Reshare is exactly what it sounds like -- an option that lets Google Buzz users reshare any post in their stream with their own followers.
Reshare is similar to retweet on Twitter, but with a few key differences. By default, the Buzz offering supports user comments and users can reshare items either publicly or privately. The reshared item will identify the original author and even include a complete list, or "reshare chain," of the people who shared it.
Reshare is actually a very sophisticated addition to the Google Buzz experience, and one that could help the product regain some of its lost luster.
How to Reshare on Google
The reshare option is sandwiched betweeen "Like" and "Email" at the bottom of every Google Buzz item. You can click it to reshare the item with your followers and start a new conversation thread.
When you select "Reshare," you can optionally add your own comment on the item. You can also then determine whether you want to reshare the item privately or publicly with your followers.
Once you reshare an item, it will be posted to your own timeline with attribution to the author and a link to the original post (this is the opposite of how the retweet function works on Twitter).
Once an item as been reshared, it will update to highlight each of the Buzz users who have shared it publicly and outline the chain of reshares.
Buzz: The Big Picture
Gmail Product Manager Todd Jackson tells us that the goal of Buzz is to help the company solve the communication challenges of e-mail. "Gmail should be the world's best communication tool," says Jackson.
On that front, Jackson is confident that despite a dip in user activity -- something he expected following the product launch -- and initial privacy concerns, Buzz is doing quite well. He assures us that all the vital metrics are back on the rise, saying that there "millions of active Buzz users." Jackson also points to measurable growth amongst heavy product users -- those that check the Buzz tab more than 10 times per day.