Google has reversed the method you use to follow people in Buzz, but the change may already be too late for this newcomer to the social media space.

In the blog post linked above, they outline a complete reversal from the auto-follow method initially deployed in the software. Behind this decision are howls of protest that echoed through cyberspace as people got some nasty surprises. One blog, which since I read it seems to have been placed in protected mode on Wordpress, contained a post titled 'Fuck You, Google'.

Many people, like me, entered the interface, decided it sucks big time, and left - never to return again. I'm afraid that Google's eagerness to "leverage" its major-league Gmail subscriber base into another site ripe for ad placement and eyeball-collection has backfired in spectacular fashion.

I'm afraid that an auto-post function for blog posts from blogs hosted on the Google-owned Blogger are just not going to be sufficient inducement to make me change from the trusty Facebook interface. I can tolerate having to make a few clicks when posting a link from here to there.

What I can't tolerate is the greed that underlies Google's decision to start Buzz. With profits last year of US$23 billion, Google's got enough clout already. I feel no compunction to support their business model. I think their search and mail are adequate for my needs - this is, after all, why I switched to Google as soon as I discovered it in 1998. I opened up a Gmail account as soon as it began to be offered. I got hold of a Wave account as quickly as possible, too.

Wave is a tool. Buzz wants to be everything to you, and I resent that Google thinks that their current grasp of my attention justifies their reach for yet more of my time. A friend on Facebook posted a comment on a link I put up: "Google needs to adopt a 'don't be stupid' policy."

Agree. And I won't be using Buzz. Period.