AR Hemant

I just discovered Google Buzz in my Gmail. Here are some thoughts after my first use.

Up front, I think Buzz would thrive on one’s compulsive need to check for new messages. Let me explain.

Google Buzz in Gmail

Buzz is integrated into Gmail. One can’t live without Gmail. Like the Inbox label, the Buzz label displays the unread message count.

So when it says “Buzz (3)”, can you resist the urge to check these new messages? Probably not. This makes Buzz inescapable.

*

You can post text updates and photos. You can also set up your Buzz stream up to pull new items from your Twitter, Flickr, Picasa and your blog.

*

The lightbulb effect on Buzz’s photo viewer is nice. But I don’t see a single new exciting feature here.

*

Is this a Facebook killer? On the face of it, no. It’s more Twitter minus the character limit plus photo/link share.

*

Let’s glean over  some user stats. Facebook: 400+ million. Gmail: 146+ million. Twitter: 58+ million. Gmail doesn’t have the userbase to tame Facebook.

*

So can Buzz take on Twitter? With its un-social nature, I doubt it. Hyper-secured inside Gmail, Buzz doesn’t have Twitter’s openness.

You’re probably not going to gather 142,000 followers in a day, ever, because your Buzz list may be made up of your Gmail/Talk contacts.

Update: I just discovered that Buzz can be used much like a Facebook fanpage if you combine it with Google profiles. Check out Mashable’s profile which has 8,500 followers now.

*

How can you turn Buzz off? Head to Gmail Settings > Labels > Buzz > Hide.

How To Turn Google Buzz Off: Gmail Settings > Labels > Buzz > Hide

*

Final word: I’m not impressed with Buzz’s current web form. It solves none of my problems. I hope Buzz is a work in progress, not a finished product.

{ 5 comments }