For a few months now, Google has been saying that the company is going go phase out Google Buzz. Don't remember Google Buzz? That's okay, most people have no idea what Buzz is. To remind you: Google Buzz was Google's first attempt at a social media platform.

Buzz didn't do well at all, and Google has since created Google Plus. Yet, Buzz still hung around. Why? Some people were still using the service, hoping that Buzz would pick up (it didn't).

Google sent out email alerts to Buzz users, recently, stating that the service would be shut down in July. All Buzz files would be sent to Google Docs, the email stated. Even though Google's Plus is doing much better than Buzz, there are a few really good reasons why Buzz failed.

Why Buzz Failed

Google Buzz was, essentially, a social network that operated in and from Gmail. To use the network, users had to access a tab in Gmail that would let those users receive and send files via Buzz. Google was met with a lot of criticism when Buzz began, since the service let Gmail users follow each other without much opting out options.

The concept wasn't a bad one: a social sharing service inside of an email account. But, Buzz just never caught on, and the service eventually died out. Not wanting people to lose important Buzz documents, Google has generously offered to send any Buzz documents to Google Drive, so that users won't lose important details. A nice and courteous move, but Buzz will still be destroyed in July.

Do With Your Files What You Like

In Google's email to Buzz users, the company stated that all Drive files would be completely owned by users once transferred. Comments that you might have made to other user posts won't be saved in your Buzz account, though. Those will be saved in the account of the user that originally set up the post. So, if you want to have a copy of a great comment or argument that you created via Buzz, you will have to ask that user for a copy of the document.

Really, though, there weren't a lot of left over Buzz users.Even though some people stuck to Buzz for some reason, most people have since found other social networks or tried out Google Plus. Companies often shut down survives that aren't in use in order to save space, time, and energy. Keeping Buzz running simply wasn't paying off for Google - a company that already has a number of unique services.

Other Networks to Try

If you're new to the social networking world, and used Buzz simply because it was there, you'll find that there are a lot of other networks to try. Buzz did combine Twitter, Facebook, and some other platforms to create a network that was meant to be a complete hybrid, but you will find that individual networks are just as much fun. Check out Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Foursquare in place of Buzz.