Can Google Wave replace email?
Electronic mail is so 1996. Will "Waving" replace it?
Email is antiquated. We need a better way to get things done online than hitting “reply all” to long message chains and sending constantly updated attachments.
Google aims to make waves in email. Image: Google.
Google (GOOG) is attempting to solve this program with a new service called Google Wave. Announced at a developers’ conference last May, the software application and computing platform blends email, instant messaging and online collaboration. If it gains traction, it could be disruptive, particularly in the enterprise market—but the chances for that may be slim.
Here's how Google says Wave works: You create a wave and add people to it. Wave members can add their own text, photos and feeds. They can also edit the wave. Everyone on the wave can view changes being made in real time. Through a playback feature, you can also rewind the wave and look at how it has evolved.
If you’re having trouble wrapping your mind around what exactly Google Wave is, you’re not alone. Google opened the service to a limited number of users in September. I am not in this group, which includes a sampling of software developers and early technology adopters, but I spoke to a half-dozen folks who are trying it, and all report that it’s a little hard to understand.
That may be Google's largest hurdle with this service as it will be more useful with more users.
Google Wave is inherently a social program. For it to succeed, it will need to gain critical mass among users. And to do this, the service must attract mainstream developers willing to sink resources into building out software programs that link into the system. The company has plans to launch an app store at some point. Several prominent businesses are already experimenting with it. Novell (NOVL) has an upcoming product called Novel Pulse that makes real-time collaboration more suitable for corporate users by providing companies the tools to limit groups and visibility and structure the type of collaboration that is possible. SAP (SAP) also has an application for Google Wave called Gravity in the works.
Masters of search but not social stuff
But Google has a few strikes against it.Though YouTube is beginning to see some success, the company hasn’t mastered anything social yet. Remember Orkut, it’s early social network? Now even the Brazilian audience that once kept it going is migrating over to Facebook. OpenSocial, Google’s attempt to create common standards for development on social networks, has had a quiet evolution, in part because the most popular social network, Facebook, didn’t embrace it.
Recently Google’s Joe Kraus, who has led the efforts, moved over to become a partner in Google Ventures. Also, the company hasn’t impressed large enterprise customers recently with its “Word-killer,” Google Docs. There have been several lengthy outages in recent months during high usage times. And Google tries new things often; many are eventually left for dead. (Remember Notebook? Dodgeball? Jaiku?)
Perhaps Google’s biggest problem is that new communication platforms are rarely imposed from the top down. Rather, they evolve with users’ demands. Facebook is a great example. In 2005, when college kids first started logging on, the idea of posting anything to a “wall” or a moving public stream of information struck mainstream Internet users as absurd. But Facebook evolved as users joined and asked for new services. Now only troglodytes refrain from creating a profile, and about half of Facebook’s 300 million users log on every day to view their stream of status updates, photos and links.
Google understands the need for this type of organic innovation, and that’s why the company has launched Google Wave to a select few to experiment with before the service goes live. But users report it may be too different from anything they’ve seen before to catch on. And Google isn’t the only company trying to replace email, either. From small start-ups like Drop.io, which lets users communicate with each other and share documents in real time, to Facebook itself, plenty of companies are experimenting with better ways to get things done. It's not yet clear whether Google will be able to ride this wave.
I think once people start seeing Wave as not only an email replacement, but a tool to collaborate and build documents, many may start to see it's true value. Our company has attempted to collaborate around document construction using things like Wikis, and this only seems like the next logical phase of that goal.
Don't forget that google mastered Email with it's Gmail service and if you there are still Hotmail and Yahoo: Wave is also a protocol which enables other companies to develop there own Wave servers and clients. There are the fundamentals for open communication unlike with ICQ, MSN or the likes
@Sean-
Security concerns and facebook? Are you serious? You must be a troglodyte.
Security issues stem from a lack of mental abilities on the part of the user… not the website itself.
And from a security point, I wouldn't be surprised if Wave might encounter some as it seems that there's a pool of users conncected to a singular item. One breach from one user could potentially grant "approved" access to other's systems. Obviously, this hasn't happened – and may never – but I just have an image of e-mail trojans with roid-rage via wave. I'll be interested to poke at its security in the near future.
I'm attempting to use googlewave instead of livemeeting to edit a multimedia project and summary document in real time with a distance team.
I'm crossing my fingers it will be the answer to our problems.
I have to agree with an earlier comment that this is a very poorly done article. How on earth can you write an article about something, especially an article discussing an ideas long term success probability, without ever having used it?
As to those who have commented on social networking being a fad amongst just the youth (it would be interesting to see the average age of those commentators), guess what? Read some of the research regarding generations and who is really running the country now and who will be for the next 20 years. It has nothing to do with the numbers (baby boomers have been relatively quiet for being such a large generation), and everything to do with activity.
Personally I use social networking sites for exactly their purpose – networking. I don't know if I'll ever use all of the capabilities of some of the sites, like facebook (seriously, who has time to take a million stupid quizzes or post everything they do), but I'll definitely be able to stay in touch on a real time basis with a group of people who could possibly collaborate with me on projects or ideas. Even the old-timers have to see the potential in that.
Personally, I got my Wave invite and I am just starting to use it. I'll save my commentary on its possible long-term success until after I have had a chance to use it.
Jessi – interesting article until you decided to insult us 'troglodytes.' Do you even realize the underlying security concerns with sites such as facebook? Perhaps you should spend less time insulting readers and more time researching the concerns with social networking sites so you can understand why some folks choose not to use those sites.
Another clueless "technology writer" braying about "the wave". Not everyone is as gullible and easily impressed as you, Jessi. Some of us actually work, and use email because it's a mature technology and we aren't slavishly hooked on the latest pretender to its replacement. the wave is not a replacement for email, its just another toy for the braindead egomaniacs who waste their employer's time on Facebook. the wave is the latest timewaster POS fad from Google. I'll pass on it. You can paint a dog turd with bright yellow paint, but that won't turn it into gold bullion. the wave is a dog turd painted bright yellow, pretending to be gold bullion.
BTW: please have someone inform you about the security risks of social networking sites – next time you decide to write an article you'll have something intelligent to discuss, and you won't be displaying your ignorance.
TTFN
Without innovation and the guts to try to put into use we would all be no where. Nobody knows if Wave will replace email. I highly doubt it, but it may help with collaboration or lead us all to a next generation application that will help us even more.
Ed Stutzman
Co-Founder
http://www.vitalwebs.com
Nice of the writer to name those of us "troglodytes" that have no use for social networking. I would rather spend my life out living, not attached to the massive waste of time that is Facebook.
Or posting replies to online articles while displaying first & last name + city!! Yeap, that makes way more sense… 
It sounds interesting and it doesn't seem so difficult to understand. I think the success depends a lot on the name. If the name is attractive people want to investigate it and be a part of it. Although I do not participate in Facebook or YouTube they have an attractive name. The wave seems it may be a way to deter those emails you would rather not bother having to delete. Since, those in a wave are members, they are the only ones who can produce threads. It will be interesting to see if it becomes the next big thing in communication.
For Pete's sake, Wave is NOT designed or intended to be a replacement for e-mail, any more than Lotus Notes is.
Orkut started to lose all the VERY active early users when the Brazilian spam started to arrive. When that sort of thing drives people away, the early tech adopters, for example, you have a bunch of spammers left. Google, or anyone, is unlikely to manage to keep anything going then. It had some of the same initial features that makes Facebook so usable, but keeping out spam is pretty huge.
I have a wave account. It's ok, It's a little slow, or sometimes, a lot slow.
Thing is – Facebook is run by… Facebook. Myspace is run by Myspace. Email is run by… Every business on the planet! Same goes for Google wave, anyone can run a google wave server. Open Source re-implementations are even available! (pygowave.net)
I'm a Google Wave user and quickly noted that it lacked a simple "alert" feature to let me know when someone has published new content. It's almost like using email with no inbox alert, a glaring omission by Google.
To say that everyone but troglodytes have a profile on Facebook is absurd.Many people do not want their personal information splattered all over the world wide web. Have you ever heard of privacy? People on Facebook throw caution to the wind.
She's a technology writer and couldn't even find a friend to get her an invite to Wave? I spent 5 minutes on Twitter and got an invite. Not exactly a well-researched story. "People tell me…" really doesn't cut it.
"Saying that "YouTube is beginning to see some success" is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?"
No, because massive use != revenues or profit.
Nice of the writer to name those of us "troglodytes" that have no use for social networking. I would rather spend my life out living, not attached to the massive waste of time that is Facebook.
I was one of the fortunate ones that received a Wave account and I love it! I've been using it as a team and project management system.
A "Wave" is basically a project that I can then assign users to or it's a way to document team meetings. I do clearly see it as a major improvement to email in the way it allows one to respond or edit content inline or view the progression of the discussion/wave via the playback option. One can make a Wave a public and searchable across the entire Wave global community (think discussion forums)! You can even see when someone is replying live character by character. We did a test where there were 5 of us editing and replying to a wave simultaneously.
Wave is far from being polished complete or a finished product. For instance there is the omission of a notification extension that can be included in Google's Notifier. The inability to embed and view calendars in a Wave. Some of the buttons or features are buggy or non-functional.
But the concept is rock solid and I believe a fantastic revolution or evolution to the way we communicate. It's email, IM, discussion forum, Facebook, all rolled up in one location!
The author and the tech sector continue to 'insist' that email is antiquated. Duh; not for everyone. That is what made America great – free choice. We don't need anyone else trying to shove something else down our throats. To some, email is perfectly fine. Youth do not run the world, in spite of their beliefs otherwise.
Your article said:
"software developers and early technology adopters, … all report that it’s a little hard to understand."
Then why don't you ask me? I'm using it with my kids on their homework and it's as easy as pie!
If you're lucky enough to get an invite (like me) and you've played around with this, you'll love it.
It won't replace email, but it will be an effective collaborative tool for groups and corporations, mainly. Wave will work for social situations as well, but the revolutionary application for this tool is in the corporate and non-profit world where coordinated projects are a must.
I am of the mind that Google needs to get more invites out there so people can latch on and play around with the technology. Word of mouth (and experimentation) is needed for something like this. Only at that point can you truly wrap your brain around Wave.
I received a Google Wave preview invite and I am taking a good look at its functionality. http://www.kutro.com
Sounds liked directed blogging. Instead of having someone subscribe to your blog, you wrap them into it by adding them. Personally, I'd have no interest in it. I'm fine with being so 1996, or at least until something better comes along, and this ain't it.
So let me get this straight, Google is offering a email-facebook-blogger blend. HAha, about thime. Why Facebook has not set up emails is beyond me. Seems like it would add to the sucess… Google, is litterally an online walmart… the hvae music (you-tube). directions, maps, search… now they have a social network coming (a bigg one)… they just need to start selling a bunch of stuff… and its game over!
I think this article is understating the potential of Google Wave. Facebook has one of the most unfriendly user interfaces on the planet – and yet people figure it out and embrace it… I believe the same will happen for Google Wave. Cheers.
I realize this is slightly off-topic, but hard to take your article seriously with your description of YouTube (yes, one can argue that Google is starting to see some success in the commercialization and control of it) and by insulting folks ("troglodytes") who don't waste countless hours bathed in the soulless glow of reading about Grandma Ginny's gallstones or sighing in mute desperation as some idiot met back in high school posts up another useless lolcat picture. By that reasoning then, yep "troglodyte" here.
There are those of us out here who still prefer some level of privacy and enjoy the company of real humans rather than digesting the inanity that is most Facebook user's lives.
Google wave will probably be a fad thing if it takes off at all. Like Facebook and Twitter, you will have HUGE numbers initially, but people won't keep using it.
Email has a definite utility purpose. It is simple and useful. I am not so sure if Wave will be that.
Saying that "YouTube is beginning to see some success" is NOT an understatement. Google paid $1.65 Billion for a company that looses money.
Being popular and profitable are two entirely different things. One could argue that, in order to be successful, a company should be both. If you had to choose one, profit would be the one to choose.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE56F75P20090717
Timo from Geneva Regarding youtube- It is not a money making success. You tube is losing money, it does not make money. Do you think its cheap to store and stream all those ridiculous videos that are posted?
I am one of the early users invited to try Google wave. It is not as simple and intuitive as most other Google products are. I have tested ZOHO and a few other teaming center apps and they seem to have captured the essence more clearly. For whatever reason, Google surprised me on this one and missed the mark. I'm not willing to give up on it yet, but have yet to see how it will improve work performance within a structured organization.
Wave – another Google project dead end?
Perhaps. But I'm happy to to avoid Facebook, Twitter and all the rest of the self-serving vanity venues out there. Chrome OS is going to be another unless the dependency on the internet is removed. I like my information in my hands – not somebody else's. Just watch what happens when the crackberry addicts can't get their fix. Or another lost data tape or stolen laptop is announced then the arrival of the obligatory "Your personal information might be compromised letter – please check your credit rating."
Social Networking and it's offshoot cloud computing is best explained as middle school kids gone wild – Remember "Lord of the Flies"
Devo was right all along.
Good Luck Spuds
@Timo,
That all depends on your definition of success. I'm sure the author meant money-wise and you mean popularity-wise.
Well Innovation is part of the big game Google has to play in its business,it has been success full at times and has failed couple of times.But what's important in knowing its strength first since it has huge cash reserves experementing with new apps may cost heavily and reduces it name but one never knows when another successfull Google like Brand may take a birth.
Above views are personnel: http://maheshbshetty.blogspot.com
have you actually used wave yet?
I have it and it's really not as difficult as you're making out.
Wave is just as simple as any other social network platform. If not more so as there's only one main page to navigate.
people are automatically thinking it is a completely new concept. when that's not the case at all. it's more a matter of rolling all the services that already exist into one easily manageable package.
In fact. I find it more frustrating using multiple different sites to share things. like photos are uploaded to photobucket, then links pasted into facebook and all those other sites I want to update… having to make a new post for each site that needs updating.
Google wave's goal is to consolidate that so it's all available in one place.
they're even working on an app that will post the same wave on all your linked social networking sites so that you only ever have to publish it once and you can edit the 'master' within wave and it will correct the variations on other external sites. I think they have really cracked it with wave.
A wave might be useful for comments on blog posts – currently there is a lot of loading, paging, and reloading with many blog comment streams.
I worked for a little known company in Cambridge, MA called BBN (Bolt, Beranek & Newman) that sold a program called "email" to GTE for a few bucks because no one " got it" at the time.
Saying that "YouTube is beginning to see some success" is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?
>>>For Pete's sake, Wave is NOT designed or intended to be a replacement for e-mail, any more than Lotus Notes is.<<<
Tell it to Google. In its own videos, Google says Wave is what email would look like if it were invented today.