Google Wave promises to revolutionise how we communicate
and work together by incorporporating email, instant messaging
(IM), wiki, online documents, file sharing, chat rooms, networking
and gadgets. But what is it and what does it mean for
you?
Although, in a possible acknowledgement that they don't expect
everyone to suddenly abandon their current networking and email
sites you can manage and control all of them from Wave.
What is a Wave?
Every member of a 'Wave' - the name given to a group - sees the
same display on their screen and as they operate in real-time,
every event is immediately shared with the rest of the group. Like
sharing a desktop.
This means characters are displayed on other members' screens
literally as you type. Files are shared by
dragging-and-dropping
them into the Wave. So no more attaching and opening files as is
currently done on email.
Wiki, editing and file-sharing
Its wiki functionality means data/messages can be edited and
worked on by any of the users. The amendments will be uploaded and
seen immediately.
This pooling of data should make Wave an excellent collaborative
working tool. Businesses working together, project management,
editing media, scientific or development work or communal
journalism should all be made a lot easier.
Remotely located members will always have access to the latest
data and discussions.
nDevilTVon flickr
The playback feature
A new arrival to the group can see how the current state was
arrived at by using the playback feature. This
chronologically
shows the conversations unfolding, the changing state of files as
they're updated and new members joining.
Notably, Google has made the software open-source so applications
can be created or altered to suit individual needs. These
applications are called 'Gadgets' and 'Robots'.
Gadgets and Robots
Gadgets are like Facebook applications such as online games,
quizzes or tools to bolt-on to your Wave. Robots are more active,
detecting keywords in conversations and then acting on them. This
could be used to provide users with relevant, up-to-date
information from outside sites or databases.
Being open-source makes the possibilities for Gadgets and Robots
seemingly endless with Twitter, Facebook and Wolfram Alpha the
first to develope a Gadget or Robot.
dannysullivanon flickr
Marketing and advertising
A feature that marketing companies can use to advertise relevant
products and services. In fact branded Waves are seen as a key use,
creating interaction between the brand and its consumers.
Imagine live conversations being scanned for keywords by Google
Wave. Google can then target their advertising against this Wave.
For example, if the Wave is for a particular football team, then a
sports manufacturer's advertising can be placed in and around the
Wave.
See also: