I wasn’t one of the lucky few who had early access to Google’s latest offering, Google Buzz. In fact, I only gained entry via the backdoor, through Google’s awesome HTML 5 iPhone-compatible mobile site. I scratched out my first update and waited.
And waited.
But then I finally got in and was able to play around a bit. What I found was a strange hybrid between Gmail, Google Wave, Twitter and Friend Feed. What I immediately thought was “Oh. Here comes all those Google Buzz is an <insert social media company> killer! articles that I’m going to hate reading for the next six weeks.”
The thing is, I don’t think Buzz is a social media killer. I think it’s the bridge between Gmail and Wave. And, like Wave, I see a lot of the same usage patterns forming:
- Google announces and/or details leak about Buzz.
- Social Media sites go berserk trying to out-hype each other. The hyperbole is staggering.
- Features and usage is speculated by “thought leaders” and “experts,” furthering the hype cycle.
- Google opens the floodgates to users, slaps a “beta” tag on the product, then waits 4 years to remove it.
- Everyone endures some sandbox time with Buzz. Subsequently, everyone is blasted with “Hello World!” messages.
What now?
Where it goes from here is up to Google. Buzz is tightly integrated with Gmail’s web interface, so I doubt it’ll burn out like Wave; at the same time, I’m not positive Google can sustain any sort of hype beyond the initial Hello World phase. Looking at what happened to Wave, I honestly can see the slow fizzle in a few months.
What I think it all boils down to is answering the question do we really need another location-based status update service? If you answered yes, you’ve got Google’s version of Twitter/FriendFeed/Foursquare.
If you answered no, you’ll probably end up like a lot of Wave users: inactive.
At any rate, when Google finally mashes up Buzz and Wave and moves the final product out of beta, they’re betting that they’ll be the future of the web. Or, at the very least, validate some of those articles touting that message now.
What are your thoughts on Google Buzz? Do you see yourself using it a lot? A little?
