Google losses the Buzz as it pulls plug on social network

Bosses at tech giant Google are getting ready to press the mute button on Buzz

Bosses at tech giant Google are getting ready to press the mute button on Buzz, an online social networking service that turned into a massive faux pas.

Buzz will be shut down within the next few weeks, according to a post on the firm's blog over the weekend.

The 20-month-old service probably won't be missed. If anything, Buzz is destined to be remembered as Google's botched attempt to build a social network to rival facebook.

Google now is focusing its social networking efforts on Plus, a three and half month-old service that has been catching on quickly. Plus already has more than 40 million users, and Google chief executive Larry Page seems confident that it will become an effective weapon for fighting facebook and its audience of 800 million users.

In a conference call to discuss Google's third-quarter earnings, Page promised the company will be weaving more of the company's products into Plus to give users an "automagical" experience.

He also gave a glimpse into the firm's mobile generated revenue, which is at annual rate of $2.5 billion, up from $1 billion in its last disclosure.