Google Announces Buzz

Google has just announced Google Buzz, Google’s attempt to get into the social networking scene.  It appears that now that Google is trying to horn in on Twitter’s territory.  There’s auto-following and no character limit and you can post video and photos. Of course, with sites like Twitvid and yfrog and Twitpic, you could already post video and photos.

Adding insult to injury, Google has generously lifted the “@” method from Twitter and has its own little version of “Trending Topics”.  There will also be mobile support and geotagging – features that have been done again and again on Twitter.  The only difference is that now, the geotagging has place names.

You can also see who’s “buzzing” near you (a duplication of functionality from Twinkle).

As you may recall, last year, Google took the covers off of Google Wave to much hype and fanfare.  It promptly fizzled into the night.  For a week, Twitter was all about “Who has Wave invites?”, replaced soon thereafter with “Who needs Wave invites?”

For what it’s worth, I got my Wave invite two days in and, having used it for a few days, saw no real use for it.  When I collaborate in the office, I use the telephone and face-to-face meetings.  And if I want to chat with friends, there are IM clients.  Wave was looking for a niche that had been filled and filled again.

Ultimately, it looks like Google is riding other people’s coattails.  Tweetdeck, which just announced added functionality to its desktop client yesterday, has been offering many of the features that Google Buzz is promising to offer.  Additionally, last week, Facebook released its minor facelift (which I kind of like).

Google has seen some of the luster come off is golden halo.  Wave fell flat.  The Nexus One is underperforming.  Google Voice is just kind of sitting there. I’m a firm believer that one cannot succeed merely by offering an alternative to a market leader.  One must differentiate oneself.  Google Buzz does not presently appear to differentiate itself from Twitter or Facebook.

If I want to update my status, I’ll update my Facebook status.  If I want to tweet a nonsensical thought, I’ll tweet on Twitter.  If I want to search for something, I’ll use Google (and now Bing).  What I won’t do is abandon a perfectly good platform for a new platform from an 800-lb. gorilla just because the gorilla wants more territory.  The only smart move I see from this is having it as an add-on to GMail (instead of a standalone like Wave).

Ultimately though, Google is starting a war on two fronts on a battlefield that it has never been in before.  To make matters worse, Google has decided to fight the two biggest names in social media at the same time.  While I ordinarily don’t second-guess the business judgment of multi-billion dollar global corporations, Google has a tough row to hoe.  It hasn’t performed well outside of search.  It’s too soon to call it but I view buzz with great skepticism.