Posted by Calixte Pictet | 10 comments
Google and Social Networking: Beyond the Buzz
We’re living within a constant stream of information. The Internet is invading our lives. Twitter and Facebook made it worst as ‘The stream of messages has become a torrent,” according to B. Horowitz, a vice president of product development at Google. “There is no way to parse that amount of information that ranges from the ridiculous to the sublime. We think this has become a Google-scale problem.”
There’s been a lot of talk about Google’s latest attempt to enter the social networking market lately. The company just introduced a new product called Google Buzz. Google Buzz is a social networking tool akin to Facebook and Twitter: it allows you to post your status or a small text (or anything else really) in a box that will then be sent to all your “followers” who can subsequently read, comment or dismiss your post. In exchange, you can “follow” people you’re interested in (whatever the reason for that may be).
The difference with existing social networks
If you are like most people, your first reaction was: “What? Another social network! ” Everybody seems to be jumping in that “social networking” boat, but we don’t need nor want them to. Most people are happy with what they have; i.e. one, two, or sometimes even three accounts in various social networks. However, we’re all reluctant to another network being pushed down our throat. Things are complicated enough as things are, if we have to check one more website we’re sure never to get any more real work done. Ever.
However, Google Buzz is not set to compete with others simply by creating an alternative platform. Integration with Gmail, Google’s popular webmail platform, is maybe Buzz’ most predominant feature. With the information overload that we all know and fear, this may be a killer. If you leave Facebook for Buzz, you won’t even need to leave Gmail (presuming it’s already your webmail client of choice). Also, Buzz is set to become more that a network. Google hopes it will be a new means of communication. Private messages can be sent to a chosen group. This can be ideal for in-team collaboration where you want everybody to have access to the messages without necessarily flooding their inbox.
Google Buzz will also be well integrated on smartphones, notable Apple’s iPhone and Android devices like the Nexus One.
Will it work?
Networks spread through a networking effect (duh!). That means that the more people use a particular social networking site, the more it will grow. In this sense, Google is the underdog. Its main competitor, Facebook, has already gathered an estimated 350 million active users. To compete with that, Google needs to work differently. Integration with Gmail is more than just a practical feature for users. Google Buzz is (was or will be) rolled out to every Gmail user. With over 150 million monthly users, Gmail is a good platform for Buzz to grow. Most people are not convinced (or don’t care at all), but Google seems to have predicted that. Any buzz user can tag anybody (just like in twitter). Automatically, the Buzz (or comment) will be received by the Gmail user as an email. Upon opening it, the user will discover a buzz-formatted page. Where he would normally answer, the user will find a box in which he can comment the buzz. He types his thoughts inside and… voilà! He’s in the system.
Moral and practical objections
Buzz has just been released and people are already complaining. Let’s ignore Microsoft & co.’s moaning, as they’re obviously trying to discredit their competitor more than giving a candid opinion.
Buzz’ integration with Gmail is a problem. We’re living in the era where Microsoft was tried–and lost–for bundling its Internet Explorer browser with its operating system. Now Google does the same thing with Buzz. For a company that strives to obey to one core principle (“Don’t be evil“), and that loves to fight Microsoft, isn’t that a bit too much? In Google’s defense, Gmail integration is actually a feature, and a useful one for the end-user. If social networking is to be viewed as a new means of open communication, then I’d rather have it integrated into my existing communication tools, and there’s nothing more ubiquitous than the email.
The main point end-users criticize Buzz about is the fact that buzzes (or whatever we’re supposed to call them) appear in their inbox. For most people, that’s unthinkable, and they have a point. Our email inboxes are already overloaded, and nobody wants to clog them more. However, it can also be considered as a shortsighted opinion. Firstly, creating a filter is one of the easiest things you can do in Gmail (OK, not quite, but almost). Anyone can configure Gmail to automatically “archive” their buzzes and/or send them in a “Buzz” tag. Secondly, these people forget that Google Buzz will simply be integrating a feature that they’re already using and making it better. Facebook sends its users a constant stream of annoying notifications, and nobody (but me) seems to be complaining. The main difference buzz emails will have with Facebook’s email notifications is that they’re actually useful. Facebook doesn’t let you interact with its notifications, so you have to click on the link that redirects you to facebook.com before doing anything. Buzz, however, lets you interact with these buzzes as you would with an email.
Why is Google doing this?
At first look, it seems Google is getting too big for its own good. I had the impression that it was becoming another Microsoft, desperately trying to compete on every market just for the sake of it. However, a second look made me rethink. It’s often hard to understand what Google is trying to do. They seem to look ahead much more than their competitors, and their long-term strategy makes it hard to predict the next steps the company will be taking. My opinion is that Buzz is not just a desperate attempt to retrieve some market-share from Facebook. Its integration with Gmail is actually its one true innovative feature and Google is set to make people change the way they communicate. If it works.
On the medium to long term, Google is looking at Buzz as a way of linking their products together, like Picasa and Gmail, and to spread its “Public Profile” service into something that could be relevant for their search engine. Google not only wants to help us connect with our network, they want to connect us with the whole web in an efficient manner. In a way, they hope to index individuals like they indexed web pages, and however evil it may sound, it may give us easier access to individuals in our extended network; a tool not to be ignored.
Verdict
I was rather skeptical of the service at the beginning, because its power is not apparent until you really start sharing content. With some testing and afterthought, I prefer Buzz to both Facebook and Twitter combined and I actually believe that it can compete with both. However, it isn’t very attractive on first look, and many people will tend to dismiss it prematurely. Buzz could bring sharing to a whole new level thanks to its seamless integration into Gmail and its rich media features. The real question is if the users will buy it, and that, only the future can tell. I’m betting that Google Buzz will not take off right away, but that it will have an impact on the long term. Do you think it has what it takes to take off?
You can read the official announcement here
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