Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

Google Buzz: Does It Matter?

February 15, 2010 | Social Media

The jury is still very much out on whether Google Buzz is going to matter in a few months.

189079-100210_googlebuzz_idg180_original There is no doubt that Buzz took off VERY quickly last week. According to Google, Buzz has seen over 9 million posts in 56 hours. It has been seeing some SERIOUS numbers from the Mobile arena, too, with 300,000 check-ins per day from mobile phones.

Now, any time Google does something like this, you’re going to see the initial curiosity. Plus, the fact that Google integrated this into the Gmail inbox was a huge boon for a sense of immediate community. Obviously, they got a few things wrong in the privacy department on that front, but that’s why they did it.

Now, in a Mashable post which declares Buzz to be a game-changer, he asks the question “Why Have Users Embraced Buzz?” Well, that seems rather premature. I checked out Buzz. I’ve posted a few things, too. But, does that mean I’ve embraced it? No. I think that most people haven’t embraced it. It is a shiny new toy, but once the “buzz” wears off (pun intended), the usage numbers will drop.


My Gut Reaction

My gut reaction to Buzz is this: what’s so new and buzzworthy about it?

It is essentially a me-too version of FriendFeed, except that it is integrated into our Gmail boxes. Friendfeed has been around for some time now and it is much better than Buzz. And guess who owns Friendfeed now? That’s right – Facebook.

Jason Calacanis sent out an email last week declaring Buzz to be the beginning of the end of Facebook. Ummmm, no. Facebook still owns the largest social network and the best technology in terms of a Friendfeed-style network – Friendfeed itself.

Integrating this into our email might give Buzz a little head start.  Gmail is still only the third most popular web mail client (with 146 million users as of July 2009), but that is still a sizable number. Still, Facebook is much larger and I’m guessing it is growing much faster, too.

Should We Pay Attention To Buzz?

I think there is a lot of overspeculation and hype around Buzz right now. It will subside. But, will Buzz end up in the dustbin of bad Google ideas (remember Knol?), probably not.

As bloggers and marketers, we need to embrace Buzz but not dive in head first. After all, the whole thing of being a relationship marketer means you’ve got to be where your audience is. And the numbers above show that people are using Buzz.

Ultimately, I think Buzz is just going to be another leg of a large tree of social branches. We’ll be looking to integrate it with Twitter and Facebook, for example. We don’t want yet another place which sits out there as a little island. Google is trying to capitalize on the whole social media buzz, and so far they’ve been unable to do it. Buzz is a worthy entry point, but there are other things out there worth far more of your mental horsepower right now.

My suggestion? Keep an eye on Buzz. Use it when you feel like it. Don’t turn it off if social media is an important part of your business. Remember, you can use the Gmail email filters to keep it out of your inbox, and I expect before long Google will provide a one-click option to keep it out of your email altogether.

But, a company as large as Google doesn’t enter the social media fray and not make a wave. It is a little hyped up right now, but when the dust settles, I think we’ll find the proper place for Buzz in our digital toolbox. Most likely as just another tentacle of what we’re already doing.

Your thoughts?

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  • I don't like Buzz one bit. After turning it off, and turning it back on, it seemed to get better - because none of my followers use it any more.

    Here are my other reasons:
    http://www.jackcola.org/blog/68-do-people-at-bu...

    http://www.jackcola.org/blog/66-so-i-just-got-g...
  • My first thought was that it was annoying. I didn't want it to be integrated with my email. Too much is already happening with gmail. Every time I log in to check my email, some odd guy will jump at me and start a chat (this is probably something I could control with the settings, but so far, I haven't done anything to stop it).

    I'm still testing Buzz, but I really don't understand why I should be using Twitter, Facebook and Buzz. What's likely is that I integrate Twitter and Facebook, so I really don't do any buzzing, buzz will be tweeting etc... but then, what's the point?
  • FriendFeed, LinkedIn, ...Buzz?

    Right now I think it's overkill, unless it has some magic SEO juice we don't know about?!

    However the more places you are the more chance you have to attract new eyeballs. I'll prob "Buzz" soon...
  • Google Buzz does seem to be just another branch of the same tree. At first it was overwhelming, and a bit of a hassle to handle along with Facebook, Twitter, Flikr, Fotki, etc, etc. However, this moring it asked me if I want to integrate Twitter and Flickr into it, so it definitely looks like it'll end up being "just another tentacle".
  • Facebook will lead for some time. Buzz I like but the dust of the hype will settle soon and then we see
  • alexanderrose
    Google will become a country... but seriously,
    "I’m guessing it [Facebook] is growing much faster, too" I might wanna rethink that because the absolute growth of Google Buzz is definitely larger.
    Personal I think that the hype is, yes, pretty great. But this helps Google Buzz. Look for instance at the Buzz Buttons on the Pages which are also frequently expanding and all the chat and blogging, inducing more Google Buzz users.
    Though should we wait ;)
  • olivermcphee
    Nice post!

    I think it will be interesting to watch Buzz grow :-)
    I wonder what changes they already have in the pipeline!

    Here is a nice model on how to use Google Buzz that you may find interesting... it has some cool tips & tricks

    http://www.knowledgegenes.com//home.aspx?kgid=1...

    Cheers,

    Ollie
  • I really want to hope that it doesn't matter... I kind of hate it already. Maybe it is because I feel like it was forced on me since I am already a gmail user. Good post :)
  • There are things to like about Buzz, then there are things not to like. One of the things I do like is the "more than 140 characters" conversation that can carry. I don't like the fact that right now people are posting at such a fast rate, that like Twitter, your messages get lost in a sea of Buzz.

    Still playing with it, we'll see how it goes.
  • I am waiting for savvy internet marketers to scream 6 Figures From Google Buzz, Easy Buzz Money, My Special Bonus of Google Buzz Cash, Forget PPC, Next Google Cash Wave
  • Guest
    Thanks for information about buzz!
    I'm not familiar with Google's attempt to engage in the creation of social media. Your advice about buzz is valuable and I will pay more attention about it in the future although I have friendfeed account.
  • Buzz is good if you want to participate in conversation with family and friends and fellow associates but using it more than that will be bad. If you follow lot of people there will be lots of Spam.

    If Google introduces some new features so that we can control how we receive Buzz and which one to opt out from then it will be good. It needs ton of improvements.
  • James
    Trees don't have legs.
  • I'm with you. I think buzz is extremely over rated. I'm sure that it's useful but I don't see where Google is innovating like they usually do. They haven't brought anything that's really new to the marketplace. It's like a retarded version of friend feed.

    The only good thing that I like about it is that it's integrated into gmail. However, even that wasn't enough for me to keep using it. I actually turned buzz back off. I really don't like it. I hope that they continue to improve it. I'm sure that it has the potential to develop into something great, but right now it is drastically over rated and not up to the usual standard that Google puts out.
  • I think that China are gobbling it up at a mad rate. They are largely kept out of social media by the Great FireWall. I heard that because Google are using HTTPS as a platform for Buzz the Chinese firewall can't currently determine how to block the service.

    I think that Buzz's numbers are so high partially due to the massive success over there. Buzz holds much promise in Asia.
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