When Google Wave came out I did not post anything because I really had nothing to say – like everyone I was excited to get my invite, but after signing up and feeling like I was part of a super exclusive club. Like most everyone else, I was disappointed at how few people there were on Google Wave and did not like the interface – it was pointless and really nothing very innovative. It was like a forum about anything that you could not browse. I just did not get it.
But now they have unleashed upon the world Google Buzz – integrated with Gmail and available via mobile, it allows for threaded discussions with no word or character limit, following other users and linking to other accounts such as Twitter.
Already, Google Buzz has been the source of some criticism. From the discussions on Google Buzz about Google Buzz these appear to be the main criticisms of the platform:
- There were major privacy concerns at the beginning – anyone could follow anyone to view anything, which were alleged to cause some real life problems.
- Do we need another way to dialog with people online or is this just another way for web geeks to talk to other web geeks?
- Not everyone uses Gmail so adoption rates will be slow – is Google Buzz compelling enough to get yet another email address?
- The threads get too long and there is character limit – you have to read through hundreds of sometimes long comments just to make sure you are not repeating something.
Google Buzz did not get the usual long testing and beta phase – it was tested internally by Google employees and individuals brought in to test at the Google offices. Likely Google wanted to move quickly to make up for the anti-climax that was Google Wave, but some say they were not ready.
Despite this, according to Google as of a few days ago they have already had 9 million posts and comments. I would wonder if that figure includes the tweets from Twitter integration, not to mention the other platforms that can be added to Buzz. Twitter is getting more than 25 million tweets daily last I heard, so 9 million in about a week is nominal if tweets are included. It figures that there will be a lot of traffic at the outset as well, as early adopters will spend a great deal of time testing out the new platform.
The big questions are: do we need another way to communicate online and does Google Buzz serve a purpose that other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook cannot. Pete Cashmore put it really way in his post for CNN.com: where Twitter is the town square and Facebook is the local bar, Google Buzz is the campus.
Built for inquiry, learning and collaboration, if Google refines the ability to form private groups this could become a valuable tool for small companies and academic circles – I can see how Google Buzz could mean easy dialog on problems to find solutions with a few more additions the offering. While Google might want it to be so much more than that, which I can tell from their video, nonetheless there is a need that is met with Google Buzz that cannot be found on Twitter or Facebook, or even in email.
How are you using Google Buzz, if at all, and do you think Google Buzz has any enduring qualities? If so, how do you see the value of Google Buzz?
Popularity: 7% [?]
The recent “crisis” over the Google PR loss of many websites and blogs has caused many SEOs and bloggers alike to question the real value and accuracy of PR (though many in the SEO and SEM industries and otherwise have been thinking this for a long time). Some major sites have had their PR “fixed” (because elitism always enhances the user experience, and this is the point, right?) but many smaller sites are left wondering: WTF?