Google Buzz

Well the rumours have been out for a while that Google was going to be announcing something new, and it turns out that it's Google Buzz. Is it Friendfeed? Is it Twitter? As usual with Google, it's a sideswipe at the main competition but also a further attempt to tie people even closer into the happy Google family. If you don't have it yet (look at your Gmail account, and if there's a 'Buzz' option below the left hand side Inbox menu item you do) you can take a look at the video that explains exactly what it is. Alternatively, watch it here. (And I was struck by just how much it's like the Common Craft videos, which seem to have become the standard way of doing things now!)

So, that's all well and good, but what does it actually do? First of all, you don't need to do anything since Google has done it all for you - it'll just automatically work on your behalf. Buzz will keep you updated about what your friends are doing, will pull in photographs from different places, add in video and let you publish status updates and comment on those of friends. So it's trying to really pull a lot of stuff together - particularly the Google stuff - Picasa and Google Maps are being emphasised quite a lot. There's a privacy on/off toggle, but that's all you get on that front. The mobile version will of course know where you are if you allow that functionality, and it can also update you with information that other people are sharing who are in the same location. Great for a conference, and a real swipe at Twitter back channels!

One of the major problems that I can see with the service is what Google sees as its strength, which is Gmail. Surprisingly few of my contacts use it - or perhaps not that surprising, because I deal with educators and academic librarians mostly, and they've got their own institution email accounts. Are they going to rush out and get a gmail account? I don't think it's likely, to be honest. If you're happy with an existing email account, you do most of your networking via Twitter and Facebook, I don't think Buzz is going to make that much difference. If you're a dedicated Google user then it's a very big deal indeed.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Google's big announcement: Google Buzz is sharing, Gmail-style (downloadsquad.com)
• Google Tries to Get Some Good Buzz (gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Google Buzz is making my head spin with just-too-muchery (trueslant.com)
• FriendFeed (and Gmail) Founder's Reaction To Google Buzz: "This Seems Vaguely Familiar" (techcrunch.com)
• The Buzz About Google (chris.pirillo.com)
• Google Buzz re-invents Gmail (radar.oreilly.com)