Initial Thoughts about Google Buzz

I heard about Google Buzz yesterday, and received the invite when I logged onto Gmail this morning. It's an addition, alternative, addendum to Twitter (which you can you can relay into your Google Buzz, along feeds from your blogs, etc) and status updates on Facebook (which Google Buzz provides no connectivity to).  I signed up (of course).   Here are some very initial thoughts:

1.  At very least, Google Buzz provides a new mix of people - to follow, and, to follow you.  In the past few minutes, I read Buzz from Ryan Ozawa, Brian McFadden, Steve Rubel, and Zach Seward.  I know all of these people, more or less.   But I've never seen the four in succession on my Facebook wall, or on Twitter.

2. Google Buzz posts the first few lines from your blog feed, with a "more" option to read the rest, which is right there when you click.   This is one step better than Twitter or Facebook, where you have to click on a link and get to a different page to read the full blog post.

3. The availability of Google Buzz directly from the your Gmail makes email, text, audio, and video chatting with any Buzzers easy.

4.  There is always the danger of one new app too many - do we already have enough status updaters with Google and Facebook?   Possibly, but probably not.   Further, in the case of Facebook, the irritation that many users are feeling about the new interface could fuel a move from Facebook to Google Buzz as a prime updater system.   Time will tell.


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See also Google Buzz: Takes on Twitter as a 'Wave' with Training Wheels