Google Buzz is the latest entrant in the social media arena. After the initial speed bumps and concerns about privacy, Buzz has finally established itself in the market and gained a significant amount of followers as well. Because Google Buzz is directly integrated within your Gmail, you have a ready-made presence there. And though there is an option to disable it, people either don't know about it or just choose to let it be. This is one of the reasons why Google Buzz has amassed such a massive amount of followers.

And considering its potential SEO implications, Buzz cannot be ignored. It is a great place to reach out to your users and keep track of the conversations revolving around your industry, your business or your products and services.

Reputation Management on Google Buzz
In fact, it can be another platform, after Twitter and Facebook, where you need to monitor your online reputation and create a powerful business presence.

Owing to the real-time nature and easy-to-use sharing tools of Google Buzz, users can share and redistribute information very easily and effortlessly. This can highly amplify your information and trigger off its viral flow.

Here are some quick tips and tricks to keep track of your Buzz updates and ensure that you make a good impression on your followers:

Use Buzz Search
The Buzz search box lets you search for updates within your Buzz stream. When you click on "Buzz" in your Gmail, the search box switches from 'Search Mail' to 'Search Buzz'. You can simply type your query into the box, and it will search all public Buzz posts from all Buzz users for the same. And you will be able to browse through literally millions of posts.

You can also check out Buzzzy.com, a dedicated website that lets you search for Buzz posts without having to log into your Gmail account.

Check In Regularly
Businesses generally have a bunch of keywords that they monitor as part of their online reputation management strategies. And you need to keep a regular check for them on Google Buzz as well. Here are some things you need to do:

Enable the Quick Links lab on Gmail
This will put a box below your labels in Gmail, which starts out empty. Now go to Buzz search and type in your query. Then click 'Add Quick Link' in the Quick Links box in order to create a bookmark to the query. You will then be able to click on from your Gmail sidebar whenever you want. This will make it a great deal easier for them to revisit and find interesting threads about your keywords.

Create Parameters
Another thing you can do is to create parameters for the web pages, whose links you share on Google Buzz. This will help you keep track of all the traffic that originates from Buzz through your analytics program.


Maneet Puri is the managing director of LeXolution IT Services, a professional offshore web design company that specializes in delivering a range of website building & maintenance services and internet promotion services to its clients. He has been associated with the world wide web for more than 10 years of his career and helps clients to establish a firm online presence for their business.