I just found out about Google Buzz, which was released today. Normally I am always signed in to Gmail, but after restarting my computer I had to sign back into Gmail and when I did Gmail gave me a little surprise:
Buzz is automatically added to your Gmail account, so you do not need to activate it in any way. If you sign out, and back in, to your Gmail account and see the same screen as I did above, you can start exploring Google Buzz by clicking on the big blue button. However, if you are in a hurry to get to your mail, you will see a link to Buzz right under “Inbox” in your regular Gmail Inbox:
Google Buzz is another addition making Gmail more social. Gmail used to be just an email client, but since the addition of chat, tasks, and quick links to Google Docs, Picasa, and Google Calendar there is just so much more we can get out of our Inbox.
At first glance, Google Buzz looks like another way to communicate with the people you already exchange email with. Google Buzz looks a bit like a mix of Twitter and Facebook status updates. Google Buzz allows you to update your status, and see updates your contacts make on all the Google services they link to Google Buzz, such as on Picasa Web Albums, Blogger, and YouTube. Updates to Twitter can also create buzz on Google Buzz, and all you need to do is link all these services together.
How to start using Google Buzz
When you first start using Google Buzz, you will see the following welcome window pop up in your browser:
The first step is to start following the people who are already following you on Google Buzz. As you can see above, I have three people in my contact list who have beaten me to the punch and found out about Google Buzz before I did. It helps that each of them happens to be in a different time zone 
.
You can click on “View and follow back” to individually choose the contacts you want to follow as well.
When you are done selecting who you would like to follow back, you might also see a request to update your public profile. Your contacts can only see your updates once you have updated your public profile:
Once you click “edit”, you are given the option to show the people you are following, and who are following you, in your public profile. Because I’m a fairly private person, I’ve not selected this option and will keep this information to myself:
Now you’re ready to start posting some Buzz to your account! Back in the Google Buzz window, you can update your status. Unlike in other services, like Facebook and Twitter, you can choose who sees your update in Google Buzz:
You can either publish your update for everyone to see (Public), or if you click on the Public button, which is the default option, you can choose to publish the post privately. If you choose the private option, you can choose the groups of people who are able to see the Buzz:
Are you going to use Google Buzz? I think it will be incredibly handy to see my contact’s latest updates right in Gmail, but I can’t wait to see what you think in the comments!
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