Google Wave logo
My very, very first impression of Google Wave is that it called to mind a conversation I had back in 1994 or ‘95 about the difference between e-mail and the Internet. I was the one who wasn’t totally clear on the subject. This was back when the two things could be and often were separate. My brother was away at college, where he had access to e-mail, but not always access to the Internet.
My friend, who was one of those nerdy first-adopters (and an IT person at the company where I worked), explained the Internet to me in very technical terms that made it seem like a very closed system created for and populated by the technical elite. But I remember thinking, “well, sooner or later someone’s going to come up with a way that just anyone will be able to put things on the Internet just like creating a document, and the world will get a lot more interesting.”
I worked at a newspaper then. Things got a lot more interesting.
Anyway, I’ve been trying out Google Wave this week. I’m not going to give you a tutorial, because there are plenty of other places you’ll find that. And I’m not yet equipped to give it anyway. Try Lifehacker for a good overview. And for a little funny, try Pulp Wave Fiction. (via Chris Brogan.)
What struck me was the idea that Wave is an approach to online communication that asks the question, “How would e-mail be different if it were being created today, with all our current technical capability and emerging online culture?”
And the resounding, joyful answer is that it would be collaborative and nimble and conversational.
Good for you, Google Wave Team. And good for us.
I think this is going to make things interesting.