Google Buzz: Another Status Update?

Another new innovation has been born from the Google Family, Google Buzz. On Tuesday morning I woke up and checked my Gmail. Suddenly I was surprised with the alert of a Buzz. I began to play with it and found out it was a little like Facebook or Twitter where you can update your followers on what you are doing. Honestly I do not think we need another one of these social media sites, but I have trusted Google in the past so I too “Buzzed”.  I wanted to know more information about it so I began to do research. I read an article from Telegraph Media Group online called “Google Buzz: social networking for the antisocial”. The author Shane Richmond, explained that the buzz maybe trying to be “Google’s Facebook/Twitter killer”.  He believes this is not the death to the social media sites as Google may have been trying to do.  Richmond finds that Google buzz is easy to use but boring  to view if there is no buzz. You must have a Gmail account to have followers from other Gmail accounts. If you have only 11 other friends with Gmail accounts (As I personally do), then there will be very little buzz. This is what I was presented with when I began to play with buzz. I had one friend create a status about Google Buzz and how it was just another thing to confuse them within  online world. Though this new creation could develop, many people are not finding a use for it. I do not see anything about it that seems better than the other social networking sites. I could see it being a little more personable with your email group but I do not find it as informative or exciting as Twitter. I did find some pointers to the application which let me understand Google's reasons for creating Buzz.

Here is a list of components to Google Buzz:

• Auto-following: Buzz allows users can auto-follow the people you email and chat with the most
• Rich, fast sharing experience: Buzz uses Gmail UI and keyboard shortcuts easing the transition for some users. Buzz also focuses on sharing media (video, images, etc)
• Public and private sharing: Buzz includes both public and private sharing. Some things Google can index, but also private messages
• Inbox integration: Buzz integrates with a users inbox to keep it the center for communication
• Noise Filters: Buzz filters noise to keep users from being flooded with too much information
• Public things are published to a user’s followers and Google Profile
• Buzz objects are conversations and appear in a user’s inbox
• Comments on Buzz objects arrive in real-time
• Auto complete @ replies
• Recommended Buzz – suggests friends of friends and others as people to follow, and tells the user why they were suggested

The reason I love my Gmail account is because it is simple and it doesn’t stress me out like some of the social media sites can tend to do. I guess I will have to get used to the Google Buzz and welcome it into my little Gmail space. Hopefully by next week, my followers and I can “buzz” about something interesting to help me warm up to the fact that I now have social media in my email.