Yup, my first reaction to Helpouts was that it was silly. Google Domains made a lot more sense to me.
If I had to guess, Helpouts was an attempt to get people to use Hangouts (the video, chat, and collaboration service) more, since it looks like a bunch of time and energy has gone into developing it. They push it for businesses[1] and for teams to video conference[2]. Helpouts was targeted for the other audience --individuals.
Also if I had to guess, Google may be nervous of other chat/video services taking market share, such as Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc., and sees Hangouts as Google's foundational approach and push forward.
If I had to guess, Helpouts was an attempt to get people to use Hangouts (the video, chat, and collaboration service) more, since it looks like a bunch of time and energy has gone into developing it. They push it for businesses[1] and for teams to video conference[2]. Helpouts was targeted for the other audience --individuals.
Also if I had to guess, Google may be nervous of other chat/video services taking market share, such as Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc., and sees Hangouts as Google's foundational approach and push forward.
[1] https://www.google.com/work/apps/business/products/hangouts/ [2] http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/02/chrome...