Google BUZZ is the Word

When you work in the world of online marketing there always seems to be something new…a new buzz word…and this week that’s never been more true as Google launch Google Buzz - a new social networking feature that links into its already hugely successful Googlemail service (Gmail)..

Like Facebook it allows you to share your latest status updates, photos, and videos via a new tab called Google Buzz. The Google Buzz features will also be available on the iPhone (via an app), enabling voice activated status updates and geo-tagging of posts through Google Mobile Maps. You can also check the latest posts by your current location.

This means you can update your Google Buzz in real time and keep your friends up to date with what’s going on in your life 24/7.

So the big question is with Facebook, Myspace, Bebo and Twitter to name but a few, already vying for our valuable social media time, how does the search giant, plan to conquer another online market place. Well there are 5 key features to Buzz that Google reckon will swing your vote.

Firstly it works with Gmail, or as they put it…it blends with Gmail. So basically you have your email and social media is one place. They will also save you time by adding your 40 most regular Gmail contacts as friends.

Secondly, for those of you who don’t care if Sally is making a cup of tea, or that Tom is hungover after a wild night out, Google Buzz has introduced a clever function that allows you to like or dislike your friend’s status updates. It then analyses your responses and uses the results to determine whether or not you would be interested in future status updates from those friends.

Another clever feature is that Google Buzz pulls media in from other popular media websites such YouTube and Flickr. Both the YouTube videos and Flickr photos will appear as thumbnails in Google Buzz and will expand when clicked. You can even pull tweets in from Twitter, but sadly you can’t send your Google Buzz status updates out to other social media networks.

And finally there is f the option to make every update publicly or privately, you really can dictate who sees what. Public updates that are made visable to everyone are also indexed for Google Search.

So if you’re buzzing with excitement about Google’s new application and can’t wait to try it for yourself, the good news is that you won’t have long to wait. Google have officially announced that although they are rolling it out slowly all Gmail users should see the new Buzz tab in their account within the week.

Here’s the official Buzz from Google:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi50KlsCBio