I don’t have a strong opinion yet about the new Google platform called Buzz, although it is better than Google Wave, as far as I am concerned. Buzz is an Twitter-like tool that is integrated into your gmail account, allowing people in your connections to share thoughts, links and more (including elements from Google Reader).
There is also a security issue brought up at a blog site, which noted that since the Buzz conversations are defaulted to “public,” then all of one’s contacts can also be seen by the public. (Read the article and see what you think. I know some folks have now turned off Buzz as they wait for Google to make a fix.)
But, so far, I have been following some interesting conversations among very smart people in my Buzz and I like that it sits right there in my email, and Buzz threads even show up in my inbox, so I can easily keep track of the conversations. Will it replace Twitter? Seems unlikely, but you never know and we should never count Google out of any game.
Some are wondering about the possibilities of Buzz for the classroom. It would require kids to have gmail accounts and it could be a way for encouraging conversations and sharing of resources. But I would worry about oversight, since the teacher would not have much control over the Buzzing. And, who wants to say in the hallway, “I let my kids get buzzed today?”
Peace (in the buzz),
Kevin
Hi Kevin, Thanks for the synopsis of Buzz. I know that there are a lot of us trying to figure out how to manage all this social networking. Point taken on getting the students on buzz: My first post was “I am now buzzing” and only realized later that it sounded like I was doing something else! I also have not been using Wave much, either. I am interested to see how it all shakes out, but it might be that these days, with everything moving so fast, that no service will ever gain supremacy as they once did. Something to ponder anyway.