Google just introduced a new product called Buzz. I’ll save you a lengthy explanation of the service since you’ve probably already heard it, but basically it is a status tool like Twitter with better media and service integration.

It feels like this is a long time coming, due to the popularity of Twitter and the existence of another competitor’s similar product with the same name. But this move seems to have confused a few people. What does this mean for Wave?

While I’ve heard some opinions that Buzz is the replacement for a failed Wave, I think the opposite is true. Displacing email with Wave is a long-term strategy for a daunting task. Further, Wave is still being developed and is only in the “preview” phase. It is too soon to judge its success.

Buzz seems to be more of a transition than a replacement. Completely switching from email (even Gmail) to Wave is nearly impossible in a world so reliant on email to do, well, everything. Buzz, on the other hand, does a better job sitting alongside email (quite literally) as an enhancement. It doesn’t replace email, it expands it to do a lot of what Wave does.

More people will adopt Buzz than Wave at this point in the game, and it will nicely teach them the new communication model. Wave won’t seem so foreign anymore. And don’t be surprised if you see Buzz integrated into Wave too. Switching to Wave will be much easier if many of your existing conversations come along with you.

I’m very interested in seeing how this plays out, since email is badly broken and it is time for the Internet to get an upgrade.