Google Launches the Buzz
If you own a Gmail account and have not had the chance to check it yet, then chances are you have not seen that interesting new splash page for first time Buzz users.
Log in to your Google account and be greeted by a cheery bright page detailing the various features and things you can do with the new Google Buzz At the bottom of the page is a large button that will bring you directly to your account and let you try out the new Buzz tool.
For those of you who have a Facebook account, the interface is pretty familiar. There’s a big status updates balloon which you can fill with any sort of content you desire and publish it online to your friends and contacts that are following your posts (ala Twitter). It’s a simple process and had Google thought of it first, they would probably be on top of the social networking ladder –or maybe not, the real draw of Facebook for many people it is thousands of interesting applications that you can waste time on.
So far, public reaction to the Buzz has been lukewarm to outright rejection. Some Twitter feeds have already been gathering Facebook folk to create an “I Hate Google Buzz” fan group (which currently has 12 members). On the other hand, Danny Choo recently posted a retweet calling the Buzz as a Twitter killer.
With Google’s social networking tool still in its early stages, one might feel compelled to say that it is too early to judge. Though in practice, it feels a lot like Google Wave (and many others are making the same comparison), let us hope that the trend stops there for Google’s sake.
Learn more about the new Google Buzz, the mobile version of Buzz for Android 2.0 and above and more at Times Online UK.
