The Google Buzz Gmail integration has not yet rolled out to all of us here in Ireland but we do seem to have the mobile version of Buzz. Without the bigger picture it is hard to see how it will stand up to Twitter, but for now you can see its potential.
Buzz, as most of you undoubtedly are already aware, is Google’s answer to Twitter, but unlike its microblogging buddy it has all of Google’s arsenal for seamless integration from Picasa for photo sharing to Gmail and Google Reader and of course YouTube and Google Maps.
It also offers integration with your existing social tools so Twitter and Flickr can be knitted in, as well.
When you get started on Buzz mobile you can see straight away that your Google friends with whom you’ve been sharing stories through Reader are already included and in your timeline.
To “share” your wildly buzzing thoughts, you simply type in whatever you want as you do in Twitter but with a combination of the powerful Google Maps and GPS-enabled devices, your location plays a key role in Buzz activity.
You can browse through the timeline of those you are following, as well as those nearby, plus you can search through the public timeline.
From the main menu, you can view your posts and your followers, and find some more people to interact with. Not bad, but obviously the real value will be in more people coming on board.
By Marie Boran
