Is Google Buzz-Worthy?
So there’s been a lot of buzz around out there about Google Buzz (no pun intended), that was launched at the beginning of February. Will this be a game changer for social media? While it does bring a new face into the social media application mix does it have the potential to overtake existing well established social media applications such as Facebook and Twitter. While I will admit that it does offer a host of elements that Twitter and Facebook are unable to offer their users, quite simply because it integrates with Gmail. Sure we still get the run of the mill abilities such as: links, photos, status updates, etc. But is this really enough to catapult Google Buzz into a bigger app. than the likes of Twitter and Facebook? Yeah I know Gmail has 176 million users (compared to Facebook’s 400+million active users and over 18 million Twitter users, respectively). While all three of these big names are looking to high growth rates, who will reign supreme at the close of 2010? More than likely because of the Gmail (email) application the majority of these users are actually users, unlike Twitter where some users sign up never to return again. Although Facebook’s user stats are pretty impressive.
While I try to be sociable, updating all of the various applications that I am signed up for would eat a big chunk out of my day. Sure it’s nice to see what other tech and social media junkies are doing and my old high school and college acquaintances but I don’t feel that it needs to be a wasteful activity of potentially productive work time. Not to say that people that are always updating their Twitter and/or Facebook stream have nothing better to do but every little thing one does takes time, regardless if it is only 140 characters or not. In my opinion we are all part of the social revolution taking place, these social conversations enable the ability for one to share our personal experiences and the ins and outs of our daily lives. Sure Buzz doesn’t link to Twitter just yet, but I am sure that it will soon! The issue of privacy controls, not just with Buzz. Facebook seems to be a little tricky with that too as of late. Could Google Buzz be the next big social platform? In the end it’s really all about sharing…
According to a recent NielsenWire report on January 22, 2010, time spent on social networking sites has increased from 3 hours per month to 5.5 hours per month in the last year alone, representing a staggering 82% increase in the use of social media. Yes, I said 82 percent increase!
