By now, most of us know the short story. Google came out with a new social network and they integrated it right into Gmail. Then, a big privacy uproar ensued. And tech pundits everywhere chime in on whether Buzz matters or not.
Does it matter? Is Buzz actually worthy of it’s name? Or are we looking at another snorefest, the likes of Google Knol or Lively?
Started With A [Controversial] Bang
There is little doubt that Google Buzz started out with a big bang. A huge part of this was their strategy for integrating this right into Gmail. It means they have a built-in audience of almost 150 million people, right from Day 1.
In the process of doing this, they also brought on controversy. What they did was initially have you following a group of people based on who you email a lot. The problem with this is that it then exposed to the world those people you communicate with a lot via email. Not everybody likes this idea.
Google responded quite quickly with a fix. It will suggest users to follow, but not actually follow them. They also stopped connecting Buzz to Picasa and Google Reader shared items. They realized the way they set it up from the start was rather stupid. I think they were thinking more like software engineers with a goal of quick promotion than like end users. The result was a PR issue for Google, a complaint filed with the FTC and a class action lawsuit.
Personally, I think the FTC complaint and lawsuit are nothing but publicity stunts. Lawyers would love to dig into Google’s pocketbooks, and there is nothing like generating a little Buzz of your own by cashing in on the Buzz created by Google Buzz. 
Is It Worth Using?
All in all, Buzz looks a lot like FriendFeed. So, in that respect, it isn’t really anything new. Like FriendFeed, you can post comments and comment on other people’s comments. You can share items into Buzz, like images, shared items, tweets, etc. So, it is a pretty typical social network, really.
What is novel about it is only that it is integrated into Gmail accounts. For people who like an all-in-one experience, Buzz is pretty handy. It is also set up quite well for use on mobile devices.
All in all, if you’re not much of a social media guy already, you probably couldn’t care less about Buzz. On the other hand, I would expect Buzz to be used by a lot of people new to social media. After all, having it integrated into the email experience is a pretty big deal and is very likely to introduce it to a whole crop of people who would have never seen it otherwise.
My Take On Buzz
Honestly, the jury is out. However, I’ll be very clear about this: Google Buzz is here to stay. I don’t think there is any chance that Buzz is going to go the way of Knol or Lively. Not only has the Gmail community dived in head first, but the Google development team for Buzz has been quite engaged so far. If this level of engagement and effort to improve the service keep up, Buzz is going to develop into a major force in social media.
Plus, let’s face it. Google can’t make a step like this and not make a wave. They are a huge company, and they launched it in such a way so as to have instant community.
As for the naysayers, they are either being jaded, short-sighted, or came into this with a hatred for Google to begin with. Jaded, I can understand. We already have tons of social networks and Buzz is just another one. Short-sighted, you can’t do anything about. Google has launched products which flopped, there is no doubt. But, I don’t think Buzz is going down that route. And, as for the Google haters? Well, whatever.
I’m personally not all that excited about Google Buzz. But, I see the potential. Google could have a huge thing on it’s hands now, depending on how they play their cards from this point forward.
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