A new Buzz start-up experience based on your feedback
Posted by Todd Jackson, Product Manager, Gmail and Google Buzz — We've heard your feedback loud and clear, and since we launched Google Buzz four days ago, we've been working around the clock to address the concerns you've raised.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google launched Buzz alongside mobile features for seeing nearby posts and tagging locations, then reported that tens of millions had tried the service and that users had produced more than 9 million posts and comments within two days. The scale made its initial setup choices consequential for Gmail users, not merely a product-design detail.
Google’s first round of feedback-driven improvements preceded this revised start-up flow. The changes remove automatic following and automatic connections to other Google services, while making it easier to disable Buzz—an early retreat from defaults that created a social graph on users’ behalf.
First-order effects
- Gmail users entering Buzz are given more control over whom they follow and whether the service stays connected to their Google account activity.
- Google trades automatic social-graph formation for an opt-in setup flow, reducing the reach Buzz can assume at activation.
Second-order effects
- Buzz’s engagement metrics become more dependent on users deliberately choosing contacts and integrations, putting pressure on Google to make the value of participation clear during onboarding.
- The rapid revision makes feedback handling part of the product’s public credibility: Google must show that its stated controls match the behavior users encounter in Gmail.
Third-order effects
- If services embedded in communication accounts adopt similar controls, social-product growth shifts away from imported contacts and default connections toward explicit consent and user-managed settings.
The trend: Consumer social features are moving from growth-by-default onboarding toward more explicit control over connections, integrations, and exit paths.