A Quick Rundown on the New Google Buzz!

As expected, Google announced a big new social initiative to be tied into Gmail called Google Buzz.

Google understands that people want to share things in real-time, so they designed Google Buzz to enable Gmail account holders to do just that. Buzz allows you to share status updates, images and video. Here are the coles notes highlights: 

You are automatically following people you email or chat with the most.

You can easily and automatically pull images from links and play in line video.

You can integrate other sites like Picassa, Flick, Google Reader and Twitter.

Comments on your posts will show in a "Buzz" category on your Gmail interface

You can speak to someone directly by using the @reply syntax. It will appear directly in their mailbox.

Recomended Buzz will show as well so that you can see what your friends are talking about. It will also be based on anything that may interest you, likely data-mined through your search patterns and/or your Buzz history.

Is available in a mobile format so that you can use Buzz on your phone.

It will be rolled out through all Gmail accounts over the next few days.

Here is a demo video released today:

 

What do you think? Is this going to be a challenge to Facebook and/or Twitter? Or is it going to fade into the background?

Comments

[Jeff King]

I think converting a web mail system to a social network is weird. If Facebook and Twitter did not already exist, I think they would have something here. But I think Google is overestimating their Gmail users if they think that they will just abandon Facebook and Twitter and start using Gmail exclusively to share in real time. I think most use Gmail as an alternative email system to their corporate mail, but I could be wrong. No stats to back that up.