Read it here: Google Buzz Feedback – Day One.

Well, I've had more time to play with Google Buzz, and it's grown on me quite a bit for several reasons.

Buzz vs. Twitter

I love Twitter. In fact, I check it nearly every day plus, it's a fabulous source of web traffic. But, those darned 140 characters don't allow you to discuss anything really in depth, which keeps conversations limited.

However, on Buzz, you can discuss in depth. Plus, the thread is nested (much like a forum) so you can see the entire conversation from start to finish rather than trying to piece it together on Twitter by hopping from user to user. (I'll demonstrate below in a video.)

Plus, honestly, Twitter is so noisy for me (as I pretty much autofollow everyone that meets certain non-spammy criteria) that most days it's hard to do much beyond replying to people who have used “@nicoledean” in their tweets. So, I'm not really involved in other people's conversations as much as generating my own (or responding to someone who's replied to me).

I'm managing my Buzz followers differently so it's been a much more intimate experience.

Buzz vs. Facebook

I also love Facebook. In fact, checking Facebook is one of the highlights of my day. It's amazing how the interactions on Facebook differ from Twitter. I can post the exact same thing on both and the discussion is always totally different.

Facebook is a lot of fun, and it doesn't really have many limitations for me. But, it also doesn't seem to attract in depth discussion either. It is light-hearted and fun, though.

Buzz on the other hand, is almost as Liz Tomey described a “mastermind for marketers”.

I'd like to agree with her (and I do) – but you'll see a warning in a bit, because some (if not most) marketers are ticking people off on Buzz – and they don't even realize it.

The Tour

Here's a quick video tour of my Buzz account, including a demonstration of how I manage Buzz to make sure that I respond to as many people as I can who chat with me. (For details on how I set up my filter in gmail, check out that first blog post: Google Buzz Day One: Getting Started & Filtering the Noise)

Warning

As I mentioned in the video, there are marketers who are losing followers and credibility for using Google Buzz as nothing more than a Twitter and blog broadcast. If you're doing that, I suggest you take a look at the following Buzz-worthy discussion to see how you might be losing followers and reputation at the same time:

Auto-Tweet on Buzz and Run? Adios. You've been Unfollowed.

I was going to link to some more discussions on Buzz about this topic, but they got a little intense, so you can go find them on your own if you dare. lol!

I hope this blog post helps you to dive into Google Buzz and benefit.

Thanks for reading!
Nicole

Please follow me:  Nicole Dean on Google  Buzz | Twitter | Facebook

Well, after only using it a bit, here's the good, the bad, and the ugly (yes, there's ugly already) so far….

First, of course, if you want to buzz me, here's where you can find me: Nicole Dean on Google Buzz.

Begin feedback….

Interruption Based Chatting – And, How to Fix It.

I use my gmail account — a lot. So, I was not thrilled to discover that every time I received a comment on a buzz, that it would burst into my face – or at least into my inbox. I'm not a big fan of allowing anyone– even those I love — to interrupt my focus.

So, I set out to figure out how to “filter” the Buzz to a place where I was in charge instead of Google.

Problem #1. Filters in Google are normally quite good, but there's no “from” person for Buzz and no common filter info.

So, here's how I solved it.

1. Go to “Settings” in your Gmail. (Upper right hand corner of screen.)

2. Click on “Filters”  (Fourth tab). If you aren't using them – USE them. Click “New Filter”.

3. Enter info as shown. Click “Next Step”.

4. Enter info as shown. The important thing is to mark “SKIP INBOX”.

5. CHECK where it says “Apply filter to # conversations below” and make sure you're not moving a bunch of conversations. Click “Update Filter” if you're happy with the filtering.

Now wasn't that easy?

To Pull Your Feeds or Not to Pull your feeds into Google Buzz?

So, my first impression was bad. Then, I looked into my “Buzz line” or whatever it's called where I can see what people are talking about and all I saw were Tweets being pulled in from Twitter. STRIKE two.

My gut didn't like the idea of pulling in all my feeds. I didn't see the benefit for my followers. So, I asked for feedback.

Here's my Buzz Stream from today. Tell me what you think:

I posted this…

|8:26 amNicole Dean – Buzz

Debating whether or not to link my Tweets in here.

Leaning towards “no” as I'm not caring to see others tweets clouding up my buzz and distracting me from real conversation.

BUT it would be nice to have some pulled in just to share.

Thoughts? This sounds like a problem that can be solved in the shower. I'm off to enjoy one.

The feedback was a resounding “NO thank you” from Warren Whitlock, Kelly McCausey, and Odinn Sorensen! I agree.

My Verdict after Using Google Buzz Today?

So, I'm hooked after a few things happened.

I had the opportunity to turn Buzz into something that I can manage.

I had the JOY of having longer conversations than I could on Twitter.

And, I had the pleasure of interacting quicker with my friends than I normally can on Facebook.

WILL I let Google Buzz cost me money by killing my productivity? Nah. I'm too determined and stubborn for that. And, now that it's skipping my inbox, I have another way to reward myself for getting things done. I suggest you do the same.

Will Google Buzz replace Twitter? I doubt it. BUT it's another opportunity to connect with people, so it really doesn't matter either way. If you feel you can benefit, try it out. If not, then skip it for now and focus on what is currently working for you.

If, you try it and then you decide that Google Buzz is not for you…

Here's how to cancel.  Log into Gmail. Scroll down. Keep scrolling until you reach the bottom. You'll see in teeny, tiny letters “Turn off Buzz”. That's it.

Hope this helps! Again, please follow me on Buzz. Here's where I am: Nicole Dean on Google Buzz.

Nicole