So, I only found out about this new Google product today; Google Buzz. It is Googles take on a social network and I have to say so far I can see some things I like about it, but I also have a few concerns. Buzz sort of incorporates the best of both worlds between Twitter and Facebook.
So what does it do differently? Well, i’ll start with what it does similarly…
- Status updates like in Twitter and Facebook (pretty standard for any social network then).
- Photo sharing (again, a must for a social network).
- You can “follow” people, just like in Twitter. From what I can see following somebody is effectively just adding them to a friends list.
- You can “like” posts, just like on Facebook.
So what sets Buzz apart from the rest? It boasts some of the following features:
- Runs on top of your Googlemail account, so theres no need to sign up for something new. Buzz is incorporated into Gmail if you activate it. You will receive Buzz updates to your Gmail account and can launch Buzz from Gmail.
- Buzz knows who you e-mail and automatically adds them to your follows list. This is pretty useful, if Gmail is your primary e-mail account.
- You can choose to post either publicly or privately when you post. I don’t think I need to explain the difference.
- When you make a post you have the option to tag it with your location information, Buzz uses google maps for this. It is suprising accurate with locations! It also gives you a list of possible locations around you.
- Buzz uses your location to display public posts that are LOCAL TO YOU. This is a major difference between Buzz and other social networks. When you load up your news feed (list of status updates) you can see posts made by ANYONE who is local to your location (assuming the post is a public one). You can comment on anyones post – you do not have to be friends or be following people to be able to comment on their status! This is actually quite cool, just this morning I was chatting to a complete stranger, so its actually pretty neat to be able to join in on random chats to do with topics that might interest you. So to reiterate, you do not have to be following or be friends with someone to see their status updates.
- You can view a Google map with post locations overlaid on it. So if I post from my work place in Capability Green, Luton, on the Google map you will see a little post icon appear over my location! You can make your location private so people can’t stalk you or come find you if you don’t want to be found!
So theres just a few of the exciting things Buzz has to offer. I recommend you try it out for yourselves. A lot of people are going to say is there room for another social network out there, with Twitter and Facebook with its 400 million worldwide users, seemily dominating the social networking world. But Google has done a few things differently here, I for one am impressed with the local status updates, it opens you up to interesting topics outside of your friend groups on Facebook.
I think its fair to say that if Buzz does take off, it won’t be replacing Facebook, I will certainly be using both but not getting rid of my Facebook. I like the fact that Buzz integrates seemily into my Gmail account and that will probably mean I flick on to it quite often.
As with any social network there are some concerns surrounding it, for example the accurate posting of users’ location details, particularly if they are posting from home, could lead to a few problems. True, users can select whether the post is public or private but some may forget this.
One concern I have is that because status updates are completely public, it is inevitable that people are going to post spam and advertisements on it. Advertising may not be a huge problem in small quantities but if it happens a lot it will clog up the news feed and people will stop using it because they don’t want to have to fish through all the cr*p that will be on there! It is open to the world to view and it is free, so what better way to advertise really? I mean, i’ll probably do it myself. This could be fantastic for local businesses reaching out to local customers, particularly to inform them about new offers and the like.
Buzz is currently available for use on Android V2 and iPhone users. For iPhone users go to Googles buzz home page and you can send yourself a text message from Google with the link for the service. An option should then pop up asking you if you want to add an icon for the web app to your home. I can’t say what the process is for Android users as I have the iPhone.
Buzz has gotten a bit of negative press regarding its similarity to services already on the market, such at Twitter and Facebook. A lot of people can’t see why there is a need for a new one and if there is, why anyone would switch from Facebook or Twitter to Buzz. I don’t think, initially at least, anybody will be completely switching in a hurry, but I do think people will use these products side by side.
I guess only time will tell whether Buzz will be a success, and I really hope it is, or a flop like many of Googles other products.