Font ResizeSan Francisco » Google, which has faltered in attempts to break into the booming social networking business, is making another bid to counter the growing influence of rival Facebook and upstart Twitter with products that make it easier to share with friends on its Internet e-mail service Gmail.
The Internet giant conducted a news conference at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters Tuesday to show off "Buzz," which incorporates social media tools such as photo and video sharing and status updates in Gmail. Google Buzz will also be accessible on mobile phones, and Google will eventually debut a version of Buzz for businesses.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin and other executives
Buzz is perhaps Google's boldest effort yet to get social. It is taking on Facebook and Twitter, as well as other hot start-ups such as Foursquare (and borrowing from Gmail creator and ex-Googler Paul Buchheit's FriendFeed, which was absorbed by Facebook).
The new service has five features. Users will automatically follow the people they e-mail and chat with on a regular basis. They will be able to share content from around the Web, including YouTube videos, Flickr photos, site links and other materials. Users also will be able to share thoughts in a public way and in a private way, while also getting social updates in their inboxes. And Google will help them find only the stuff that matters by recommending popular content. The mobile version of Buzz can figure out where users are and show them nearby buzz posts.
"Google has long said their goal is to organize the world's information. With the introduction of Buzz, you can see the company recognizes how social has become a 'Google scale' problem that needs improved discovery and real relevancy," said technology blogger Louis Gray. "People are sharing their content
Google has been trying for years to gain a foothold in social networking as its smaller, more nimble competitors steal some of its thunder. Orkut, its social networking service, gained a mass following in Brazil and nowhere else. Attempts to buy its way into the arena also failed, when Google acquired -- then ultimately scrapped -- the services offered by Twitter competitor Jaiku and Foursquare forebearer Dodgeball.
Analysts remain skeptical this effort will catapult Google into the social stratosphere. Facebook has exploded in popularity, becoming such a central part of many people's lives that it's replacing e-mail. That was exactly Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's aim, to turn his site into the starting point and focal point of the Internet experience.
Facebook's strategy of connecting the world's people, versus Google's strategy of organizing the world's information, seems to be resonating. So now Google says it's going to organize the world's social information.
The Silicon Valley showdown is heating up. Google is still the Web's No. 1 most-visited site, with 173 million U.S. visitors in December, according to ComScore Media Metrix. But Facebook is gaining. Facebook was the fourth-most visited site in December, with 111.8 million visitors.
"Google has tried to succeed with social products that just haven't caught on. There's no guarantee Google Buzz will be any different," search blogger Danny Sullivan wrote in a blog post.
