Google Buzz: Taking on the World of Social Networking

Google just released the new Buzz social networking tool.

Do we really need a new social network?

Microsoft says no, we don’t –before going off to say that they have integrated hotmail into many existing social network tools and applications; though one must wonder whether anyone really enjoys using hotmail accounts in the first place.

Yahoo! says that they have had a similarly named tool that does the same thing, and it has been around for over a year and half. For a service that has been around for so long, this is practically the first time we have heard about it.

So the competition is not giving Google any kudos, that’s to be expected. But more surprising is the fact that even Google users are not too keen on the new tool. So far, it s impressive that the Gmail integrated social networking tool will also have its own mobile version (exclusive to Android versions 2.0 and above only).

But so far, it seems that not many people are into it. I for one just received by Google Buzz tool when I opened my Gmail account this morning and so far, there is nothing much to do with it.

Demonstrations of the Buzz show that you can use it in pretty much the same way as Facebook status updates or Twitter Tweets. You can even place links and videos (integrated with Picasa, Flickr and YouTube of course) on your posts. According to Google, the Buzz will not only wok great as a social networking tool, it can even be used by schools or businesses.

It has been hit or miss thing when it comes to Google services. Some are outright odd and not really that useful like Google Wave, and some are totally amazing, like Google Earth and Google Maps.

Read more about the new Google Buzz on Times Online UK.