Google’s new Buzz social media tool, released earlier this month as an add-on for the company’s popular Gmail service, has caused quite a stir – though not for the reasons Google had hoped.

The company’s rollout of the new service was tarnished by immediate and vociferous complaints from privacy advocates, who said that Buzz’s automatic implementation put personal information at risk and took away users’ control over who could and could not communicate with them.

Additionally, Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land writes that "ironically, for a product from Google, searching Buzz seems to have a lot that can be improved." Google’s real-time search may be the better option for search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners hoping to take advantage of the new service, according to Sullivan, since that option appears to produce more timely search results than those from Buzz’s own search function.

The Wall Street Journal reports that "Google Buzz got off to a rough start and still has a lot of catching up to do. Though it could be a convenience for people whose social contacts all already exist in Gmail, it could also saddle them – and their friends – with yet another social network to check every day."

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.