Before Google Buzz became available, it was a promising new way of communicating with family, friends, and colleagues; however, the way it was launched and the lack of control it gave to users resulted in it becoming nuisance at best, and a violation of trust and privacy at worst.
The Mistakes
1. Google did not make Buzz an opt-in service
With so much concern about privacy, Google made a big misstep in automatically activating buzz in every Gmail account. Even without the privacy concerns, this was a horribly flawed decision on Google’s part.
Every other Google service, up to this point, had been something that users had actively pursued and used, but with Buzz, it was simply forced on the users.
2. Lack of an easy-to-use control interface for privacy and settings
With Google’s renown for user-friendly design and controls, this was a shocking shortfall for Buzz. After an outcry from the online community, Google scrambled adding a Buzz tab to the settings menu in Gmail; however, the lack of control and customization is embarrassing.
3. Integration option with Twitter but not Facebook
This blatant move in a brewing war among technology giants is inexcusable to a company like Google. With Buzz, Google have moved away from concentrating on the benefits for the user to the benefits for themselves.
Give the public something like Gmail and watch them flock to it; don’t create a cheap tool to fight a new opponent.
What Could Have Been (And Still Can)
1. A new way of communicating with contacts who do not have social media accounts (nor have the desire to sign up for them).
This would have been a brilliant way of capturing the segment of the population who does not feel the need to sign up for yet another website to keep in touch with friends and family. Buzz provided the perfect platform to bring this type of user into the world of social media.
2. Buzz could not only have been a new communication tool, but also a hub for all other social media activity.
Arguably, many Gmail users have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and many other social media and bookmarking sites; why not provide these users the tools to control all their activities through Buzz? Instead of trying to get them away from services they love, by giving them half-baked imitation, why not provide your users with tools to integrate their online activities into Gmail?
Alas, Google has made a mess of this opportunity, but hopefully it will be able to course-correct and make Buzz into a useful tool, or have the decency to slowly put it to ‘rest’.
