Google forgets to not be evil with Buzz

Google Buzz has dug itself a deep hole, but it can still climb back out

I’m not a Google Buzz hater. As a Gmail user, I was excited to try it out. I certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of having all my feeds linked into my inbox and being able to respond to, share and otherwise interact with them. Also, I love how images and video are integrated into conversations without leaving the page and that my friends and contacts can jump in and add their own content in real time – it’s like Twitter but with more freedom to elaborate and share on the fly.

But oh how the presentation of Buzz was botched and huge missteps were made that seem so obvious in hindsight, making us wonder what Google, with their “don’t be evil” motto, were thinking.

I’m skeptical of Google’s chances of turning Buzz into a cornerstone social media tool, but there’s a lot of potential there. Here’s how Buzz failed mightily in its first few days of existence, and some thoughts about how they can turn it around.

Buzz invaded your inbox and picked your friends for you
In this increasingly open landscape of social media, the email inbox is one of the last sanctuaries. So it was no surprise that when Buzz took info from our inboxes and made it public there was an outcry of protest, inspiring many people to switch Buzz off immediately. The info Buzz shared wasn’t anything too intrusive, mainly it made plain who you’re talking to most via Gmail, but the gaul of doing so automatically left many feeling violated. One of the reasons Google did this was so Buzz could auto follow these contacts and create a huge user base overnight – another thing people resented, as many of us ended up auto following our ex’s or people we’ve fallen out with. Google has changed this so it merely suggests who you should follow, but many had already shut Buzz down and won’t be coming back.
 
No Facebook and Twitter integration
Twitter is only involved in a meagre way (you can’t update Twitter from Buzz) and Facebook is nowhere to be found. For a social media tool that had potential to be a one-stop hub, those are huge absences that will keep it from actually being a social media hub. We still have to go elsewhere to maintain our Twitter and Facebook accounts, which makes Buzz just one more social network to spend time on, and we’ve all got about as much as we can handle as it is. True integration with the sites people use most has the potential to make Buzz the primary social media stop for millions of users. But if they intend to try and directly compete with Facebook and its 400 million user strong base, well, good luck Google. I don’t see how Buzz offers up close to enough incentive to get many people to switch.

Buzzes get dominated by white noise
Following big names, like Mashable and Scoble, will deliver great content into your Buzz account. But it comes in a flood relative to the activity of your personal contacts, who are probably the ones you’re most interested in. You can mute conversations (with varying degrees of success as some people have noticed muted conversations reappear a short time later), but there needs to be better filtering options (like FriendFeed successfully implemented) so you aren’t forced to wade through conversations you have no interest in while the stuff you want gets lost. Buzz is supposed to be extremely convenient and easy to use. Right now, it’s not.

Non-Gmail users not allowed
Having Buzz pop up in Gmail users’ accounts overnight was a brilliant idea for jump starting the service, tapping into the 150 million Gmail user base. Not having a standalone desktop app for everyone else was not a brilliant idea. This is probably coming soon, and if it’s not it should be. A lot of people don’t want to link their social media life with their email, and a whole lot of other people simply don’t want to use Gmail. And how many of your most interesting contacts are regularly on Gmail, anyway? The mobile version doesn’t require Gmail and has been pretty successful thus far, with a reported 200 posts per minute from phones. Do us a favor and give us a desktop app too.

Excessive hype + mediocrity = backlash
Google took this bun out of the oven while it was still doughy in the middle. Instead of taking the time to iron out all the kinks, or doing a limited beta launch, they went all out and stirred up huge hype for something that wasn’t ready for users to integrate into their daily lives. Then they went and boasted of 9 million posts in two days, which isn’t much of a claim given that 150 million Gmail users had the Buzz tab suddenly appear in their inbox. Moreover, checking it out and making a post or two does not mean users liked it or will continue using it. The general sentiment seems to be: “Yeah, I checked it out – no, I’m not interested.” The number of tweets referring to Buzz with the hashtag #fail came in a tidal wave (pun intended). If you go out of your way to attract massive attention, social media will give you a piece of its mind when you deliver mediocrity.

If the Facebook/Twitter integration happens, the privacy issues are satisfactorily resolved and a whole lot more people create Buzz accounts, it has potential to streamline our social media experience. But there’s a lot of ifs to take care of, and then Google has to hope they haven’t created too much bad mojo among users to win them back. Six months from now, do you see Buzz riding high, or already forgotten?

Jason
Ross is a copywriter for The Duffy Agency. He loves working on both
traditional and social media projects and speculating on the future of
the ad industry.