(image courtesty of TechCrunch who also have a funny little story regarding its collaborative powers working if it had existed some 233 years ago)
BTW, I’m pretty full of dumb cliche titles, there’s definitely more to come.
Anytime Google drops some new piece of software or some new online tool, everybody’s ears for the most part usually perk-up. I won’t lie, I’m a Google fan-boy, I use their shit, day-in, day-out. Gmail’s an obvious one, Google Reader’s a blogger’s best friend (although maybe cause I have so many feeds, it’s pretty slow to update), the Calendar works well with synchronizing with my E71 and last but not least, Google Docs… Well actually it is the least cause I don’t exactly thing it’s all that great but it keeps my shit online and in the cloud and it’s easy to share. So not so long ago, Google Wave appeared on the scene. I never paid too too much attention since it was invite-only and I really didn’t expect an invite to fall into my hands. I waited I think a good month or so when I started to realize I should probably try this shit out. Google’s innovation track record is pretty stellar and I personally have a high-level of expectation with anything they put out, it is for the most part on the cusp of being that next level shit. Ok to break it down real quick, I really hadn’t an exact clue WTF Wave was. It was just as people said, a collaborative tool. If I had to describe, it’s a good way of tracking and assembling thoughts and ideas as well as helping to clarify problems and quickly make decisions… but if you want the run-down in the official words of Google, check here.
My boy Richard @ Paypal managed to get me one, and luckily it came with a bunch of invites cause seemingly my only Wave interactions have come from 1 of the 8 people I’ve invited plus Richard. What a waste of 7 invites haha jk. I’ve hit up a few people who were like “oh yo add me at xyz@googwave.com” but never got a reply. It seems as though many people have abandoned Google Wave pretty early. The number one reason is probably cause they can’t figure it out or they don’t understand it. It seems a bit daunting at first but nothing a dedicated 15-60 minutes can’t figure out… or has our attention span degenerated to something in which allocating 15 minutes of focused time has become a chore? Watch the videos on the real and well how about you test shit out yourself? The platform isn’t even 6 months old, it’s pretty minimal in its features and really it is a good thing to get on the bandwagon now. I see Wave being a pretty huge thing down the line in terms of streamlining creative thinking and brainstorming as well as being a great organizational tool. I liken it to Gmail and Google Documents rolled into one. Second reason why it hasn’t caught on is that it’s really a WORK tool where you actually do it for mostly meaningful stuff. You won’t really use it to replace Gmail/Email as a communicator and Gmail is already trumped by Facebook and Twitter etc for casual bull-shit sessions… although I do see this potentially changing. You can share media in a different way and in its current state only time will tell how it will develop. I guess it’s like IM-chatting 2.0 in some ways with the ability to share things in an in-platform way without needing you to open a different program.
I can’t remember how Gmail was when I first started using it but it has evolved immensely. The level of add-on tools, efficiency and overall user-interface modification are quite good and really allows you to tailor your experience. Not to mention, (while dick riding Google again) I use the majority of Google Labs add-ons cause I really feel like they make shit a lot easier for me.
Wave is still super new, notice how it says “preview” below the top title and it will say that for some time to come… so take everything with a grain of salt. The features may leave a lot to be desired but that’s not to say following a traditional Google track-record, I’m sure everything you want and need will be fulfilled with subsequent updates. If you have an account, even if it’s bullshitting with a friend, try it out, fuck with it a bit and start integrating it into your daily use. I liken new potentially ground-breaking shit like Wave no different than learning how to use the Internet, or learning a language. Getting that experience under your belt early days makes a huge difference and allows for you to learn slowly but surely as opposed to having it rammed down your throat when you realize “shit, I need to learn this cause everybody else is up on it”. The dude who was 35 when the Internet took off is no different than the guy who starts using Google Wave 5 years from now… both are behind and have to play catch-up albeit the Google Wave guy had a choice.
So for the other 7 people using up my Google Wave invites, get cracking already!