So here are a couple ways to disable or ignore the Google Buzz buzz.

The first thing I found was a very small, almost hidden, simpe selection at the bottom of Gmail as shown here:

Scroll down all the way to below where it shows disk space used and the IP address lastly logged into Gmail and you will find this area.  It then reloads gmail back to normal with no Buzz to be found.  Could that be any simpler?

The second way was posted in Lifehacker to keep Buzz running but out of your inbox.  It walks you through, with screenshots, of making the proper filters.

I like their idea since Buzz is still active and updating while you work in mail regularly.  This allows you to continue as normal without the constant interruption of popular buzz coming to the stop non-stop.

What worries me about the idea is how Buzz is being archived to your mailfile.  What about size?  Will Buzz soon have attachments? Inline images? Uploaded videos?  The future is unclear.

The third way is to manually go in and unfollow all of the automatic following that occurred and do not add others.  Buzz will sit there blank with no updates.  Keeping it down to a handful of people will give you the experience without the constant traffic and updating.   This will also redece recommendations that show as the system learns your reading, likes and behaviors.

Note: I had not read the whole Lifehacker article to the bottom to see they had included the same thing I mention in #1 about just clicking off.  Sorry about that.

Earlier there were swarms of postings on Google Buzz and tweets were moving too fast to keep up.  I made my own summary posting showing you how I think it all fits together.  Well now I bring a screencast where I walked through the interface as any first time user would explaining how it fits together and getting you up and running quick.  You can watch it in larger size here on Mevio.

This episode is brought to you by Poken, get yours today.

Buzz was a reserved name in Gmail folders for some time, and now it is clear why.  I think Google realized that Wave should not have been the starting point with their jump into the real-time. Something that offered a simpler experience to a larger set of users was needed.  Tapping into Gmail gave them this very audience making it more than email.  It is now a Social Destination.

Before I go into how I see all the capabilities, you should understand that building your Google Profile is a key to bringing and bridging data together to make the most use of Buzz.  A simple way to see what services you have linked is the Google Dashboard I highlighted back in November.

Buzz is a layer that sits between your Gmail contacts and the social web.  It interacts with data (Buzz) generated by your contacts, and even recommended users.  Gone are the days of the 140 character post with a link to a picture.  Images are pulled in from links. Comments can be made.  Sharing is simple.  This is more than a conversation flow.  Google is coming in reverse of what Facebook is doing with Project Titan.  They are leveraging the large email base to make a social destination.  Facebook is trying to leverage their social network to build an email platform.  I think Google just won for the first part of the war.

A question that someone in the audience tried to pose, but was actually addressed in Todd’s portion of the presentation was on privacy controls.  The controls are inherently built in allowing sharing with the general public and small groups/individuals.  Buzz will remember the last setting you use and continue it until you manually make the change.  An excellent default mechanism on one hand and a way to screw yourself on the other.  Just remember to always double check how you are sending something before actual sharing.  I don’t care what service it is on.  Google will also hook together other Google service accounts you have established with no intervention needed.  Adding RSS feeds and other sites such as Twitter are built into the interface.  With PubSubHubBub integration available and an API, your output from Buzz will be open for you to grab as XML now.  This will allow developers to work with the stream and start building products.

Next up was the mobile integration and this is where things get enjoyable.  Currently supported are applications for iPhone and Android.  Simple steps like querying your location for the best location awareness to post Buzz is inherent. After a query, a list will bereturned and ask you to select it to say if you are there.   A layer in the new Google Maps has been added to show Buzz, which gives little balloons around your location with current Buzz.  This takes the term Nearby to a new level and puts a dent in Gowalla, Foursquare and Yelp while enhancing Google latitude (see my many posts right here on Latitude).  This becomes updates and geotagging on steroids.  While Buzz and Latitude operate independently still, a merge is coming (from the Q&A)

At the end, there was a brief Q&A session with the bloggers and press.  Privacy I addressed already above.   Another question was Google Wave integration.  I think that would not be a logical next step as Google answered.  Wave is a whole other dynamic and that would be a huge bridge to lay for the average user.

I have a screencast coming shortly, but this should get you all set for now.  I would suggest you also read Louis Gray’s posting on the announcement today for his excellent thoughts.