Google Buzz: Google attempts to enter the social media market

It was inevitable; with the amount of traffic that the likes of Facebook and Twitter have been stealing away from Google over the past few months, and the seemingly increasing desperation of the search-giant (they had a Super Bowl ad... since when has Google needed to advertise?!), it was only a matter of time before they tried to get on the social networking bandwagon.

So how does Google Buzz fare? Will it be giving Facebook and Twitter sleepless nights? Doubtful.

The service doesn't offer anything new and there is no reason why people would want to join when they can already do everything the service offers on Facebook and Twitter and a whole host of other available services.

An add-on to Gmail, Buzz allows Google users to share photos, videos, links, and status updates with their friends as well as discuss news and other shared content - essentially everything the Facebook live newsfeed does.

Lukewarm response

As one would expect, the online reaction has been tepid to say the least.

Kevin Rose of Digg said,"Not sure where Buzz fits in my arsenal of social media tools, how often I'll use it, or if it will eventually feel too much like unread email — but I'm happy to see Google taking social media seriously. It's early days, let the attention/follower wars begin."

Mitch Wagner of ComputerWorld was more harsh saying, "It's similar to too many services already on the market. Google Buzz looks like a "me-too" product. I don't think Google Buzz will get much buzz."

Even Google's official statement was uninspiring - “With more and more communication happening online, the social web has exploded as the primary way to share interesting stuff, tell the world what you're up to in real-time and stay more connected to more people.”

It's almost as if they're admitting that Buzz is the same as Twitter and Facebook and in no way different. Whether the online community will feel the same and embrace it remains to be seen, but initial reaction seems to make it unlikely.

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