Posts Tagged ‘Google Buzz’
Microsoft Outlook Social Connector
February 17th, 2010, 1 comment
With Google's plans to include Buzz in Google Apps for enterprise customers, Microsoft needs a way to get social media into Outlook, and the Outlook Social Connector add-on seems to be it. When Office 2010 ships--in the first half of this year--it will have support for Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live, but--oddly--not Twitter. Here's my review of the current version, which integrates LinkedIn contacts and news feeds with Outlook 2003 and 2007 now: Microsoft Outlook Social Connector Is No Buzz (But Maybe That's a Good Thing) [Fast Company]
Iterating Buzz
February 15th, 2010, 17 comments
Last week I gave Google a small pass for launching Buzz with serious privacy problems and a too-hard-to-find "off" button, saying that at least they were iterating quickly and openly, correcting their mistakes. Today I'm happy to see they continued to do so this weekend, even after I wondered if I spoke too soon. Significant changes to how Buzz works will be rolling out which address most of the problems it has. Would you see this kind of quick and apologetic about-face from an Apple or a Facebook? I don't think so.
Closing the Feedback Loop
February 10th, 2010, 10 comments
Matt Haughey says Google Buzz doesn't offer an easy way for publishers to see what people are saying about their stuff. He's right; as in Google Reader and Facebook, much of the liking and commenting and sharing that goes on in Buzz happens out of earshot of the creator. I think Buzz is a fine product--a pretty predictable FriendFeed clone, really--but it does suffer from this same broken loop problem that Google Reader creates. Also of interest to other publishers, Matt's related piece on what feedback loops he pays attention to in order to learn how to make better stuff online.
February 9th, 2010, 20 comments
Google announced the all-new Google Buzz today, a Gmail "inbox" of sorts that aggregates all your contacts' social network activity across the web. Lifehacker's got the full rundown.
A few quickly-jotted first impressions of the service:
- This ain't no Orkut. Buzz demonstrates that Google is VERY serious about social media, and just threw down the gauntlet in an attempt to take on Facebook and Twitter.
- However, they're doing it by embracing existing networks and consuming their feeds, instead of building Yet Another Island. Openness: walking the talk.
- That said, while Buzz does include Twitter status updates --which Google already integrates into search results--Facebook status updates are conspicuously absent. When questioned about Facebook Connect support, Gmail/Buzz product manager Todd Jackson said, "We have nothing to announce about that at this time."
- Instead of limiting Buzz's photo support to Google's own product, Picasa Web Albums, Buzz supports their competitor's (arguably superior) photo-sharing service, Flickr. Once again, Openness with a capital O.
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