The Good & Bad of Buzz

Assuming you check your email and Twitter as obsessively as we do (come on – it’s a snow day – what else are you doing?), we’re sure you’ve heard the buzz on Buzz – Google’s latest attempt to break into the world of social networking.

So far, Buzz has its proponents – according to one TechCrunch headline “If Google Wave Is The Future, Google Buzz is the Present” – as well as its detractors – according to Microsoft, a completely unbiased source of course, it’s just “another social network.”

But what’s the real answer? We all know that Google’s past endeavors into social have been, well, less than stellar (Orkut, OpenSocial, even – if you want to count it – the enigmatic Wave) and that, when it comes down to it, Facebook stubbornly reigns supreme . The question is: will the average user be drawn to Buzz (like bees to honey?) or just ignore it as a dull, unnecessary drone?

As far as we’re concerned, Buzz has two great things going for it, but it also has two major hurdles it will have to overcome if it’s serious about being Google’s piece of the social media pie.

THE GOOD

1. It’s Convenient

Frankly, one of the best things about Buzz is that it’s already there, sitting in your inbox, completely integrated into your Gmail, and calling out to you – “Try me! Don’t you want to see what I can do? Aren’t I exciting and novel?” Chances are that if you use Gmail, you’re going to try Buzz, and that you’re going to keep using it.  After all, it aggregates your Twitter feed, your Google Reader, Flickr, Picasa – making it a one-stop-shop for your social media needs.

2. It’s Smart

Buzz learns from you the more you use it. While you can control who you follow, it automatically suggests those you email and chat with the most. Plus, as you tell it what you “like” (or “unlike” as the case may be), it will tailor the content you receive so it’s both interesting and relevant to your location (it’s also got a nifty little Map function to pin point where you are as you post).

THE BAD

1. It Ain’t Your Facebook Friend:

You know who isn’t on the Buzz band-wagon? Facebook. Is it just us, or does the lack of data from Facebook, the world’s most used social networking Site, on Buzz, a service that supposedly aggregates all the social media you use on a daily basis, completely defeat it’s purpose for the majority of users? If you have to check your Facebook and your Buzz – why check your Buzz at all?

2. It’s A One-Way Tweet:

Another big no-no for us? You can post your Tweets on Buzz, but you can’t use Buzz to post your Tweets on Twitter. Again, that’s the kind of road-block that will keep people from investing in Buzz as a viable alternative to the Sites they already use.

The Bottom-Line?

Buzz has the potential to blow up – but only if it can work out these serious kinks.

Read More {BBC}

Read More {GeekSugar}

Read More {TechCrunch}