Facebook Plunges Again
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Google force-feed Buzz, and then brag about its MASSIVE success
That's a bit like President Obama strolling back to the Oval Office after the presidential inauguration and bragging about the number of people he has sovereignty over. Google launched a new, free service and automagically activated it for every Gmail user -- is it any wonder that they're currently enjoying an overnight success?
I wonder what would happen if Facebook suddenly dropped in a Bing search bar at the top of every page. (Hmmm...)
Anyway, in good news, that gaping security hole that publicly broadcasted your list of followers will be fixed by tomorrow, at least for new users (as you can see in the picture above) -- for those of you that have already signed up to Buzz, you should follow this guide to plug the hole. Google are also rolling out changes that let you more-easily block people from viewing your Buzz, hooray! I'm sure further updates will come rapidly, especially with the vast new pool of beta testers that have suddenly begun using their service...
[By the way, is anyone feeling the love for 'Buzz'? Doesn't it mean 'feeling slightly drunk' in America?]
Comments
27
Subscribe to commentsMark BFeb 11th 2010 9:48PM
Thank you for posting this - this is exactly what I've been thinking.
After 'signing up' for Buzz, I spent a total of about 5 minutes poking around before I started wondering what exactly Buzz could do for me that my existing accounts could not.
Maybe I fail at the Internet, but I just don't get it!
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 11th 2010 9:54PM
I'm sure neither of us fail at the Internet -- the purpose will come to us eventually, in a moment of blistering, rarefied clarity!
kojo87Feb 11th 2010 10:24PM
until they integrate it with Facebook like they have with Twitter, i have no use for it. Buzz just feels like dumbed down Twitter to me (then again i don't use Twitter so i don't know exactly). and i only have 8 people following my Buzz. not that i care but that just makes it even more pointless.
that said i am posting this article to my Buzz :P
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 11th 2010 10:37PM
Slowly but surely you will embrace the social media...!
One little step at a time.
kojo87Feb 11th 2010 11:15PM
oh i like social media. i just don't see the point in juggling multiple social profiles. the only real reason i have a Facebook is because thats what all my friends use and it was brand new when i was in high school.
DrakkenfyreFeb 11th 2010 10:27PM
"and bragging about the number of people he has sovereignty over."
Got news for you, the President isn't "sovereign" here. Sovereign implies one answers to no one higher, and rules everything under him. The President does not have that choice. The closest definition of the word is ruler of a nation, but that is "usually by heredity".
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 11th 2010 10:40PM
Ahh, don't get too caught up in the WORDS!
The entire nation is sovereign, and generally the government of a nation is also sovereign -- but it various from nation to nation, depending on which rights they waive to legal stuffs.
I almost said 'lording', but I thought that might not go down so well...
DrakkenfyreFeb 11th 2010 10:40PM
To explain this, most US people take offense at anything in the Government being compared to a royalty.
And for "buzz", yes, it's used for "slightly drunk", but it's usually used as "buzzed". When used as "buzz", it's usually used like "I got a slight buzz off that beer".
It's also used to mean current events. Like "What's the buzz?", which is what I think Google is shooting for here.
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 11th 2010 10:43PM
Yes, I know... and I'm British... so maybe you can appreciate why I used 'sovereignty'... *grin*
I've come to expect more straightforward names when it comes to Google! Google STATUS perhaps.
First Wave, now Buzz... whatever next.
StevenFeb 12th 2010 1:47PM
You've been voted down, but I came to post basically the exact same thing. The POTUS is way too overpowered these days, and far too pompous...but by no means a sovereign.
(Talking about the Presidency in general, not just the current incumbent)
DrakkenfyreFeb 12th 2010 3:31PM
I guess the people voting me down don't understand how the US Government works.
He has to answer to Congress. If he were sovereign, he could do anything he wanted without having to answer to anyone. Don't like paying taxes? He could come personally to your house, and demand money.
And if you think I am criticizing Obama, I am not. I am talking the Presidency in general.
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 12th 2010 6:26PM
I didn't vote you down btw! I remain resolutely impartial!
DrakkenfyreFeb 14th 2010 4:31PM
I know you didn't vote me down. I figure it was people who don't understand how the US Government works, or thought I was criticizing Obama.
fiendsanFeb 11th 2010 10:28PM
wave could be useful, but buzz i have no love for, its just bloat, its services on top of services on top of services, it ads complexity instead of making things simple... example:
when you send a mail, you want to communicate something with a friend, you put the address, you put txt you put a picture and there it goes, simple
when you buzz, you post a txt to a random number of people that might be following you or not, if you post a picture it will go into picasa to flood the hell out of it, if you post from somewhere else it might get comments from there, and then if someone writes back it goes into your inbox and and... ahhh and what was the point anyway?
AnthonyFeb 12th 2010 1:02AM
I don't like that Buzz was automatically added to my account. I never asked for it to be there and certainly was never given an option to turn it on. I ended up taking everybody out and hiding Buzz from my Gmail tabs. It's nothing I would actually use to begin with.
Google, if you're reading this: GIVE ME AN OPTION TO TURN BUZZ OFF *COMPLETELY*!
ScraynFeb 12th 2010 1:47AM
Anthony:
I immediately went into the help section to find how to turn it off and thought I'd share how to do just that:
It's in the very fine print on the bottom of a Gmail page that reads, "turn off buzz". It's right above the copyright text in the footer.
AnthonyFeb 12th 2010 3:07AM
@Scrayn - Thank you so much! With the theme I have, I never saw the text down there. Thank you for pointing it out.
Sebastian AnthonyFeb 12th 2010 7:56AM
Thanks for the tip :)
DavidFeb 12th 2010 1:41AM
Good job not posting a link or even a direct quote where Google bragged about it's "massive success." Overall, this has to be the least informative and most opinionated post I've seen on downloadsquad yet. This post is wrong in so many ways.
ScraynFeb 12th 2010 1:57AM
I'm sorry you feel that way, but he did post a link to it. The word "SOURCE" underneath the post should take you to the Gmail blog post saying that.