What are your thoughts on Google Groups?

[Bryan]

Great Buzz discussion here from Chris Lang: http://www.google.com/buzz/chrislang/BMysTa12Wyo/Google-Buzz-Gets-Google-Nod-As-NEW-Google-Groups

In this Buzz, Chris Lang said this - >   "What I believe we are seeing here is Google Buzz as a standalone app"

Do you like this new design of Groups? Could this be the pre-cursor to a stand-alone Buzz app?

Discuss...............................................

[stephanie wanamaker]

interesting ! thanks for sharing! i will have to think about this 

[Wilson Hines]

Can we just click "reply" on the e-mail's we get in our inbox.  I guess I will find out quickly.  

On the standalone app situation, especially on Android, that would be superior! :)

--
Wilson Hines

http://about.me/wilsonhines/

[stephanie wanamaker]

that would be especially efficient on a smartphone i agree

[Bill]

I really like the ability to enter Buzz into a live stream to see what comments are posted while I post. Sometimes, it changes what I say.
Bill Deville

[Sean Brady]

I do really like the new groups UI. Love to discussion overview page and the ability to gey details on individual posters. Tying my groups activity into my profile is a welcome change and further evidence of the centralization on profiles at Google. That said:

I am not sure i see what is being done in groups as a new standalone UI for Buzz. There is a big difference between the way that a Buzz conversation thread works and an email/groups thread. Each item in groups stands alone as well as potentially being part of a thread, not the case in Buzz. There are similarities design wise with Buzz, but the same is true of Google Reader.

I do look forward to Buzz enhancements, but i am not sure the changes with groups are it.

[CT Avon]

I didn't know that Google had groups until I saw the CrossPost in my Buzz stream

Interesting - do they have the ability to keep private some stuff in groups but have other posts open to "the public"

[Sean]

I dont think you can make a post in a group visible to only specific
members. You can have private groups, but once someone is in they can
see everything in that group. At least I am pretty sure thats how it
works. :)

[Chelle 63]

I agree, whomever signed up for this group sees all content...but its exclusive..is there a way to check who all are in this group?

[Sean Brady]

Yes. There is a members link at the top of the group page. Right next to the Topics link.

Sean Brady

Telephone: (713) 568-8214
E-mail: se...@seanandmelissa.net
Find Me Online @  http://about.seanabrady.net
Read my Blog @ http://blogger.seanabrady.net

[Fran?ois Bacconnet]

I find the new G Groups UI amazing, I love it. I'm sure I've missed a lot of little features here and there.

[stephanie wanamaker]

seems cool

[Sean Brady]

I am really liking it as well. Much nicer to use, i actually prefer reading the posts here as opposed to in Gmail now. Very seriously considering changing everything to the once a day digest, and putting the groups page into my reading rotation during the day.

[Philena Rush]

Me too. I thought yahoo groups were better because of the addition settings, but now with google integrating everything... it's cool

[Vladimir Kelman]

I would say, new format of Google Groups is extremely similar to Buzz. It's almost like a better Buzz. To me, a discussion part of Google grops should be merged with Buzz, while permission functionality should be separated, distilled into a clean and generic tool for managing permissions for all other Google products - Buzz, Docs, Picasa, etc.

Before Groups format was recently changed, there was a blog post from Google, which clearly indicated that Google is heading that direction of separating different functionality into different applications. I don't understand why we're still seeing a mess...

[Adam Sweet]

I like groups...just wish more people were on them.  I have 2 that I run for my fiddle students and my mandolin students.

[William Ellerbe]

This type of Google Group is really interesting. I think that this model will succeed in a way that may have been overkill for Google Wave.

[William Ellerbe]

Hmmm, a "once a day digest" sounds like a great idea.

[William Ellerbe]

We are on the same page. Google's integration of Google Groups, Gmail and Google Buzz helps to bring an incredible value to this Group which has a foundation in Google Buzz. What a blessing.

[William Ellerbe]

The closest solution to a Standalone version of Google Buzz would be the creation of an Application Shortcut created by Google Chrome.

[William Ellerbe]

Hey Bill,

I have come to appreciate this feature within Google Buzz as well. There have been occasions where I had to go back and correct a typo, or correct something that I may have said in a conversation thread. Facebook doesn't allow us to do this.