Everywhere a buzz buzz!
Yes, I am talking about Google Buzz. Who isn’t? Hyped as the next big thing after Twitter, Buzz is supposed to seamlessly integrate all the interesting conversations you have with folks online with your Gmail interface.
People in my network are trying it out in various ways: having real-time multi-user public conversations, something that GTalk didn’t allow for, sharing photos, embedding videos, and providing feedback.
Some are choosing to share their current location making it easy for stalkers to know exactly which Cold Stone Creamery they’re at enjoying that delicious Cookie Crumb Yum.
Some like it because they now have the power to control who sees which updates, something they didn’t have a choice with when it came to tweeting.
Some have gone to the extent of saying that they will stop using Facebook if there’s enough critical mass on Buzz.
There was a lot of hype when Google Wave was launched but the average user never really got a sense of how to use it optimally and I saw it die a slow but certain death (in my friend circle) a couple of weeks after its launch. I wonder if Buzz will share a similar fate. People jump on real fast, but does it have what it takes for sustained addiction?
Here is Jeff Jarvis’ take on Google’s latest offering:
A friend’s Facebook status update said this yesterday:
I did nothing worth tweeting today. Does that mean I have no life or no life worth talking about?
Now that we have another player in the mix, does it pressure us more to make our seemingly ordinary lives more interesting? Does it affect content in any way at all? Or the way we share it?
Or is it just going to be a repeat of the kinds of inane posts we’ve seen thus far on Facebook and Twitter? How does Buzz change online social interactions for you?
Or does it even matter?
(Also see: Good analysis by ZDNet reviewer Dion Hinchcliffe.)
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Mansi Bhatia
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I never quite got used to Twitter, maybe because my life is boring
I really don’t get people who log into twitter each time they make another cup of coffee. But then it is a great platform for interacting.
And maybe so the buzz will be. What I like about it is that the thing is in my gmail, that I can choose who can see updates and that it has no characters limit.
The fact that I can share some things publicly and some in private is probably the best. Buzz won’t kill twitter for sure, but it will have its share of users, especially because you don’t have to create a new account and go to any site to login. It is all right there, you just take it.
Exactly, Lena. You hit the nail on its head. The reason for Buzz’s early success and easy adoption is the fact that it’s right there … built into your e-mail. No need to open a separate site or install an add-on. The ease of use makes it hot. How people will leverage it best, is yet to be seen.