1. MelissaBV

   

   Thank you for this post, Kathy – wonderful to see the application of Google Wave. I especially like the recommendation section, including a brief “how-to” of Google Wave would be extremely helpful for me in participation with such a discussion. I feel like a newbie on Wave and still don’t quite “get” its applications in everyday use. Thank you for the example and the link to the discussion.

   Thanks to you, I’m going to check out WaveBoard and potentially get into this Wave deal I do love that there’s more platforms out there trying to create the next important social platform.

   I do think that if Wave had been integrated into Gmail, we might all have quite a different experience with its launch — and it may have affected adoption rate of the platform.

   Dec 2nd, 2009

2. hrhmedia

   

   This is a really helpful post. In the past, the Seattle Times had been accused of not adopting digital media tools quickly enough. I’m absolutely astounded that they put the Twitter feed of the story on their homepage, and then experimented with Wave. I will confess to still not grasping the power of Wave, but in this case, I think what’s most important is the gesture a legacy media organization took in embracing social media tools during a breaking news event.

   And as LostRemote.com reported, this all wasn’t just in the name of experimentation: “Twitter Key in Hitting Traffic Record” http://lostremote.com/post/266758506/seattle-times-says-twitter-key-in-hitting-traffic

   Dec 3rd, 2009

3. Sam

   

   I join to comments above. It’s really good post which a little bit helps to understand Google Wave.
   I’ve tried to read Public Wave, but after 2 pages I’ve lost interest and decided to stop. Indeed, it looks very chaotic and explosive for your patience. There are some natural limitations for any group work, in the number of members, when vandalism is inevitable. I think at least 2-3 people are required to manage such discussions.
   Suppose, the next wave for Google wave will be implementation of new tools which will allows to make summaries and organize minutes in more digestive forms.
   It’s interesting but I think Google in addition to Microsoft now wants to compete with Cisco. Cisco is developing from 2004 new solution Telepresence which let’s to organize group work and web-conferences. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/ns669/public_telepresence.html
   Now it’s expensive solution.
   If Google launch video-conference in Google Wave, Telepresence of Cisco will overtook sad fate of Microsoft or Yahoo.
   Though it’s hard to predict anything.

   Dec 3rd, 2009

4. Shelby

   

   Thanks, Kathy for the post.

   I was talking to a colleague who has tried to find a critical mass of people she knows (even just a few) who are using Google Wave to actually test it as a project platform. That seems to be one of the downfalls of people who want to use it in a work setting. As noted above, it will be interesting to see how they integrate it to increase adoption if that is the goal.

   As a side note — and admittedly I am not an early adopter of most technologies — I can’t help but see the irony in a product that is marketed as a platform for helping people work better together but is getting a reputation for being too hard to use and understand..even by those who are on the cutting edge of translating this stuff for the rest of us. I wonder if it’s the challenge of conquering a new technology that motivates early adopters or a desire to test and experience the power of the platform as promised.

   Either way I’m thankful and amazed at people’s seemingly insatiable desire to tackle the next new thing and share what they learn with the rest of us. Will be interesting to see how user success stories help shape Wave’s perception among those of us who have only heard about it, but haven’t used it yet.

   Dec 4th, 2009

5. Cheryl

   

   Kathy,

   I have to concur with the Complete Guide to Google Wave’s observation that GW’s downfall is: “a universally confusing initial user experience.” As a technical documentation and UI design writer, I’m wanting it to be intuitive and easy to get started with. It’s not. I know the concepts behind GW are important –lord knows e-mail must be slain, and fast (if only in-boxes could ‘explode’)– but until GW is gee-whiz easy, it’s going to remain in NerdRealm.

   Which quick-start demos or guides do you recommend for average users? Have you already or do you plan to lecture or teach about GW? Look forward to your work in this area.

   Dec 7th, 2009

6. Eric Burgess

   

   Like Hanson, I’m still trying to figure out the true power of Google Wave. In theory I understand it’s mission: to be an online collaborative tool in the cloud. However, I can’t be an early adopter to something that NONE of my friends use. I suppose it won’t be until my peers adopt it that I will have a need to use it more.

   Our group in COM529 this quarter decided not to use Google Wave and went with another web based collaborative tool called Basecamp. I think our decision on that was based in part with the fact that Wave was so new. Basecamp worked for us because of it’s simplicity. When I login to Google Wave, I see complexity. I see a tool that’s not really created for your mom or your average internet/email user.

   I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye out for more public waves – especially at the hyper local level. I should have been more up on the wave that was started after the shootings.

   Dec 8th, 2009

7. Stephen Brashear

   

   Before the shootings, I used Google Wave the two classes that I am taking this quarter. With a Wave started by MCDMer Xurxo Martinez, I figured out the basics of Wave. However, when I read about the Wave started by the Times, I cut and pasted the line from the Seattle Times website and came up with more than 100 results, which at the time, I didn’t have time to go through nor did I see the helpful guide posted above by Kathy. The reason that I didn’t have time: I was also covering the story for a client.

   Not only did journalists and news organizations use social media to report the use, they used it as source in the aftermath of the shooting, especially in the search for the shooter. Many journalists followed the hashtag #washooting to keep abreast of the search for the suspect across several jurisdictions throughout Monday. Many of people tweeting were monitoring police scanners and posted some of what they heard, which allowed journalists to get to the many scenes were law enforcement activity was taking place. Others reported what they saw. I remember one person reporting police activity in the parking lot of the Tacoma Mall. Before going to bed Monday night, one photographer tweeted his followers and those following #washooting to call or text him if something broke. The next morning when the shooter was killed in the early morning hours, he showed me several text messages from followers about the news. Though to be honest he got his tip from elsewhere, which happened mostly by chance.

   Even though I found the Twitter feed fairly late in the game, I found it quite helpful as a freelancer doesn’t have have a local staff with whoom to collaborate (though writers and fellow photographers help me out when they are able). My editors in New York were following several Twitter feed and texting or emailing me relevant updates. The only drawback to the Twitter feed was, as Kathy mentioned above in the context of Google Wave, the signal-noise-ratio. There were many tweets that were irrelevant or users squabbling among themselves. One Twitterers made claims and were essentially shouted down when they refused to source their information, even in basic terms. A rumor circulated that the suspect’s accomplices were Tweeting and calling tip lines with bad information. Retweets were also a problem. Many tweets were retweeted 20 or 30 times with the hashtag left in the retweets. Maybe this is common to Twitter and as an occasional user to Twitter, I’m not accustomed to it. And maybe there is a way to filter through those retweets easier.

   Ultimately, social media, which I admittedly don’t use much or know as well as I should, certainly changed the way the news was reported and the way several journalists covered the Lakewood shootings.

   Dec 9th, 2009

8. Kwame Harlin

   

   I think Google Wave has alot of potential especially if it could somehow be integrated into your gmail account. Due to the fact it has such a specific use it almost seems like double duty to log into a completely different website to follow news updates. If I wanted to go that route then I’d have the option to choose among many live twitter feeds or other news sources. A live Google wave feed within my gmail account would have been a winner because I check my gmail account hundreds of times per day.

   On it being a collaborative tool – it certainly has potential but just doesn’t seem clean yet, I like the fact that people can collaborate on a document consecutively but does it export to .pdf or word? Or maybe I haven’t found the functionality yet?

   Ultimately, with some refining google wave could go big.

   Dec 9th, 2009

9. Rae Macker

   

   I like the idea of using social media to collaborate in emergencies. After viewing the Google Wave pdf, it does seem to be a better platform than Twitter for communicating and sharing information in a situation like the one with Maurice Clemmons. They have some usability issues to iron out, but so do many other social media platforms.

   My first experience with Twitter was during an emergency, of sorts. I had never understood its appeal before, but when I was here in Seattle and there were wildfires burning less than a mile from my family’s home down in California, Twitter provided me with far more information than any of the news media outlets did. This is probably due to the fact that people on Twitter don’t necessarily have to “filter then publish” the way that some journalists might. Although the bits of information I got from Twitter were often as simple as what direction the wind was blowing, and perhaps even false, the Twitter feed about the fire was far more detailed and real-time than any other source of information.

   Remembering that experience, I used Twitter to follow the Maurice Clemmons situation as well. Too bad I received my Google Wave invite after it was all over.

   Dec 9th, 2009

10. Mary Perkins

    

    This was helpful in sorting out just what google wave is. I (and I think most others) are still trying to wrap our heads around it. After looking at the pdf. from the shootings though, I’m not sure I totally understand what makes google wave different than, say, any other public forum, blog, etc.

    It was interesting to see (in that pdf.) who was using it and how. It was clear that most of the users were early adapters; one comment thread (wave?) talked about how two users had met previously on a democrat wave. When new technology is still fairly exclusive, it keeps a lot of the regular folks (those that would be more likely to email a tip or post a comment on a liveblog) away. I think that’s the trade-off you get from experimenting with something like google wave, your pool of tips and information is limited to those willing and able to use the technology.

    Dec 9th, 2009

11. jannaq

    

    I join the others in thanking you for this post. I am a new member to the Google Wave community and am finding it difficult to grasp the abilities and applications of the platform. So far I have tested it out for a group project in one of my MCDM courses, but found only a limited amount ways we could apply it to our work process. I love the idea of real time collaboration, but haven’t yet found a media device that successfully fosters this type of communication for an academic setting.

    My biggest qualm with Google Wave so far is the lack of integration with the other Google tools. From iGoogle to Gmail and Google Docs, the movement from one tool to the next is seamless. Logging into my Gmail account is practically automatic, but logging into Google Wave is not and my receipt of a new blip is often delayed. Taking into account that the Wave is still in its preview stage, I hope that they change this as the platform evolves.

    One of the more helpful websites that I have stumbled upon to assist me with become better acclimated with the new wave community is the Google Wave Blog (http://googlewave.blogspot.com/). Here are Google’s five steps for waving with groups (listed on the Google Wave Blog):

    Step 1: Create a Google Group

    When creating a group, note that most of the settings of Google Groups are respected; for instance, if the group is set to allow anyone to view content, anyone may view that wave. You will have to add Google Wave users into your group with their username@gmail.com address (we’re in the process of getting username@googlewave.com working, too). Under the ‘Appearance’ setting, chose an image that will help you identify your group in Google Wave.

    If you already have a Google Group, you’re ready to go.

    Step 2: Add your new group into your contact list

    Click the ‘+’ button in the lower right corner of the contacts panel, type in the name of the group (including @googlegroups.com) and hit ‘Submit’.

    Step 3: Add the group to a wave

    This works just like any of your other contacts.

    Step 4: Find waves with your group

    You can do this either by clicking on the group’s contact and then on the “Group Waves” button or by searching for “group:groupname@googlegroups.com”. If you’d like to create a quick shortcut to get to these, try saving your search!

    Step 5: Follow group waves!

    We recently launched the ability to follow waves. You will not be automatically following group waves, so use the follow feature to make them appear in your inbox when they’re updated.

    Dec 9th, 2009

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