Google Buzzes onto the social media scene

Jacqueline DiOrio 9 Feb, 2010 at 4:36pm ET Article published in Tech

Google today announced the launch of a new social media feature built into Gmail called Google Buzz. Google Buzz is a way to have conversations inside of Gmail that integrates a variety of media, including photos, video and links, with options for public and private publication.

“Five years ago, Gmail was just email. Later we added chat and then video chat, both built right in, so people had choices about how to communicate from a single browser window,” the Gmail team wrote in a press release. “Today… People are sharing photos with friends and family, commenting on news happening around them, and telling the world what they’re up to in real-time.”

“Today, we’re launching Google Buzz, a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more. Buzz is built right into Gmail, so there’s nothing to set up — you’re automatically following the people you email and chat with the most.”

Aspiring to make the new service a gateway to other social media outlets, Google has started by giving users the option to connect Buzz with both Twitter and Flickr. Google has also invited developers to work with the service’s API to develop new connectors for Google Buzz that allow it to interact with more programs.

Google has begun a phased deployment of Buzz that will complete over the next couple of days, so Gmail users that don’t yet have the feature soon will. Google Buzz will also be available on cell phones, where it will give the option of conveying the user’s location to friends.

Comments

9 Feb 2010 ~ 4:51pm Thrax I just gave Buzz a go by connecting my Twitter and Reader accounts.

Given that it's a pull-only service, by that I mean it only imports activities on other sites and services, I see little use for it as a centralized manager for the "social media" accounts I use on a regular basis. Realistically speaking, it's just <i>yet another</i> site I have to keep track of, because it doesn't add any functionality to the other sites, or support any two-way communication.

So instead of checking Facebook and Twitter for comments, I now have to check Facebook, Twitter and Buzz. Buzz also doesn't provide me with communication options I don't already have via instant messaging applications, or through Twitter.

Considering the UI's call/response nature (the threaded comments are nice, at least), it seems like a lame knockoff of Twitter born out of Google's bewildering resistance to buying Twitter.

No thank you.
9 Feb 2010 ~ 5:24pm chrisWhite I'd be way more interested in this if it had Wave and Voice integration instead of Gmail, I never use Gmail on the web anymore, it all forwards to another account that had IMAP before Gmail did.
9 Feb 2010 ~ 5:26pm GnomeQueen I'll am interested to see what Buzz matures into given a little time. If it ends up allowing you to reply to sites instead of just process information it could be useful.
9 Feb 2010 ~ 5:27pm jared Just like Wave, doesn't seem practical for normal day-to-day use.

Pass.
9 Feb 2010 ~ 5:44pm chrisWhite Does it seem like this is just Wave in disguise hanging out in your Gmail?
9 Feb 2010 ~ 6:59pm primesuspect I am buzzing back and forth with Gravite2090 (PirateNinja). We're happy alone in our little buzzworld. It's like our very own two cans + string provided by google.
10 Feb 2010 ~ 1:06pm RWB Seems pretty neat, though I just can't seem to get into the social networking thing. I have Facebook, Twitter, and a couple other things I can't even remember anymore but of course rarely use them, if at all.

But so far I am auto-following 7 people and none of them would use this stuff either.