The birds and the bees: Google Buzz enters social media

It seems the world has just widely accepted Twitter its tweets and now Google has entered the social media game with Buzz.

So what sets Buzz apart from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook?

First of all, Buzz is incorporated directly into every users Gmail account.

That gives Buzz an instant user base of around 150 million people right from the start.

Similar to Twitter, Buzz asks users to share what they are thinking, so the short bursts of thought found in Twitter updates are found in Buzz updates as well.

Like Facebook, Buzz allows you to link a picture, video or web link directly to your buzz for other users to view instantly.

There are a wealth of features that really set Buzz apart though.

For starters, a user can switch from publicly chatting in a conversation thread to privately chatting via Google Talk in Gmail.

In another privacy matter, Buzz allows users to set up lists of their friends and choose which buzzes are broadcasted to certain users, creating the ability to block certain users from seeing the current buzz.

A user can also choose to make the buzz totally public, link it to their Google Profile and allow any user, friend or not, to join in on the conversation.

Google has also set up Buzz as a potential one-stop-shop for social media, as users have the ability to have multiple social streams sent to their Buzz stream.

Users can choose to have their Twitter updates, Flickr photo stream, YouTube video stream and Google Reader Feed, just to name a few, sent to their Buzz account as well.

This constant stream of information keeps Buzz just as up-to-date as Twitter or Facebook even if you have a noticeably smaller friend base on Buzz.

Buzz is not without its critics though.

Many users have voiced their displeasure with the friend adding system.

When you first launch Buzz, it searches through your Gmail contacts to search for potential Buzzers.

Some users have complained that through this system they have become friends on Buzz with undesirable people, such as ex-relationships.

Another criticism of Buzz is that it is too little too late.

It has been said that, while Buzz is a good idea, it has no features that set it apart from other social sites.

To these criticisms I say this, Buzz is something we have need all along but never realized it.

While it will by no means replace or even challenge Facebook or Twitter, Buzz is a great spot to get a quick overview of what is going on in your friend’s worlds.

As far as privacy is concerned, it is quite simple for even the most basic users to change their privacy settings, delete unwanted friends and customize Buzz to their liking.

Another great feature of Buzz is the fact that not a lot of people have fully embraced it yet.

This means that while Twitter and Facebook have become saturated with users that you would rather have not follow you but you have little choice, there is a real world outside of social media after all, Buzz is a prime ground to express opinions you do not want certain users to see.

The feature inside Buzz that allows certain buzzes to be sent only to certain users help further this even more.

So while I, and everyone, will keep tweeting and facebooking, Buzz is the new kid in town and has a lot of potential to grow.