Friday, October 23, 2009

GOOGLE WAVE-Alpha Class 2009 by Jessica Northey



Google Wave is one of the most-hyped product launches in recent history! I have been trying it out for a little more than a week now.

Early reactions have been less than anticipated and some of the well known tech bloggers aren't sure if they like it. Robert Scoble reports, “Google Wave was oversold as something you’d use with the public, or at least with large groups of friends, like you use Twitter, email, or Facebook. No. Using it that way is an attention dump and will kill your productivity. Google Wave is actually closer to IM. Great with your very close friends or very active coworkers but horrid for nearly everyone else.”

My reactions are mixed at this point but I see the ability.  Like GMAIL it is very plain to look at. And a lot like Twitter it will dependent on the applications built for its use. I have been watching the API interfaces as they are hatched and there are some great extensions/applications being built around the Wave for use with other Social Media Platforms, Mobile phones, email etc.  If you have gmail you can check out the list of proposed and working extensions: http://sites.google.com/site/gwaveextensions/extensions-list 

Do I think that this lack of initial oomph spells disaster…heck no…this is Google we are talking about…and this is just the Alpha test, not even the Beta!

In the meantime as a business person who functions out of a satellite office I see the abilities it has for live conferencing/brainstorming. I just pray that they add a spell check function. It is live and you can see as other people are typing. It might also need an emotional pause button. Imagine venting ‘out loud’ and not necessarily what you might say or share with the world.

Initial Functionality of Google Wave
Organizing events
Keep single copy of ideas, suggested itinerary, menu and RSVPs, rather than using many different tools. Use gadgets to add weather, maps and more to the event.

Meeting notes
Prepare a meeting agenda together, share the burden of taking notes and record decisions so you all leave on the same page (we call it being on the same wave). Team members can follow the minutes in real time, or review the history using Playback. The conversation can continue in the wave long after the meeting is over.

Group reports and writing projects
Collaborative and work in real time to draft content, discuss and solicit feedback all in one place rather than sending email attachments and creating multiple copies that get out of sync.

Brainstorming
Bring lots of people into a wave to brainstorm - live concurrent editing makes the quantity of ideas grow quickly! It is easy to add rich content like videos, images, URLs or even links to other waves. Discussion ensues. Etiquettes form. Then work together to distill down the good ideas.

Photo sharing

Drag and drop photos from your desktop into a wave. Share with others. Use the slideshow viewer. Everyone on the wave can add their photos, too. It is easy to make a group photo album in Google Wave.

Google Wave in action—have a look yourself…I spared you the original hour plus video that Google put out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBzuuWZPaXc&feature=channel

I should have another round of invitations coming soon (limited amount). Let me know if you are interested in ‘Waving’ with me and I will nominate you. You need to have a GMAIL account and it functions best with Google Chrome!

In the meantime I say that Twitter is still, the NEW Twitter ;)

Jessica is the Social Media Editor for Full Throttle Country-Country Radio's newest full-service and free interactive idea sharing and new media on-line service. She has over 19 years experience including Radio, Television, Internet and Print Sales as well as an On-Air Radio personality. She is an Entrepreneur who owns MediaJess.com servicing all website needs including domain names, hosting, SSL Certificates etc. She specializes in big ideas and is known for the ability to create complete marketing campaigns and bridge marketing partnerships. Her company Finger Candy provides social and new media optimization planning for businesses, brands and individuals.
You can also read her blog, “Observations from the Peanut Gallery” at http://www.imwithjessica.com/

1 comment:

  1. i'm a blogger(www.njr-team.com) and i'm on digg(www.digg.com/users/snipe123) i'd like to wave with you.

    i'm using Chrome and munger.jeanmichel@ is my Gmail

    ReplyDelete