There has been a lot of talk about Google Buzz, and most of it negative!
But, most of this conversation has been around the desktop and Gmail based version of Buzz.
What about the mobile version??
When you get mobile buzz working..things start to make more sense!
Mike Elgan gives his perspective on Google Buzz for mobile and and refers to it as ‘The other Buzz” Mike points out that features like “near me now” and “explore right here” are potential game changes for mobile searhc and discover..and we tend to agree.
It is no secret that we are fans of the thinking behind applications like Foursquare, and how it could drive development in locaiton based services and game mechanics, to the point of changing how we seek, discover and decide. Google Buzz for mobile might just be the next giant step in this direction.
These features along with the GPS capability and Twitter-like posting, have the potential to bring what is buzzing to the palm of your hand!
As Elgan points out, “A button just above the message area lists all the businesses nearby, also listed by proximity. You can choose the restaurant or store you’re at, or choose the “best available location” option. That’s powerful, because GPS is only approximate.”
Where Google Buzz will really start to make sense is when more and more people start to use the service. Google has a natural advantage over services like Twitter and Foursquare, in that you do need to have ‘friends or ‘followers’ to harness the benefits of the mobile version of Buzz.
Even better, you do not need to have, nor access a gmail account to use Google Buzz from your mobile?
As we have started promoting the benefits of Foursquare to business, and promoting them using a clever Yahoo Pipe, we see great benefit for businesses embracing Google Buzz.
Given buzz captures real time, location based ‘chatter’ about a particular business, then business has an interest to be embracing the technology and ensuring people are having ‘conversations’ about their business! For those businesses that rely on walk in traffic, Google Buzz may be the virtual turnstile they desire if used properly. For example, businesses who follow the buzz closely, can offer real time specials, and traffic sensitive pricing to attract and the right audience.
These are the applications we get excited about – we call this Real Time Brand Messaging (RTBM) which we believe is the Holy Grail for any social brand.
What are your thoughts about Google Buzz for mobile..what are the uses you see for the application?
I understand the principal of Buzz, yet I still can’t see the public applying it on a day-to-day basis.
For the same reason the local coffee shop owner will have a blank look when you try to replace his loyalty card with a foursquare mayorship – cause s/he still don’t get Twitter yet!
You’ll find the ‘buzz’ around Buzz in the geeky circles, the marketers and the “social media experts”..
It is a forward thinking tool, that’s for sure, yet I’m not convinced it will take over the world.
Raz, thanks for the comments. We don’t think it will take over the world neither, nothing ever has. But we also remember comments like “I still can’t see the public applying it on a day-to-day basis” when email arrived on the scene in 1996…and with the penetration of the mobile device/smartphone in most developed countries on the increase, any application that integrates recommendations, conversation, tips, advice, directions and special offers ‘on the go’ is sure to make a mark. We call this ‘real time brand messaging’…and we believe it is already here.