On Tuesday, Google announced Buzz, a new product that performs functions similar to twitter, friendfeed, facebook, and foursquare, all rolled into Gmail and integrated into many other Google products. To catch up on the hubbub, check out this video:

And these blog posts:

• Google Buzz: 5 Things You Need to Know at O'Reilly Answers
• 4 Google Buzz Hacks for Users, Developers, and Haters at ReadWriteWeb
• Google Buzz: The Missing Features at ReadWriteWeb
• Say Hello To The Buzz Button. Google Didn’t Make It, So We Did. at TechCrunch
• Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz at Fimoculous
• Google Buzz Makes Your Profile Searchable at Google Operating System
• 5 Google Buzz Tips for the Advanced User at ReadWriteWeb
• Google Buzz's Inefficient Photo Uploader at Google Operating System
• Millions of Buzz users, and improvements based on your feedback at the Official Gmail Blog
• 5 Reasons Why Gmail Buzz Privacy Isn’t All That Bad at Google Blogoscoped

Buzz may have some flaws that need to be worked out, but it has already gained critical mass. Better yet for Google, they are amassing a huge social graph tied directly into the products they already deliver. If anything can drive more engagement on Google's applications (and thereby increase both ad revenue and brand loyalty), it's a socially-tied user base.