Buzz, Google’s first true venture into the social media ecosystem has the feel of something familiar but also brings something very new that is loaded with potential. Though I am not going to walk through the in’s and out’s of what Buzz is (others have that covered), I will share something that happened to me while using it the other day that ultimately was my Google Buzz Aha! Moment. What happened was not planned. I didn’t have to figure out how to do it. I just did it…without thinking….like a real, seamless, on-line conversation should be.
My Aha! Moment – Seamless On-line Conversation
The conversation started with a simple post about the public release of Tableau’s desktop data visualization software:
Initially, a few of my friends commented with some interest but it started to get interesting when someone who had actual used Tableau offered some insight into some of the limitations she had encountered. Since I remember seeing on twitter that a former co-worker and co-founder of RedMonk, Steve O’Grady, had been using and writing about Tableau lately, I decided to pull him into the conversation to see if he could shed some light on these challenges. This is where the power of Buzz comes in. I simply added his name to my next comment and within a few minutes Steve hopped in to add his thoughts. It was as if I he was sitting in the cube next to me and I had popped over to ask him to join a conference call or something. It was fluid. It was natural. It was how conversations should work on-line. It was then that I realized the power behind the Buzz and the promise it brings to how we communicate and learn on the web. Buzz goes above and beyond allowing us to share information and converse about it by also giving us the power to share people we know and who know a lot more about things than we do. This ability to share people (or companies?) makes a profound impact on meet new people and harness the knowledge that is out there on the web. In fact, if anyone knows someone at Tableau please add them to the conversation. I would love to hear what they have to say to a few people who think their software is pretty slick.
So how can you harness the power of Buzz for your business? Engage and be human.
The table is set, the food has been delivered, and people are eating. Why not sit down at the table and join them for a bite or two. Pull people you know into conversations. Get pulled into conversations. Don’t waste time comparing it to Twitter or Facebook and avoid the urge to listen to the naysayers and the pundits. This is an opportunity to get in front of the curve and to find your own Aha! moment by engaging with folks in a way you haven’t been able to before. Try out this new frontier of seamless, natural on-line conversation with your customers, fans, or anyone looking for your help and support.
On a side note…I find it curious that this is the second social media case study that Steve O’Grady unknowingly helped me create. I need to hang out with Steve more often. Thanks Steve!
Am I off just caught up in Buzz (pun intended) or did you have an Aha! moment too? Let us know!
