost like an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, where Google searchers can have their most pressing questions answered directly by celebrities. No need for misinterpretation or issues about bias. This is the celebrities’ opportunity to set the record straight and talk to searchers directly.
Using Cameos
Anyone who has an iPhone can download Cameos from the App Store. But to use the app you must request an invitation from Google.
You can try the app in Demo mode to see how it works.
If Google sends you an invitation or you’re trying the app in Demo mode, you can see questions according to categories such as
- Most asked about you
- From the fans
- Trending topics
Questions may range from “Where did you grow up?” to “How did you get your start?” to “Are you a vegetarian?” to “What’s your go-to dance move?”
Celebrities can choose a question they’d like to answer, then shoot a video in the app to respond to the question. The video will play on their phone after they’ve finished recording it. They can delete it or, when they’re satisfied with the video, post the video to Google.
Searchers on Google will then see the Cameos video answer featured in the search results when they ask the question the celebrity answered.
Note, this app is not to be confused with Cameo, an app that lets people pay celebrities to make short video messages for you.
Possible Uses for Cameos
Cameos could be helpful for celebrities who want to clarify misleading information about them that appears on the Internet. They could also get access to information about which questions are asked about them most frequently. They can be more responsive to fans by recording video messages on Cameos. A celebrity could also record a video to support a favorite cause.
Politicians who want to address voters could use Cameos to state clearly their answers to questions people search most frequently. They could get insights about which questions people are seeking answers to most often.
Professional athletes might use Cameos to share their thoughts about an incredible play or a controversial call.
People who search on Google will get more insights about what Cameos users are thinking and what they want the world to know.
Your Thoughts
Are you a celebrity who would enjoy the opportunity to answer questions directly? If you were searching for answers about someone famous, would you like to watch a Cameos video from that person? Do you hope Google opens Cameos to all users?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
Great post. You have shared a very post with good information. Cameos looks like another gem from Google. We can finally know the truth about the news circulating in the market about these celebrities.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post. have a good day. 🙂
Hi Sajid, Yes, for us non-celebrities, the real benefit to Cameos will be when these videos appear in Google search results. We can then view videos directly from celebrities to find out more about them.
Hello Carolyn,
It’s really nice to share such information, in cameos it’s really nice that we can know better about our favorite one in celebrity. This app really helpful for the celebrities that they clarify more better about them self. Thank you for sharing such a nice post, Keep share this type of post.
Hi Tripti, Yes, if we have favorite celebrities and want to know more about them, we can see Cameos videos in Google search results to get the answers to our questions directly from them. They can also be able to answer questions directly and not worry about their words being taken out of context.
Hi,
About the app, it is only in ISO, right?
I am using Android mobile phone, so I may need to use Iphone or Ipad to install it.
Hi Sam, Yes, this app Cameos is only for iPhone and iPad, not Android (yet). The app can only be used by celebrities and by invitation only, so don’t switch from Android to iPhone only to use this app if you’re not a celebrity.