Google Wave

Got my invite for Google Wave a couple of weeks ago, and I've been playing with it a bit.  Stable it is not.  Bug free it is not.  But fun?  It could be.  Useful?  Maybe.

My first impression is that it is a bigger, better version of instant messaging.  You can embed documents into a wave conversation.  You have message history like email, but anyone can edit any of the messages in the wave, which could be bad.  A tie-in with Google Docs would be great for shared editing of a document, but Wave doesn't have that yet.

Moving a wave to the trash is flaky, as is the indicator that you have unread messages.  Signing off, killing the browser window, and signing back on helps.  Wave is a long way from the polish that Mail and Docs have.

It could be useful if you have a spread out team of people or a lack of suitable conference rooms and you want everyone's opinion on a document or idea.  You could write a round-robin story in a wave.  You could arrange a group lunch, or have everyone watch The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody clip at the same time.  Wave has definite applications, and drawbacks.

(I have a few invitations to give away, drop me a comment if you want one.)

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