Thoughts on Google Wave
I was lucky enough to get an invite to Google Wave 2 weeks ago and since then, I’ve been messing about with it (I believe the technical term is “testing” it?). So what do I think of it so far?
A couple of nights ago, I was using it with my friend Grant (http://www.deadtreemedia.co.uk/) to see how it worked. In amongst the random conversation we were having, we noticed some potential issues….
One of the big “selling points” of Google Wave is that you can see whatever your collaborators are typing in real-time. This meant that when I was talking to Grant, I could pretty much second guess what he was trying to say and vice-versa. Subsequently, this meant that our replies became a little jumbled. Of course by using it as an instant messenger, it could be argued that we missed the whole point of Google Wave as a collaboration tool- the real-time typing wouldn’t be a problem if we used it correctly.
Another thing that irritated me in regards to the real-time typing is that if you’re not that great at typing properly, your collaborators can see all your mistakes. Look at your keyboard. Look how easy is it to type “die” rather than “for”. Yes, that could be awkward. Very awkward, particularly if you were using it in a work environment!
The day after I tested it with Grant, I tested it with another friend of mine, Colin (http://twitter.com/spawnofthemist). Soon after starting a new Wave, we realised that you could edit the text which your collaborators had typed meaning everything could be turned into a joke. I should note it did actually say who had edited what so it’s not like someone could type something awful and get away with it. Perhaps if you use this in a professional environment you’re supposed to be mature enough to avoid doing this but I still think it would be better if Google let you edit your own text only!
Aside from that, I think it could be an exceptionally useful group collaboration tool. I know from past experience while working on projects at university, it can be hard to circulate ideas and keep everyone up to date with what’s going on. Google Wave would definitely make this easier for everyone involved.
On the otherhand, I think if I used it with my group of friends, it would descend into Wave upon Wave filled with lol cats pictures and hilarious videos. Not saying that’s a bad thing of course 
blah Music : Knights Of Cydonia by Muse
