A new free networking tool, Google Buzz, breaks Twitter’s 140-character barrier and lets you easily include photos and YouTube videos.

If you have a Google email account @gmail.com, Google Buzz is already accessible to you.  If you don’t, you may want to set up the free account, just to take advantage of all that Buzz offers.  Buzz is part of Gmail. Your Gmail id and password now accesses both tools.

Is your phone smart, like an Android 2.0, iPhone, Nokia S60 or a Windows Mobile phone?  Once you set up your Gmail/Buzz account, point your phone’s web browser to buzz.google.com.  You will be asked if Buzz can reference your current location.  If you agree, you will soon learn all that is “buzzing” around you.  Yesterday, I learned that a new Asian restaurant had opened just a few blocks away, and the Pad Thai was excellent!

Buzz integrates with Google Maps for smart phone, so you can navigate anywhere on the map and see where recent messages have been posted.  What have people been buzzing about at Walt Disney World? – Navigate there and find out.  Want to learn the buzz about a potential employer? – let Buzz Maps take you there.

With or without a smart phone, Google Buzz offers a flexible way to share your current status, to hold live discussions of any length, and to reach out to a network that already exceeds 25% of Twitter’s amazing volume.

Gmail users can build from the existing email contacts.  Other users can import from dozens of sources and Google offers 30-days of email forwarding to those who choose to switch email providers.  Each Buzz user can choose whether to keep another email provider or migrate to Gmail.   Be sure to read the screen instructions carefully to make the choice you want.

Have you tried it?  Please share your thoughts and how you’ve made Google Buzz work best for you.