What’s all the Buzz at Google? [First Look]
Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by zevmo in Cloud-based applications, Social Media, Social Networking Communities, Technology, Web
Today, the tech universe has been blogging about Buzz, a new Dr. Moreau synergistic (I had to put that word in) evolution to Twitter, Google Wave, GMail, Facebook Wall, and FourSquare. On paper, it seems like a really great idea. So, is it?
My first impressions are relatively positive. This service will definitely get better. But I think that a closed beta should have been done. Let’s face it, Wave was a fail. THIS is what the Wave beta should have been. And I could spend a bunch of time saying everything I like about it, but I think the oddities should be focused on so it gets better, quick.
Here is a short list of what can be improved:
1. It should have it’s own settings. Strangely enough, there is no settings tab for Buzz. Perhaps they assume that you don’t want to have any control over the service? There should be a way to have your notifications setup for which buzz(es) you would like to be notified about by email, SMS, or desktop notifier.
2. Avatars are not always consistent. If I have iChat open (which has gtalk configured) there seems to be a fight for which picture is correct on the Buzz profile.
3. Another Email? Buzz certainly lives up to it’s name. My pocket keeps buzzing away, every time someone makes a comment. This seems to be the complete opposite of Wave, which operated with ninja silence. There is a ‘mute’ option for an entire post, but I should have more options on how I would like to be notified.
4. Connected Sites. There is a selection for this above the Buzz text box. It is where you can have activity from other services create posts in Buzz. This should be in a settings era for this service. Not only that, it goes away if the box is expanded. The missing element here is, of course, the reverse. So now I have to maintain two threads in two services? That is a bummer.
5. Twitter “integration” Twitter is not really integrated, it is merely posted, like a ping.fm update. What would be nice is if they saw that the twitter posted by one buzz user could be @followed by another Twitter/Buzz user, so the conversation and comments merge. But it is nothing more than an post aggregator from Twitter to Buzz. This would be a place where some cool ideas (like ‘Post this to Twitter’, using a goog.gl url) would bring ppl to Buzz.
6. Google Services mishmash. The point of buzz is to tie in all of the different Google applications and services. The problem with Buzz is that it ties in all of the different apps and services, just short of well. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But there is a need to expand the availability of this information with access outside of the gmail environment.
7. Buzz from… who, what? The mail message headers from buzz don’t add any insight into the comments or updates inside. (From: Zev Mo Green Subject: Buzz from Zev Mo Green) They all look the same. They give a link to the post at the bottom, but there is no other information about what options I do or do not have. Can I reply to this message to reply to the post? Who knows?
8. Posting. There is a complete disconnect between how you make posts and how you receive posts. If Google is serious about making posting easy, why do I have to switch the environment (clicking Buzz on the right menu) to create a post? Give me an update textbook on the main gmail page!
9. Notifications. Currently, there are two ways to get notified that you got buzzed by email, or by your desktop notifier. Not everyone exclusively uses the Gmail web interface. Period. So Google has to design a way to make this a bit easier.
If it is by desktop notifier, it is delayed by up to 10 minutes. This is not a way to hold a conversation. What is essential is a service like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, or CoTweet to be able to monitor up to the second buzz responses. Mainly b/c two of those have apps on the iPhone… and I need to get my notifications on, without getting mailed every minute.
10. Following someone… twice? Right now, when you attempt to follow someone, it seems like a two-step procedure. First, you add them, and then you have to follow them. It seems a bit disjointed. I still haven’t figured out if you can allow soon to see your posts, but not be allowed to comment back.
One Safari design bug: There is a layout problem for the buzz reply window in safari. The code adjusts based on the total width of the window, rather than the div. Of course, it works in Chrome.
Summary:
This is just the first look at the service. I’ll definitely have some more recommendations as time goes on. Overall, this is a really good job by the Google team. I am sure it will get better!
