Google launches Buzz. AT&T owns Buzz.com.
Google announced Google Buzz today. Immediately I thought of the domain name Buzz.com.
A couple years ago I was working on a domain acquisition from AT&T and, while searching whois, noticed that the company owned Buzz.com.
The Buzz.com domain name has sat largely underutilized. Recently, a landing page for a closed-beta social networking service appeared on the site:
About buzz.com: Want to know the best places to go or businesses to call? Let buzz.com help you tap your social net for business recommendations from the people you trust most – your friends and family.
OK, so a social network for local business recommendations. How’s that working out for you? AT&T shouldn’t be in the business of social networks, and this is going to go nowhere.
So perhaps AT&T should sell the Buzz.com domain name to Google. True, I don’t think Google will pay much for it. After all, people will access Google Buzz through Gmail. And Google hasn’t shown a propensity to buy domain names related to brands.
But at least the domain would go to better use.
chandan says
why att should not be in social network ? even we can see each webmaster is trying to setup social network.
Joe B. says
“AT&T’s Buzz.com Aims to Take a Bite Out of Yelp” – January 28, 2010
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/012810-atts-buzzcom-aims-to-take.html
Andrew Allemann says
@ Joe B – no wonder I’m getting a lot of search queries for buzz.com right now.
robert says
At the time you wrote this, buzz.com was still in alpha, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it wasn’t exactly huge yet.
Now it’s in beta, and invitation-only, I think. A little early to call in the coroner.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Robert – I call in the coroner because of who’s behind it