With the launch of Buzz, Google’s new social media offering, the search engine giant appears to be directly challenging Twitter and taking advantage of the social media sensation’s many admitted weaknesses.
Twitter has long struggled with both uptime and search-ability, two areas in which Google is the acknowledged champion. The question is whether Twitter is really doomed in the face of Google’s clear attempt to take over their turf.
While it’s not clear at the moment, it doesn’t look good for Twitter.
While Google Buzz got off to a rocky start by automatically enrolling anyone with a Gmail account into Buzz and connecting them with everyone else in their contact list, the blunder still proved that Google has the power to make this kind of social media tool far more easy to use than Twitter ever has.
Twitter’s search ability is limited. Google’s search engine can be put to excellent use in helping people find who and what they’re looking for.
On the other hand, Twitter already has a thriving culture and traditions, with its own cadre of words, lots of offline spin-offs like Tweetups and live-Tweeting, and the use of the hashtag, which Google Buzz hasn’t yet incorporated.
Finally, there’s also the question of whether people are even interested in learning how to use a new social media tool, when they already have so many to handle. The groundwork has been laid by an evolution of social sites, and Google’s Buzz will more than likely build upon what has already been successful. Tying this in with their other powerful tools for example; Google Maps, Picasa, Trends, and Product Search, certainly can be a convincing way to make people want to give Buzz a try.
Peter Koepell is the President of Koeppel Direct and has over 25 years of advertising, marketing and media experience. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drtvbuyer.
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