Do You Dare Ignore Google Buzz?
Google has introduced Google Buzz and people aren’t sure what to think. Some think it’s awesome while others don’t. In researching for this post, I check out what was being said about Google Buzz via a Google blog search. There were over 51 million results. If two thirds of those are illegitimate links, it’s still gaining very significant attention.
There are some concerned about its privacy flaws and a lot of talk about what Buzz doesn’t offer… yet. Lifehacker offers up one of the best explanations of how Buzz works and how to use it, but the question I would raise is, can you afford to ignore it?
I was in a meeting yesterday with some editors of print magazines and we were discussing how social networking relates to the future of print publications. One of the statements made (which didn’t surprise me) was “we may not like these tools [i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.] but we can’t ignore them.” I must agree.
Can you be a successful blogger and ignore Buzz (and all of the other similar tools being released daily on the net)? The answer depends on your approach to blogging. If you blog to share with family and friends news about your life – Buzz doesn’t even have to exist for you. But if you’re looking to expand your blog’s influence in the business or entrepreneurial world, then you really can’t afford to ignore one of the biggest releases from one of the biggest tech players on the planet.
Will it aid your blog by driving more traffic? I think we’ll know more in a matter of days, but sometimes that doesn’t matter. You just can’t afford to ignore the elephant in the room for very long.
We’d like to know your thoughts. Where is Buzz going? Will it help? Does it matter? What do you think of the tool, and feel free to leave your buzz link at the bottom of your content. It’s formatted as: http://www.google.com/buzz/yourgooglename.
In addition to serving as Editor of Fuel Your Blogging, Brandon is also a Pastor at Saddleback Church and Online Community Coordinator for Pastors.com. He’s also a web designer, blogger, and church communications consultant. Catch him on his own blog or on Twitter.
I’m definitely excited about GB! I’ve been dabbling with it just tonight and found some things I liked about it as well as some things I disliked — overall I think this is a well designed feature a lot of bloggers have been waiting for.
It’s seamless, easy to use, and there for people interested in populating yet another niche of the web.
I think I’m most excited to see what Google releases in the coming months — with the recent release of the time intensive Wave project — and how it didn’t really click with everyone, — I think they’ll be implementing a lot of the Wave’s features into Buzz.
Buzz me — http://www.google.com/profiles/christopherR2D2
Absolutely right about that. I agree, and there are ways to adjust or shut off the features that might annoy people, like having updates show up in your inbox.
Brandon, I think it’s too soon to tell. The question is, will you find access to a new audience on Buzz or will it be the same crowd you already hang out with on Twitter, FriendFeed or FaceBook. There maybe some advantages to using Buzz but I don’t know if they are that important. I can’t help but think about how useless Google Wave has been for me. Thanks for sharing this. My Buzz link is http://www.google.com/buzz/msileanespeaks
@Ileane
You might be on to something, Ileane. I think Wave missed some marks and Buzz integrates a little bit of the best of it. It will be interesting to see what Google does with both.
it just sounds like they are trying to get everyone to use gmail. I don’t even know ONE person who does, so it’s useless to me.
Hey, I use gmail, so now you know someone. :)
After Hotmail and Yahoo, Gmail is the most used worldwide.
Who is this Yahoo of which you speak? Seems like I used to know of them. ;)
Yahomail is the most popular mail client in the world, if buzz does get popular, i guess gmail will be taken up faster by more users, i guess thats the intention of google, so that they can push users more of their ads
Buzz Me, http://www.google.com/profiles/jozacg
I would monitor about Buzz for a period of time before I start. It’s like shouting in an empty house now. Why waste my time??
Hehe, the house is filling up fast. :)
Gmail, from my perspective, is hands down the best mail client anywhere. As is Google’s search engine and calendar for me. I use Google bookmarks as well, but only because I feel stuck on them due to all the data I have there. But that’s all I use, and that’s where I draw the line. I’m not going to use Google for every single online app I use, like so many consumers seem to get sucked into doing. I prefer flickr over picasa, Facebook/Twitter over Buzz, etc. There’s a danger in having all your eggs in one basket, and there is also a danger in Google trying to be #1 in every single online category (now they will even be our ISP?!). I worry it may discourage future innovation, because of the concern that one day Google will simply come along with their own product, announce it, turn it on, and millions will be drawn to it due to the “Google” name. I hope consumers select the products that are the best, and not the ones attached to name. Maybe Buzz will be the best, but Twitter and Facebook are fulfilling all my online social needs, so why switch just because its new? And if it were from some unheard of company, would anyone be paying attention?
Good points, Brian, and good warning to consider for sure!
I don’t see the real need for Buzz right now. Lets wait to see how it develops with time; however, there are a lot of tools that do what Buzz is offering. They are not trying to improve or enhance the social media, rather Buzz is just a copy of twitter, in my opinion.
They just need to remember what happened when they were trying to compete with Facebook and Myspace with Orkut. Orkut is only popular in Brazil; however, it is unknown for the rest of the world.
@stella Gmail is the best mail client so far.
So, you know another person that use it!.
Taylor, I’d say that Buzz might be more of a middle ground. Has elements of Twitter, but strongly resembles Friendfeed, especially with the commenting and grouping of comments. But I do think that attaching it to Reader and Gmail they way they have is their way of grabbing users and getting them to devote more time on Google’s services.
Anything that could potentially cough up my primary email address without my explicit permission instantly gets marked with the sign of the beast and shelved in my world. Can I afford to ignore google buzz? If it’s a hole in my perfect record of junk mail & privacy, I can’t afford not to.
Haha, now that’s a unique perspective in a world gone mad with public profiles and open networking. It’s a very good voice to hear though – how far do we go in relinquishing our privacy?
If that’s your concern, you probably shouldn’t be online at all — Just because Buzz is closely implemented into gmail doesn’t mean you have to disclose your email or risk expositing it.
It’s no different than any other social community.
Thanks Brandon. To clarify for ChristopherR2D2, I use google apps for my multiple businesses that I own and manage; that is too close to home to ‘risk’ using a product that google itsself has already apologized for making the way it made and changed twice. My email is my lifeblood, facebook is not. Everything I’ve ever said online in over 20 years (including BBS dial up) was carefully thought out for its appropriateness and effectiveness within its proper channel. My email has a very specific function – private communication (I’m not talking “private” as in needing ‘encryption’. I save that for in person communication thank you). That means there are potentially many unrelated people who I communicate with who need not know each other: competing businesses, old contractors, new contractors, my grandma. Why would I risk loosing control of something running so well and perfectly? What benefit could I justify that with? I may absolutely one day use google buzz, but not until I’m sure it is under MY control with minimal risk to my aforementioned ‘perfect record’; in the mean time, I’ll continue to interact effectively online through the channels I know work in a manner that I know consistently produces a desired result.
I’m curious to see how Buzz plays out in the business world.
Brands are jumping on Buzz faster than they did on Twitter, so it will indeed be interesting.
I think I am going to be a late adopter on this one… I was an early adopter to wave as I got an invite… It made my head hurt. I can see Buzz being useful but for me I have twitter, facebook and other connections so I don’t see the value as of yet. Especially since there are some privacy flaws and it shows your location by default. Its basically a glorified google chat & gmail rolled into a twitter type style of updating.
I guess we’ll see what happens but for me, I am going to be a late adopter. (shocking, I am never late!)
Better late than never though! I think it’s become rather difficult for any service to crack the big two or three networks that already exist, which has pros and cons.
Twitter is just a glorified Facebook status with a few additional features … look how that caught on.
I think anything focused on simple updates, like Twitter or Facebook, and now Buzz, will have a place with social users because it enables us to share our life with the world and populate yet another niche online.
If you’re a blogger, people will want to connect with you everywhere they can — the trick is to differentiate the niches you populate … instead of just posting the same stuff everywhere, you’ve got to mix it up and keep it fresh.
It’s not up to Buzz to create a need to be online … they’re already there and they’re growing fast in awareness. It’s our job as bloggers and social ninjas to find a reason to use Buzz. What can we do there that we don’t do at twitter? Facebook?
Find your own personal reason for using buzz — that varies from your usage of twitter and facebook — and you’ll enhance not only your experience, but your users as well. Instead of thinking, “why should i follow them on twitter or buzz when we’re friends on Facebook?” we should encourage our friends to think, “wow, they’re doing something way different over at buzz, I should keep in touch there too.”
Buzz me — http://www.google.com/profiles/christopherR2D2
@taylor feliz -
I don’t know anyone who uses hotmail or yahoo for email either, now you mention it.
I am always irritated when I come across services that assume that everyone does use these things and / or outlook express and so on.
Nobody at all that I email uses any of this stuff, it’s all company emails (or obscure ones, or whatever came with their broadband) and maybe thunderbird or Mail as clients (or some home-grown company or college mail client).
But then again I still haven’t figured out what on earth myspace or facebook are for exactly either, I just have this uneasy feeling that I should know in the ‘can’t afford to ignore it’ sense.
Twitter is fun, IMO, and useful as I get to read lots of interesting links from people who are into the same stuff as me, that’s not the same thing as the contents of my address book.
I think saying they are the biggest email providers is not exactly the same as saying they are what most people use. Just that there are a LOT of smaller ones.
(not very articulate, it’s late here)
Thanks for weighing in, Stella!
I think people are upset about Buzz because it did not add anything new. I like buzz but I am used to a larger audience from Twitter etc. It will take time to grow. I hope more people will catch on. Change is never easy. I have issues with privacy but that can be resolved.
I will give it some time. I leave a buzz now and again…I think i should leave more after reading this. I like the comment about buzz and giving you more scope for your viewership.
Yes, I was amazed at how fast it took off among people already established on other networks. And Google has made so many course corrections so quickly that it makes me think they consider it a vital product.
I have read all the comments on this post as I am still on the fence with Buzz. It appears that there are a lot of other people who are in the same boat. I love the simplicity of Twitter and the privacy features of Facebook when it comes to MY online community. I want it to be MY choice as to who I communicate with and who has my location, email address, contact info, etc.
With the role out of Buzz, Google had privacy issues from the start and had to fix them in a hurry. This scares me and leads me to believe that Google just wanted to throw something out there to try and grab onto the insanely HUGE growth of social media.
I’ve clicked on the Buzz logo in my Gmail several times but have then decided to cancel the setup because I just don’t feel confident I will see any value in using Buzz.
That’s my rant!
After a couple of weeks’ use, I find I like Buzz’ integration with Reader, but that’s primarily what I use it for – not as a standalone service. I still think Twitter is far more engaging, but Buzz might be a good alternative for Friendfeed fans.