Whats all the BUZZ about?

This week, GMail users, on logging into their inboxes, were faced with a splash screen and the option of checking out Google's new social networking tool - Buzz or going straight to their inboxes. Very few, I gather, chose the second option.

So what is this Buzz and what does it hold out for you?
At first look, its Facebook minus the Mafia Wars, Farmville and Which-LOTR-character-are-you quizzes. Forget also the clean white-blue UI as well as the eminently lovable 'Poke'. You stop to wonder why anyone would even want to use Buzz as long as FB exists. Many technocrats think so too.

The most common complaint is that its just a medley of FB and Twitter adding no extra value to the user, rather confusing him/her with too many social networking tools.

Then you have Buzz's 'Auto-following' feature. The top 40 people that you have chatted or mailed in the recent past have been automatically added to your 'you are following' list. And this list is public. Imagine your wife checking this list and finding that your high school girlfriends have made it to the list but not her. Oops!

In spite of all the 'integration' talk, Google has done a pretty good job of ignoring FB. And apart from the option of your tweets being posted in Buzz, theres not much with Twitter either. You can't add your twitter friends to buzz, nor can you use the lists you so painstakingly created there. Read more here. And here. Or here.

But don't write off Buzz yet. Heres why I think it makes sense despite a bland, cumbersome interface and numerous issues:-

1. You will probably never get out of GMail. After mail, chat, blogging, reader, photos, google docs, you now have social networking just a click away. (And we thought Google was about search !! )

2. You get through your unread mails. But what are you going to do about those 'unread buzzes' just below it. Don't tell me its not tempting!

3. Earlier you changed your Gtalk status, then tweeted it and then changed your social networking(read FB) status to match. Now you just change your GTalk status and before you realize it, someone has already liked it.
4. Buzz on mobile. Apart from what you're up to, we also know where you are right now! Check it out here.
4. Its Google! Don't expect them to not learn. As you are reading about the problems with Buzz, probably someone in GooglePlex is already working to remove them.