Google Wave is the latest buzz word around these days. People are trying so hard to get a wave invite. Some of them got their invites already, including myself, and some are still waiting to get on the bandwagon. The ones who got Wave already struggle to learn how to use it. My initial experience was no different. So what exactly is Google Wave? What can you do with it? Can it really improve the way you work or is it just the hype because it is from Google? What is in store for the future of Google Wave? You will get an idea for all those questions, and how to get a wave invite, by the time you are done reading this post.

What exactly is Google Wave?

Think of it as an email but instead of going back and forth with replies and ending up with several versions of it (if 10 people replied to it), everyone can edit and comment on a single copy, in real time! Unlike on an instant messenger, Wave shows each letter you type in real time to all the participants. Therefore, Google Wave can be considered an online collaboration tool. What you initiate or reply in Google Wave is known as a “wave”. Just like what you compose or reply in an email client is called an email. Waves are either public or private. As the names suggest, public waves can be seen by anyone using Google Wave and private waves can be seen only by the chosen participants. The most important thing you need to know when using Google Wave is that you should use it with a small group of people. By small I mean less than 10 people because if 100 people comment on a single wave at once, it would not make sense, would it?

How does it look like?

Google Wave have 3 panes side-by-side, much like Windows Live email (Hotmail). First pane contains the navigation (inbox, settings, spam etc) and contacts similar to a Gmail account. Middle pane shows the wave headers. It is much like displaying your email headers when you go to inbox. Right pane shows the content of the wave you selected on the middle pane. That is where all the action happens.

What can you do with it?

Other than the text based collaboration on a wave, you can do a whole lot more. For instance, you can include images or videos to a wave or include Google Maps. What if you want to create a poll? That can be done in a snap too. These extension are called “gadgets”. The gadgets extend the usage of Google Wave. Other than the default gadgets, you can install 3rd party gadgets too. All these will appear to all participants on the wave, in real time.

Features and advantages

• Real time collaboration
• Single, hosted conversation
• Reply to subsets of a wave
• Addition of rich interactive media such as images, videos, maps and polls
• Ability to add 3rd party gadgets to extend the functionality
• Initiate private threads in a public wave
• Playback and/or copy an earlier version of a wave, which enables you to revert to an older state of the wave or see how changes occurred

An example use case of Google Wave

Imagine a company whose preparing to redesign their corporate website. To discuss about this project, a few key people are required. Let us assume them to be the CEO, Marketing Director & IT Manager from the company, and the Project Manager & website designer from the design firm. These individuals work at their own desks, and the two firms are located at two different geographical locations.

They can start a private wave and discuss about the redesign. The designer can include an image of the new design for which the executives from the company can comment. Content that should go on the new website can be given in the wave as well. Say the Project Manager has a new idea and wants to get others’ interest. She can simply start a poll so others can vote. Other than that, the IT Manager can include a Google Map to their office, to be included in the new website. The Designer can use that. Moreover, the whole wave is recorded, which the Project Manager can use later on for project management purposes.

As you can see, by using Wave, they can collaborate without leaving their desks. This can save time and money for both firms, increase productivity by being able to multi-task, and take out the hassle of travelling.

Future of Google Wave

Wave is still in its initial stages. There is much to fix and improve. New features can be expected in the future such as disabling the real time keystrokes display on draft waves, making a wave read-only, setting your status to invisible or away, deleting waves or removing participants from a wave, and preventing a participant from making a private wave public. Considering the potential uses it has over email and instant messaging, the future of Google Wave looks promising. However it may take some time for it to be popular due to its learning curve.

How to get a Wave invite?

At present Wave is given by invitation only. Unless you know someone who has Google Wave invites left, you will have to request one from Google:
https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignup/
It is much faster to get an invite through someone you know rather than from Google itself. I also should be able to give out couple of invitations, when I get them. That is when Google finishes sending out the initial invites. I received 25 Google Invites. If you want one, do mention that in comments below and I will add your email for a Wave invite.

If you have any thoughts on uses of Google Wave or any additions, corrections to this post, add them in the comments below. Happy Waving!

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Tags: Business Tools, Online Tools, Productivity