Google Wave

“The problem with communication….is the illusion that is has been accomplished”
George Bernard Shaw

We live in a world where communication is primarily based on technology; communication is done through the use of cellular phones, text messages, emails, instant messages and social network sites. As the world becomes more technologically savvy, more options are being created to use as a form of communication. Companies are also constantly fighting to stay afloat in the war of new technology. Since, the creation of Google in 1998, the mission has been to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (www.google.com, nd). However, in 2009 Google wanted to branch out into the social networking realm; they accomplished this by creating Google Wave. Google Wave is a web application that gives its user the ability to easily communicate with others (www.google.com, nd). This application allows individuals to share pictures, files, post blogs and chat in real time. Google Wave was created to surpass any current communication technology available with its futuristic capabilities. However, the application’s disadvantages that have resulted in its low user network, has led to Google Wave’s untimely demise.

In my quest to find the newest communication technology available, I came across information about Google Wave. This got my interest, because it was new, and since Google is such a popular company I was curious as to why I have never heard of their newest creation. The developers at Google created this application with the goal of combining real-time communication with social-networking and search capabilities built into a familiar interface (www. news.cnet.com, 2009). When using Google Wave individuals will not only be able to post items on their page, but they can also publish the wave directly to their website or blog (www.telegraph.co.uk, 2009). Even instant messaging capabilities are enhanced to the extent of being able to see what is being typed by the other individual as they are typing. Ecommercewisdom.com, reports there are many advantages of Google Wave. For example, the interface used, meaning the method of how one computer component may exchange data with another component, is similar to what is used in emails (www.ecommercewisdom.com, nd). Now, I know many people are not too concerned about how their computer interfaces, however this makes the process of information much smoother. Another advantage of Google Wave is the participant contribution aspect. This application encourages people to contribute to a wave that has already been posted (www.ecommercewisdom.com, nd). This is similar to a blog with the exception of being able to add maps, pictures or even invite other people to participate in the wave. The best and probably biggest advantage of Google Wave is the “real-time” aspect. When changes or updates are made by a participant in the wave these changes can be seen as they are being made (www.ecoomercewisdom.com, nd). With the many advantages Google Wave has to offer, who would not want to utilize this communication mechanism? However, as with all things, especially something new, there are also disadvantages that may not be many, but can be so daunting that they out way the benefits.

There were disadvantages in several categories of Google Wave. The instant messaging capabilities are very unreliable, it could be slow or fast at any moment, this hinders the “real-time” advantage (www.ecommercewisdom.com, nd). The benefit of Google Wave is to get a lot of people involved and have interaction on the wave, however in order to access a wave individuals must have a Google account and the system must have the ability to allow a large amount of users on at once. Right now the system does not allow a large amount of users on at a given time (www.techcrunch.com, 2009). Once an individual is invited to a wave they are permanently part of that wave. What this means is, if you no longer wish to have interaction with that person or you have shared confidential information they have access to this information forever (www.techcrunch.com, 2009). Currently, the waves do not provide any notification capability, so if there is new activity within a wave, individuals will not know unless they are constantly monitoring their wave. These disadvantages seem to be minimal compared to the advantages; however in August 2009 Google decided to stop any further development of Google Wave. They stated there is not enough user adoption that they would have liked to have (www.techcrunch.com, 2010).

In review of the overall capabilities, advantages and disadvantages of Google Wave, I would not suggest or invite anyone to use this. Although the advantage of “real-time” is a good feature when communicating with friends and family, I still have a difficult time grasping the whole concept of the “wave”. I agree that it is nice to have everything, email, blog, instant messaging and other capabilities all within the same application, but even the technologically savvy would still have trouble with Google Wave. I understand Google’s attempt to make the communication experience simplified, but it is possible it became more difficult.



References

Beaumont, C. (2009). Google Wave aims to transform online communication. Retrieved October,
17, 2010 from www.telegraph.co.uk
Ecommerce Wisdom (nd). Google Wave Advantages and Disadvantages You Should Know About.
Retrieved October, 17, 2010 from www.ecommercewisdom.com.
Google (nd). Google’s Mission. Retrieved October, 17, 2010
from www.google.com.
Tech Crunch (2009). Why Google Wave Sucks, And Why You Will Use It Anyway. Retrieved October, 17,
2010 from www.techcrunch.com.
TechCrunch (2010). Wave Goodbye to Google Wave. Retrieved October, 17, 2010
from www.techcrunch.com.