If you hadn’t guessed by the title, I thought I’d do a blog about one of the latest social media platforms to hit our computers; Google Buzz.

It’s almost every week that we are introduced to a new way to communicate with friends, upload pictures and note down our thoughts on the web, however its only a small handful of these which become a world phenomenon, many just get lost in the either. And although some may be seen as a success right now, give it a few months and there will be another platform banging on its door, ready to jump in its grave before the lid has even closed.

The latest “attempt” at social networking is Google Buzz, which in a nutshell is a cut down version of Facebook which runs directly from your Gmail account.
Obviously Google feel that their platform is the best as it links in with all of their other gadgets; Gmail, Wave, iGoogle the lot. Now I’m all for integration (starting to sound like Tracey Turnblad now) but is Buzz just another hair brained scheme from Google in an attempt to mononpolise another market?
They’re not content with their email, maps, and Android, instead they decide to invest in a £multi-billion market with a success rate of just 1%.

Their key plug for Buzz is that unlike Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, it needs no setting up, as long as you have contacts saved in your address book. If you’re anything like me though you won’t. I’ve used Gmail for a good 8 years now and I think I have about 3 contacts in there if that. All my personal contacts I save on my iPhone or on Outlook, both of which I feel are easier to access.

Personally I think rather than inventing new platforms, Google should be concentrating on bettering their current portfolio, especially things like Google Wave. As sad as it sounds I was really looking forward to Google Wave. I waited ages for an invite and when I finally received one I found I had no use for it.
It wasn’t until this week when I actually used Google Wave for what it was built for; online conferencing, and I have to say it worked rather well (for me anyway, other members of the call kept dropping out).

So what do we think? Will Google Buzz just be another fad; here today gone tomorrow, or has it gone far greater potential? I think give it 2 weeks and people won’t even know what it is.