Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
Maybe it's the slight case of social media burnout and information overload I feel like I just shook off talking, but mustering up much excitement over Google Buzz is taking some effort. In all fairness to Google, I don't have Buzz yet and have not tried it, but I find myself wondering if I have the time and desire to possibly keep on top of yet another social networking platform (aka the dreaded YASN). My lukewarm interest in Buzz probably stems from several things.
We're well into 2010 now, but at the beginning of the year I began to give some thought to how I'd like to use social media in the new year. While I consider social media to be absolutely indispensable for a variety of reasons, I've also come to realize that at times it has taken up more time than it reasonably should and has interfered with other things that should take priority. As a result, I've scaled back somewhat on the amount of time I consume social media, but I've also tried to identify which platforms are useful and important; a number of accounts on a number of platforms have been kicked to the curb. Cleaning house was a good thing; I find I don't miss the accounts that are gone. The other factor affecting my interest in Buzz is the extent to which my existing social network is already involved with the Google ecosystem. While I have no doubt that many of those with whom I regularly interact on Twitter use Gmail, Google Reader, and other Google products we all know and love, I'm very doubtful that the same holds true with my Facebook network. Very few of my Facebook friends use other social media platforms, nor does there seem to be a large degree of interest in doing so. I also don't see an inordinate number of Gmail addresses among my Facebook friends. These are clearly not signs of prospective Buzz users. Thinking about this is a good reminder to me that many of us who are more enthusiastic about social media and follow its trends more closely than the average user often forget that we are by far the minority of social media users. I'll certainly try Buzz when I finally get it and hope that it's far better than Wave, but if my social network is typical of many, I believe that Google will have its work cut out in spreading Buzz beyond early adopter/techie/social media types to more average users of social media. Maybe Laurie Berkner can lend a hand to Google in reaching parents of young children already using other social media platforms. For those of you who have never heard this, good luck getting this very catchy ditty out of your head. :-)
We're well into 2010 now, but at the beginning of the year I began to give some thought to how I'd like to use social media in the new year. While I consider social media to be absolutely indispensable for a variety of reasons, I've also come to realize that at times it has taken up more time than it reasonably should and has interfered with other things that should take priority. As a result, I've scaled back somewhat on the amount of time I consume social media, but I've also tried to identify which platforms are useful and important; a number of accounts on a number of platforms have been kicked to the curb. Cleaning house was a good thing; I find I don't miss the accounts that are gone. The other factor affecting my interest in Buzz is the extent to which my existing social network is already involved with the Google ecosystem. While I have no doubt that many of those with whom I regularly interact on Twitter use Gmail, Google Reader, and other Google products we all know and love, I'm very doubtful that the same holds true with my Facebook network. Very few of my Facebook friends use other social media platforms, nor does there seem to be a large degree of interest in doing so. I also don't see an inordinate number of Gmail addresses among my Facebook friends. These are clearly not signs of prospective Buzz users. Thinking about this is a good reminder to me that many of us who are more enthusiastic about social media and follow its trends more closely than the average user often forget that we are by far the minority of social media users. I'll certainly try Buzz when I finally get it and hope that it's far better than Wave, but if my social network is typical of many, I believe that Google will have its work cut out in spreading Buzz beyond early adopter/techie/social media types to more average users of social media. Maybe Laurie Berkner can lend a hand to Google in reaching parents of young children already using other social media platforms. For those of you who have never heard this, good luck getting this very catchy ditty out of your head. :-)
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