SA to get Google's Buzz
2010-02-11 13:01
Cape Town - SA users of Google e-mail service Gmail can expect to be part of the international roll-out of "Buzz", the internet giant's social networking application.
"Gmail is the most complex web service ever built and Buzz is a natural extension of Gmail," Google's Hugo Barra, Director of Product Management for Mobile told News24 from Dubai.
"We'll be rolling out Buzz in about a week and we're doing it carefully so we don't take down Gmail," he added.
Buzz may be regarded as a direct salvo into the territory of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but Barra said the internet itself is "inherently social" and the latest application is just an extension of an existing social application.
"The idea of Buzz is to solve some problems. We wanted to allow users to sift the signal from all the noise on the internet. Buzz is also a flexible way for users to decide how widely they would like to share their content. So we looked at those problems and thought we could solve them in typical Google fashion."
Key feature
One clear advantage for Buzz is that it's built into Gmail, so users will have instant access to it, without having to sign up for any additional application. Google said on its official blog that Buzz would allow users to follow conversations "that they find interesting".
But Barra implied that Buzz wasn't a be-all and end-all social networking solution.
"The internet is dynamic and companies build on the innovations of others. No doubt, other companies will improve on the enhancements we have built into Buzz and that creates a better user experience," he said.
One of the key features of Buzz is called geo tagging.
"Geo tagging is a great enhancement because it allows a user to geo tag their location with Buzz. I'm buzzing from this club or that restaurant and your friends can meet you," Barra said.
Buzz also works on cellphones and it's similar to Gmail. Users can choose to login via Gmail or directly at Buzz.google.com.
Barra said that Google will closely monitor feedback from users to determine how the application is being received and make modifications where necessary.