Google Learns Tough Lesson on Privacy

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is new to the social networking scene with its Google Buzz. This new feature is supposed to compete with both Facebook and Twitter.

However, with any big move there are bound to be some lessons to learn. This week's lesson is privacy.

Google learned the hard way that just because someone falls under a "frequent contact" does not mean they are close friends.

People use Gmail for a variety of purposes spanning from personal contacts to business related work. Since the Tuesday release of Buzz, some people have filed privacy complaints with Google, which auto created "friends" based off of frequent contacts.

Now the company is taking a step back and allowing users to have more control over what they wish to share with their contacts. One huge complaint was an inability to hide your followers, which can now be done as a result of the recent changes.

As with all social networking companies, Google is learning lessons as it goes. Will Buzz be the next big thing or has the competition already established a solid base?