By Sergey Guryakov

If you scratch your head when someone mentions the general demise of print media over last few years, you live in a bubble (someone had to tell you). In an era where smart phones and iPads provide the public access to a virtually unlimited and ever-expanding mass of fresh content, Newspaper businesses (particularly local newspapers) simply cannot compete.

It’s not just the lack of fresh content that’s holding local newspapers back.  It’s their lack of connection to the public at large. While they print stories about people in the community, they don’t encourage reader involvement.  How does one reply back to an article, for example, that they feel completely misrepresents a story? Answer: They don’t!  Thanks to the birth of social media, however, newspapers’ long used “gate keeper approach” to information has given way to a more interactive two-way dissemination of news.

Google announces a new social media platform that launches from users’ current Google accounts.

Google just recently introduced Google Buzz, a social networking software which works collaboratively with users’ Google accounts.  Google Buzz automatically allows users to connect with friends they e-mail or chat with the most in Gmail.  The software allows users to share updates, photos, videos, and more.  Buzz’s privacy settings allow users to share their thoughts publicly or privately.  Posts are delivered via e-mail to followers who can continue the conversation by simply replying to the e-mail.

One of the best features of Google Buzz is the ability to connect with sites that users currently use such as Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, and Google Reader.  This turns Google Buzz into a one stop portal for users to check e-mail, visit friends, and announce their thoughts to the world!  Buzz can also be accessed from phones.  The best part about Buzz is that users do not need to set it up, it’s already part of their Gmail accounts.