Google unveils new social network Google Buzz

Google is set to start adding social media features to Gmail under the name of Google Buzz.

The search giant hopes to rival Facebook by adding new networking features to its email service, which will also allow users to connect with other networks such as Twitter.

Gmail users will be able to use Google Buzz to email, share videos via YouTube, as well as photos via Picasa and Flickr, and update their status.

Google Buzz also enables users to automatically follow their Gmail contacts and implement privacy settings to control how much they share.

The service will notify users of new activity such as photos or blogs being added via their Gmail inbox, according to reports.

On its page, Google says: “Google Buzz is a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting. It’s built right into Gmail, so you don’t have to peck out an entirely new set of friends from scratch – it just works.

“If you think about it, there’s always been a big social network underlying Gmail. Buzz brings this network to the surface by automatically setting you up to follow the people you email and chat with the most.”

Google will roll out Buzz to its 176 million Gmail users this week along with a mobile version of the service, which also links with Google Reader and Social Search.