The past three days have seen a flurry of comments and criticisms for Google’s latest product, Google Buzz. The most common complaints are:
- It’s not enough like Twitter
- It’s not enough like Facebook
- It’s not enough like FriendFeed
- It’s not enough like ______(fill in the blank)
But let’s go back a few weeks to the end of 2009, when everyone was posting their predictions for 2010. The biggest trends to watch emerged as:
- Local search
- Real time search
- Augmented reality
- Opportunities on the mobile device
As a Droid user and an unabashed Google fan, it seems to me that Buzz hits 3 of these four out of the park. Using Buzz on my Droid phone is a phenomenal experience, as I can switch quickly between the stream of my contacts, and a stream of localized comments. I can choose to hide or include my location with a post, and even choose a specific location near me (like the restaurant where I ate lunch today) to Buzz about. With their installed user base, Google has the capacity to very quickly surpass Yelp as a local rating depository. And there is no question that ratings have altered consumer buying patterns. The opportunity/threat here for retail, event management, conference attendees, etc is enormous.
There is ample room for improvement. I’ve been banging the drum that the Google Contact Manager (which integrates with Buzz) needs significant improvement. But the small business owner, independent worker, or relationship marketing professional should continue to watch this product very carefully over the next few months.
What do you think? Are you Buzz Lightyear or a Buzz-kill about Buzz?
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