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Buzz Killjoy

If reaction to Google Buzz is any indication, the search giant still has plenty of work to do before earning its social stripes. The service has irritated many who feel it exposed too much about their private interactions, while others have met the service with a yawn. To counter privacy concerns, Google rolled out further changes over the weekend.

"First, no more auto-following everyone in your Gmail contacts. Now, Google Buzz will auto-suggest those you should follow" writes Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim. Of course, Buzz never auto-followed everyone on your contact list, but it has made this intitial set-up more clear. Also, it will no longer connect your public Google items -- Google Reader, for example -- automatically. To boot, users will soon see a new "Buzz" tab in their Gmail Settings, which will allow them to turn the service off.

"Google just has no idea how to run a social network," write Beal. "For example, had Facebook or Twitter received the same negative feedback, would they have been so quick to cave to demands? I suspect not." But, um, Andy, isn't that sort what a social network should do? You know, "cave," or as some people might say, "listen."

Read the whole story at Marketing Pilgrim »

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