Is Google Buzz really the Facebook and Twitter killer?

There's a lot of Buzz about, well, Google Buzz :-) However, I don't think it's a Twitter or Facebook killer just yet. People like diversity, and they like feeling like they're part of a certain network. Although the idea of one giant, all-inclusive platform appeals to some, it doesn't appeal to everyone.

I read somewhere in 2008 that the average person was on 2. Something social networking sites, and I can't imagine how much it's grown since then (with the introduction of so many additional platforms). People like being the Mayor on 4Square, but they also like picking up the red-handle-lunchbox on Gowalla.

They like listening to their favorite band on MySpace, but also enjoy poking people on Facebook. I, personally, have an email account with Gmail, Hotmail (for spam/newsletters/obligatory signups etc), Yahoo, my own domain, etc. Facebook will always be good at something, Twitter will always be good at something, Google will always be good at about 13 things, but I think there's room in the socialsphere for everyone. Just my two cents, though - I might be eating my words over the next couple months :-).

For the longest time, I've been uncomfortable with how respective entities monopolize the Social Networking scene. Remember MySpace in the olden days? I would love to see Google Buzz provide an alternative, but I do not think it's gonna squash Twitter like a bug, or slam Facebook shut.

Maybe I am out of the up to the minute loop of things that will "be killers" of other things in technology but I had never heard of Google Buzz until I read this question. So one could take my experience with the Google Buzz subject and its killer potential as at least one measure of the impact of Google Buzz. I really have no interest in going to see about it but will for the sake of understanding what people here on Mahalo Answers are talking about but it better come with a free lunch or something else exceptionally spectacular for me to investigate Google Buzz further.

I predict, since I do at least moderately enjoy the current Twitter/Facebook configuration I have now, that unless everyone that I currently communicate with now in my personal social network incorporates and or switches entirely to a Google Buzz format or exclusive/semi-exclusive usage pattern that I will not be changing anything about my current social network formation or usage.

I neither think it's a "killer" of any products, nor do I see it as meant to be. I think it's just another useful service. The difference is that, as Merlin Mann would put it, it isn't "another Island to row out to", as it's integrated into Gmail.

Which is also why it's launched with millions of users and many of your friends, the key to success for any social network. I think the people who might need to be more worried are the HootSuites and Tweetdecks of the world.

Nope, not going to make a dent in Facebook and here's why: everyone already uses facebook, like everyone searches with google, and everyone uses itunes to buy music. These are mature products that *own* their space. They've already beaten the competition and gone through multiple generations to come out on top.

A better service will need to convince everyone to leave at the same time or no one will, and there are 300 million people on facebook. My 86 year old grandma has a facebook page as well as my father who uses an AOL email account. My wife uses FB on the iphone for hours every night.

All my cousins, my co-workers, friends...and they've loaded it up with thousands of pictures, videos, etc. They're not going anywhere. The promise to combine these services for people isn't even a selling point. Most people still have no idea what the cloud is.

Telling them that they can connect all their "social networking" accounts just scares them because it sounds technical and hard. I can't even get my wife to move to Google Contacts from her paper address book. This would be better provided by Facebook themselves.

I don't care one way or the other about facebook as a company but when everyone is already using it (and using it completely) I'm not going to to go try a new service by myself. No one but techies really uses Twitter, but they love it dearly.

As everybody is answering, I agree that this new service from Google is not a "killer" at all, It is difficult at this time in the social networking game, that a new player , even as powerful as Google will kill the other players. I belive that will become a mayor player, thats for sure, and will reinvent the concept , no doubt, but I belive that twitter and Facebook will keep a good position as long as they do the homework and exceed the expectations in the service, and make a difference ( I'm sure google is good at this last subject) Hope that my humble opinion helps You.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.