Posted on October 16, 2009 in Blog

What's all this fuss about Google Wave?

It's Google's latest collaborative tool and the buzz in the last week or two has been over preview logins that have been handed out. A couple of us here at Choc Chip were lucky enough to receive previews (thanks Elbert!) and have checked it out.

I must admit that for the first ten minutes after logging in I still couldn't see the power (or the point) of this new technology. How does it work? More importantly, what can I use it for?

A bit of experimentation and the search term "with:public" helped a lot, and my early impressions are below.

But first, if you're not even sure what Google Wave is, this quick video has a simple explanation and overview.

So, what is Wave used for?

After using the preview for a couple of hours it seems that Wave will mostly be used for collaboration. This might include:

• Project teams needing to keep notes and stay in touch
• Groups creating documentation (like a Wiki)
• Interest groups sharing knowledge and resources
• Socially to share and talk with friends

What's it like?

It seem to me that Wave is doing things that are already happening on the web, but doing them faster and better.

It's kind of like a realtime forum that lots of people can edit and which allows for more flexible and inclusive editing options.

Or like instant messaging that's permanently recorded and which keeps copies of all the files you share.

Or like a wiki that automatically keeps records of every edited stage of a collaborative document.

Or like an email that all recipients can see and work on at once.

Most Waves end up looking like forum posts with added extras of images and videos included. This familiarity means that it's not a huge step for people who are already using the web to get on board with Wave. The interface is new but the format is relatively familiar.

Will it really redefine communication and the way the web is used?

The short answer is, yes. This product is filling a need many groups have that requires a central information repository that's much more flexible than SharePoint and easier to use than a wiki..

Like many of Google's offerings, much of the power comes from the ubiquitous reach of Google tiself as a company. Collaboration obviously works better when more people are involved, and with Google behind it Wave can't help but get lots of public awareness and use. This means that even if it were a simpler 'forum replacement' it would be increadibly effective, and with the extra coolness and features it has built-in, it's sure to be a success.

Let me know what you find. And when you get into Wave, feel free to add me - chocchipmm at googlewave. I'm still experimenting so I'll be glad to see what you're doing.