This month’s hot topic is Google Buzz.

After previous (possibly viewed as not very unsuccessful – orkut anyone?) forays into social networking, Google has launched Buzz.  This is Google’s new product, which is being compared to social networks like Twitter and Facebook.  It is integrated with Gmail and other Google products, and appears to be one of the missing links in tying Google together as a social network.

It hopes to leverage the millions of people who already use it’s email system, but what will it actually do?  Well, here’s a quick run down:

• Buzz will allow you to embed a thumbnail of a YouTube video and make it available to play in line.
• When you add images, they will show thumbnails, but also has a custom photo viewer, which lets you flip through them quickly and easily.
• If you share links, it will automatically drag in the content such as images and headlines, similar to how Facebook does.
• You can “like” and “unlike” stuff.
• In your Gmail in-box, you will see buzz notifications that contain comments, in real-time.

All this can be delivered in a public or private timeline on your Google profile page.

They have also launched mobile apps to enable users to ‘buzz’ on the go.  It is suggested that mobile use will be the key to success, as recent research had shown most most mobile internet usage is on Facebook, Google hope to tap into the same mindset.  2010 will be a big year for mobile web, with the sales of smartphones going through the roof.

Expect to see your favourite sites on a small screen near you, soon.

Catch the buzz here:  http://www.google.com/buzz