Google Buzz makes sense for Google as it is a natural progression for Gmail which now has 150 million users. Gmail users who click to start Buzz will have a ready-made band of followers from their friends on Gmail, and Google has made it as easy as possible to start following other Gmail users and to be followed, along the lines of Twitter.
Google Buzz does not integrate with Facebook. You can read your Twitter Tweets, but not Tweet back. Loyal Facebook users will not go for a ‘dual life’ approach and use both Buzz and Facebook, but Facebook loyalty is being tested with page layout changes, privacy challenges and a much talked about subscription fee. So if there was a Facebook user revolt, Buzz could benefit.
Google is trying to organise the sheer volume of social media traffic much as it did with the internet, to flag up what is relevant to the user. You will be able to prioritise your Buzz traffic as Google uses algorithms to separate ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Buzz, based on the popularity of the comments, who is contributing and a host of new social media ranking variables.
Google Buzz has honed in on usability and you wonder if they have spotted Facebook’s Achilles heel here. Images, videos and links are simple to upload and play; full size images are displayed in seconds with a smooth iPhone feel to the navigation.
In terms of whether Google Buzz should be on a business’s social media radar, similar to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, I think the fact that it is limited to Gmail users makes it hard for businesses to get involved. For a business, it is similar to sales prospecting or promoting using your Outlook or any other email address database. One key aspect of Google Buzz is that the Buzz comments posted by Gmail users are immediately posted to Google for search, so it will be interesting to see how these Buzz comments are displayed and the effect they have on any search engine optimisation.
Using Google Buzz for mobile phones will be exciting. If the Buzz user gives permission and their phone has GPS capability, they can send Buzz comments which are automatically displayed at their Google Maps location. Users will also be able to search for other Buzz comments close to their location to see what is going on in an area. Buzz users will have to be careful how they control this aspect of the service in terms of privacy.
Google has announced that they will be launching a suite of enterprise applications soon. A number of large businesses are using Google Apps already and storing their files in the ‘cloud’, relying on Google to take care of data storage. Gmail with Google Buzz will be a great app for businesses to rival Microsoft Outlook, as it has focused on business users’ needs to combine email with elements of social networking and live chat. As more companies wake up to the cost and efficiency savings of cloud-based apps, Google will be a brand leader.
