Google announced on Friday that it's going to shut down Google Buzz in a few weeks and focus instead on Google+. Other Google services are also being shelved including Code Search, a tool for finding open-source code on the Web and Jaiku, a Twitter-like microblogging service that Google acquired in 2007.
In a recent post on The Official Google Blog, Vice President of Product Bradley Horowitz wrote: "We aspire to build great products that really change people's lives, products they use two or three times a day. To succeed you need real focus and thought - thought about what you work on and, just as important, what you don't work on. It's why we recently decided to shut down some products, and turn others into features of existing products."
He continues to say: "Changing the world takes focus on the future, and honesty about the past. We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google+. Our users expect great things from us; today's announcements let us focus even more on giving them something truly awesome."
As of writing this post, the Google Labs site has already been shut down and in a previously announcement, Boutiques.com and the former Like.com websites will be replaced by Google Product Search.
Google launched Buzz, it's social media offering back in February 2010 and was initially seen as a threat to Twitter and Facebook. However, controversy hit when Gmail users discovered that the network's default settings automatically set members to follow their most e-mailed contacts and then posted those contacts publicly after a user "buzzed" about something. This default setting was reversed by Google two days later but the damage had already been done which later resulted in a class-action lawsuit and a settlement deal with the Federal Trade Commission.
Even though Buzz is being shelved, Google have said that while you won't be able to create new posts after Google Buzz has been shut down, you will be able to view your existing content on your Google Profile and download it using their export tool, Google Takeout.
Although seen as a flop by many, I personally use Google Buzz along with many other services to announce my latest blog posts to my subscribers and followers. However, I have found that in recent months, Buzz has lost most of it's appeal, especially since the launch of Google+. I do think now is the right time to shut down this failing service and for Google to concentrate on it's new offering.
Do you use Google Buzz and if so, how will this news effect you? Do you think Google are making the right decision to shelve this service? I would love to read your thoughts on this.
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day) or by subscribing to our blog feed at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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http://www.facebook.com/DereksHomeandBusinessBlog
Until my next post, enjoy the rest of the week!
In a recent post on The Official Google Blog, Vice President of Product Bradley Horowitz wrote: "We aspire to build great products that really change people's lives, products they use two or three times a day. To succeed you need real focus and thought - thought about what you work on and, just as important, what you don't work on. It's why we recently decided to shut down some products, and turn others into features of existing products."
He continues to say: "Changing the world takes focus on the future, and honesty about the past. We learned a lot from products like Buzz, and are putting that learning to work every day in our vision for products like Google+. Our users expect great things from us; today's announcements let us focus even more on giving them something truly awesome."
As of writing this post, the Google Labs site has already been shut down and in a previously announcement, Boutiques.com and the former Like.com websites will be replaced by Google Product Search.
Google launched Buzz, it's social media offering back in February 2010 and was initially seen as a threat to Twitter and Facebook. However, controversy hit when Gmail users discovered that the network's default settings automatically set members to follow their most e-mailed contacts and then posted those contacts publicly after a user "buzzed" about something. This default setting was reversed by Google two days later but the damage had already been done which later resulted in a class-action lawsuit and a settlement deal with the Federal Trade Commission.
Even though Buzz is being shelved, Google have said that while you won't be able to create new posts after Google Buzz has been shut down, you will be able to view your existing content on your Google Profile and download it using their export tool, Google Takeout.
Although seen as a flop by many, I personally use Google Buzz along with many other services to announce my latest blog posts to my subscribers and followers. However, I have found that in recent months, Buzz has lost most of it's appeal, especially since the launch of Google+. I do think now is the right time to shut down this failing service and for Google to concentrate on it's new offering.
Do you use Google Buzz and if so, how will this news effect you? Do you think Google are making the right decision to shelve this service? I would love to read your thoughts on this.
If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.
As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day) or by subscribing to our blog feed at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog
You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/djones1509
http://www.facebook.com/DereksHomeandBusinessBlog
Until my next post, enjoy the rest of the week!
It's no great loss. I used Buzz when it first came out but haven't used it since. If it's not performing as Google intended, then it's best to discontinue the service and move on. Just my thoughts on the matter :) Great post by the way!
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