Google is giving developers a special sneak peek into Google Wave. Google wave is the latest social media platform to be making a splash (I’ll try to take it easy on the soon to be overused “wave” puns).
So what exactly is Google Wave? It’s Google’s attempt at social networking to be concise. Google Wave combines the cleanliness of Facebook, the speed of Twitter, and the fluidity of Google Chrome. However, it also adds a new element, collaboration. Here’s a screenshot:
Google Wave Structure
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Wave – A wave is the highest entity in the Google Wave hierarchy. Each wave can be thought of as a separate thread in a Forum. They are like topics.
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Wavelet – A wavelet is a sub entity of a Google Wave. It is like an individual conversation you would have amidst a larger discussion. Kind of like whispering to your best friend in the middle of an AA meeting about how the Red Sox are doing. Not that I would know of course.
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Blip – A blip is like a single comment within a wavelet. To go back to our AA example, it’s like saying to your friend "David Ortiz might actually get some hits in tonight’s game." It’s just one comment.
Top 3 Features of Google Wave
- Real-Time Functionality – Participants see what you’re typing as you type. This also applies to almost anything you do within a Google Wave. For instance, let’s say you invite 4 of your best friends to a wave to discuss plans for Saturday night. The wave allows you to see what everyone is typing as they are doing it, no delay. It gives the impression of a conversation where everyone is actually in the room with you. This property also applies to real-time changes to multimedia such as images, documents and programs. The real-time functionality of Google Wave enables the collaboration aspect missing from other social media channels.
- Embedded Waves – Google Waves can be embedded into the HTML of web pages. There is no need for the Google Wave client to be on your desktop in this situation. Visitors to your web page can manipulate the wave straight from the site itself. I see potential in this replacing comments as we know it in blogs. The improved functionality increases the level of interaction between users. Changes made in the embedded Google Wave will change in real-time in your Google Wave client as well.
- Google Wave Extensions – An extension is a mini-application within a wave. The two types of extensions are Gadgets and Robots. Robots are programs that perform actions programmatically. For example, a robot might retrieve a stock quote if a stock symbol is typed. Or a Robot might display weather conditions if a city is typed. It can do whatever the creator wants it to do. Robots add dynamic functionality to the Wave. Gadgets are applications participants can interact with. These fully functional applications might include games, maps, or quizzes. Google Wave Extensions all have the ability to be collaborative. Everyone within a wave can interact with the same application in real-time. Each user affects what other users see.
Other Notable Google Wave Features
- Drag and drop images into Wave for collaborative viewing or editing.
- Can extract entities in one Wave and link or place them into another Wave.
- Google Wave can be viewed on a mobile device.
- Participants can modify other users’s comments. These are tracked and can be seen by everyone. A playback feature allows a user to see each change step by step.
What’s Next For Google Wave?
There is no specific timeframe for the public release, but I would expect it out and the next couple of months. It’s no surprise Google Wave was released on the heels of Microsoft’s new search engine, Bing. Google Wave is very promising and will pose a threat to existing social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The focus on Google Wave is collaboration so it may prove to be just a niche in the social media arena. However, users may get tired of existing platforms and make a rush to Google Wave upon its release. Just look at how the once popular MySpace is slowly going the way of the dinosaur. Google has proved it can be continually innovative thus far. Should we be retiring our Facebook accounts? Not just yet, but don’t be surprised if Google Wave drowns the competitors (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help it).
Here’s the Google Wave Developer Preview at Google I/O 2009:
Further Reading:
I can’t wait for this to be released. How long do you think it will be?
Currently, there is no time frame for the official release of Google Wave. I would say the client should be out in a few months though. However, you can request a sandbox account here: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/wavesignupfordev/
Hi, interest post. I’ll write you later about few questions!
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Thank you very much. I’ve been on vacation the last week and haven’t been able to post anything new. Hopefully I will tonight though.