Since its launch, much has been said about Google’s debut product in the field of micro-blogging – Google Buzz. Today, web has been flooded with articles describing Buzz features, Buzz reviews, Buzz hacks, Buzz problems, Buzz tools and so on. There are people in favor of and against Google Buzz. But despite the fact that you like or dislike Buzz, there are few things which we can learn from Buzz, the things which are applicable to any other software application, website, gadget or even blog. Here are 5 things which I learned from Google Buzz:
1. Integrate, Integrate And Integrate!
Photo by fdecomite.
Nobody likes to manage 10 different things separately. Think how difficult it would have been if you had to use separate phone for making calls, another device to send messages, another one to check your mails and still other to listen songs, taking pictures, video etc. Now add many different incompatible interfaces in each of the device. Getting the picture? Integration is the key in today’s world and that’s exactly where Buzz hit the spot integrating Gmail, Google Reader, Picasa, Twitter and any other site you want in single place. Google made a smart move by incorporating Buzz as a part of Gmail, saving users of the trouble to learn new application.
2. Follow The Trend
Photo by Bridgman Pottery.
Buzz was criticized on its arrival about its similarity to Twitter. Of course, there are going to be similarities. What Google did was to follow the trend set by Twitter. Micro-blogging was the buzzword of new era and Google jumped onto the bandwagon. The underlying principle is simple – if you can’t set the trend, then follow it!
3. KISS Principle
Photo by dicktay2000.
Remember the golden rule of software design – Simplicity. Google has been the strong advocate of Keep It Simple, Stupid (KISS) philosophy and the popularity of Google has proved it time and again. People don’t need flashy colors or jazzy background images, as long as they are getting what they want. Google designed Buzz to be as simple as it can be (well, not as simple as it should have been!) No images, no bright colors, no animations, just a simple interface inside Gmail where you can post whatever you like.
4. Make It Easily Available
Photo by batega.
Google made Buzz available as a part of Gmail. Due to this, users doesn’t have to download any software and install it on their machine, nor they had to register for new account. This easy availability of Buzz made it instant popular among users. It is just a matter of clicking “Try Buzz” button and the Buzz is readily integrated in your Gmail inbox with default settings. First thing for any software to be usable is to be readily available and users are not going to think for one extra second, if they can”t find it easily.
5. Use Existing Resources
Photo by Muffet.
In Google’s case, the Gmail user base was the biggest resource for Buzz and Google did exactly what it should do to tap this resource. By providing Buzz along with Gmail, Google reduced its marketing efforts and expanded its reach to millions almost instantly. Had Google launched Buzz as another stand-alone application, would it be so popular in so less time? If you provide an application or service as a part of existing application, the chances are more that existing users will try it out.
Isn’t it amazing how important principles can be learned from small stuff? What other things you noticed interesting about Buzz? Wanna share your opinions? I would be delighted to know them. Please do share your views in the comments below. I am also writing a post about things we should learn not to do from Google Buzz, soon. Keep reading!
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Never thought that an application like Buzz can teach you so much.. Nicely done! Liked your interpretation!
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