Google launched its new social networking platform, Buzz, last week. Buzz offers miroblogging and lifestreaming capabilities and works directly with gmail. It integrates with mobile and includes geo-based functionality.
Buzz’s growth potential has been the subject of some debate.
The launch caused a stir by automatically finding friends for gmail users to follow. This led many users to believe that Buzz would automatically display these networks to the world. This was seen by some to fly in the face of social media as an enabler of organic consumer conversations. For others, this intuitive functionality was seen as a real pro, a timesaver and way to dive right in. Google took heed. The company implemented several changes this week to address users’ privacy concerns. Auto-follow has now become auto-suggest.
Will ‘auto-suggest’ logic tie in with consumers’ find and follow preferences? Facebook friend-sets for example often specifically include friends that one doesn’t often communicate with, such as those in other parts of the world.
One of Buzz’s main propositions revolves around integration with gmail. Again, there may be two sides to this element. The simplicity of having all messaging delivered to one place, versus the complexity of having all messaging in one place and the accompanying noise. For busy social media divas this might just be too much of a good thing.
Another key proposition revolves around consolidating users’ social media experience. The value in this one-stop shop approach remains untested. Sometimes compartmentalisation makes sense. Twitter and Facebook are often used for completely independent reasons (including at a more basic level, business versus pleasure). Users’ headspace may be completely different in these territories too. Just as different devices are used to meet differing needs, different platforms may have their place too.
Will Buzz build critical mass? The curiosity factor may entice existing users of other social networks to engage with multiple platforms for a while (auto-suggest makes this more likely), before groups of friends migrate/ or revert back to whichever application/s best suits their needs.
It will be interesting to watch how Buzz builds from a consumer perspective, as the platform continues to evolve to meet users’ needs, and the emerging implications for marketers.
Filed under: Strategy Tagged: | social media
