For anyone that’s not aware, Google launched Buzz in early February. Buzz is a new social networking platform that is meant to start conversations about the things you find interesting. The most interesting features are: that it’s built into GMail, you can connect sites you already use, see updates in real-time, share publicly or privately with your followers, and the capability to see photo/video thumbnails with each post. Sounds Awesome, right!

Well…maybe. Now that the privacy issues have been hammered out let’s take a brief look into if it really “works” for users.

The social media landscape is filled with many players. Of course, the ultimate powerhouses are the same as they were 2 years ago, Facebook and Twitter. Personally, I don’t see this changing anytime soon. So where does that leave Google’s stamp on social media?

I’m still trying to figure that out, and I am not alone. A quick Twitter survey from my followers indicated that, users are not sure how it fits it into their digital lifestyle or if it fits at all.

Using myself and a host of friends and colleagues as examples: we all use Facebook and Twitter. So why use, Buzz? In fact, most of the people I follow are posting from Twitter or Google Reader without actually “using” Buzz at all.  Their posts look strangely familiar, oh yeah, I already saw them on Twitter. So what value does Buzz have for me?

Social Media users are struggling to find relevance in the noise. So a platform that pushes comments of your friends friends, seems to add to the noise. However, Google intentionally made Buzz different because it wants Buzz to evoke a different type of interaction. For example, after posting a Buzz about the use of the service. Several of my followers commented, a friend from college, a freelancer (that I’ve never physically met) and a family member. Don’t get me wrong, this can be achieved via Facebook and Twitter, but with Buzz, the conversation is in my face as it happens. This point will dictate whether Buzz lives or dies in the coming months.

So what does all this mean? Simply potential. I wouldn’t write off Buzz just yet, nor would I jump on the band wagon singing praises. We will just have to wait and see.

Go ahead, try it out and then chime back in here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on Google Buzz.

I have to confess, this has to be one of my favorite YouTube videos to date. Two thumbs up to Apple, for not being afraid of jumping head first into that ever-so-scary world known as the online conversation.