Living In Google Wave

I'm with you in all points. Unfortunately, my collegues are not yet convinced as I am, so a real, professional day-to-day usage is not possible for me right now.
I work hard to achieve that as soon as possible, though.
Thanks for your insight in your google wave usage habits.

Hi Chris
I have been using Wave myself although I do find it hard to keep waves going and sorting info in them. I haven't found a way to notify people when I have updated a wave or created a new one and invited them.

Most of all I would like a way of moving good stuff to the top. As you say you copy and paste the good stuff. We need an 'add to top' or something so it is easier than copying and pasting.

Like you, I find that although it is a bit quirky it is a useful tool.

I utilize Wave for project collaboration also. The only shortfall I've seen is that some clients that I work with do not have Wave accounts yet. I agree with the versatility of Wave that enables you work in different times and yet carry on a clear consistent conversation and work-flow. A BlackBerry app for Wave would be a nice addition for me.

I'm with GWaver that I'm with ya as well, just need to get my colleagues on board. They're stuck in in the 90's and it's a little frustrating when I see the value(s) of using Wave more often for more functions

I just started using Google Wave to collaborate on a project (a live event for 2010), love the idea of keeping our master notes & our conversation in one place that's archived, instead a zillion emails/skypes/DMs/texts. I also have my own feature wish list, but hey, it's in (actual) beta.

But one thing I don't like, is I feel this is another place for people to get rejected. I have people who want to friend (or whatever it is called) my on google wave, and I'm not open there, I don't want people chatting w/ me there (that's what twitter is for). I hate saying no.

I agree totally with the post. I have tried to use it to replace my email for personal contact, but my friends do not want to use it. I think that for Wave to be successful it will need to be in the corporate world.

However, I think that it could definitely stand some improved integration, specifically with email (or just Gmail or Outlook). Some sort of notifier would definitely be valuable.

I am struggling with it to be honest. I do genuinally see the benefits of it, however, using it day to day is impractical as so many colleagues are not seeing it the same way as you or I perhaps do. So, to date I have not actually used it for any real gain. Perhaps I am looking at it from the wrong angle. who knows?

Until just recently, I've been just kicking the tires and chit-chatting with my friends there. This month, for the first time I've started to use waves in my personal projects, blog interview collaborations and such. I like the way things are now shaping up so I'm probably going to do a lot more “waving” in the near future. Lately, I've been experimenting 6 rounds “video chat experience” while collaborating on a document. It's quite fun, but I guess you could just easily use Skype or such and do the same.

What comes to the online ecosystem, my means of using those medias are pretty much like what you describe. On the Facebook's part, usage have started to change from strictly personal to both, business and personal. I've now started to accept friend requests from business contacts in addition to the personal ones. I'm quite strict on this though. I must have either met the person irl, talked with him/her on the web or something similar. And I also make adjustments on the things those contacts will see. But anyway, the border between personal and professional has definately started to blur there.

Hope more people start using GWave soon! There's still only a handful of people out there I collaborate with. Until then, G' Waving to everyone!

I'm using it within my company as a collaboration tool as well and other than it being a little laggy, I'm quite pleased with the experience. So much so, I'm trying to implement it with a group of people in a not-for-profit model that I'm involved in. I haven't tried your “good/clean” approach but it sounds interesting; I'll have to look into that.

I'm trying to do exactly the same with Wave. To my mind this is by far the best way for group collaboration available. Unfortunately I can't get anybody else to agree – they won't use it.

Two reasons I think 1) no notifications so it relies on people logging in and 2) poor user experience – how to use it isn't obvious and it looks messy.

My colleagues, admittedly late adopters, prefer email :-(

Thanks for sharing your “online ecosystem”. I find it fascinating to discuss how people are organizing these different tools to match their own style and needs. It gives me new ideas to refine my own systems.
Although I have had my Google invite for awhile I haven't used it because no one else in my project circles is using it nor have any desire to give it a try. I am not effective in convincing them to join with me because I don't have the experience with the tool. I am encountering a lot of “new, shiny tool” fatigue. I am curious if you have as well?

There is the “disappoint” factor but what I am getting from your comment is that dispersion of energy. I need to consolidate my “work” time. Conversation is important but if it is a free for all in all of my networks I wouldn't get anything done. Yesterday I logged in to Skype for a meeting and five others wanted my attention to “chat”. I finally had to go invisible so I could focus on my meeting. I bet that is happening more and more in this connected and “always on” world.

Interesting. I am not in the corporate world, I work with individuals, small businesses and small non-profits and they are overwhelmed by the idea of learning and managing a new tool. I can see how it would be more attractive to the corporate world.

Wave has not impacted my community… in fact, most of us evidentally aren't cool enough to have been invited. I am curious and would love to explore how it works… but I guess I am destined to wait for the general release or remain in Microsoft Sharepoint (which sounds like it does a lot of what is currently missing in Wave… but I don't know for sure).

Chris,

Where is a good tutorial on Google Wave? After reading your post I can see its potential now.

Chris –

As for your suggestions, I agree with your point about having a “distribution” list option. I was going back and forth between Google Wave and Google Groups for a Think-Tank-of-Friends/Colleagues type of thing that we could use on an ongoing basis, but one of the clinchers to why I stuck with groups was that I wanted to make it as easy as possible for about 20 people to send a communication in different streams.

Note: you can use a Google Group in a Wave, but it's an extra step, you know? Personally, I also had a few people on the list that weren't as tech savvy as some others, and didn't want them to drop off because they weren't early adopters.. it was more important to me to have them on there.

I'm still really interested in finding new ways to use Wave, but as you said, I don't want to Wave just to Wave. It's got to serve the purpose and goals I want to achieve.

Let me know if you'd ever like to experiment on Wave and let the creative juices flow, and regardless, hope you're well and good luck with Waving :-) Thanks, as always, for the input.

Cheers,
Kate

I like the way you break down where different social media apps fit into your life. I'm just getting started with wave (my biggest problem right now is getting co-conspirators to sign on). Thanks for the advice on how to organize a wave – I am going to pass it on. It makes a lot more sense if you have a system for how to use it rather than just a free-for-all of people saying stuff.

Between Wave & Reader I'm not sure how to thank google. Google, if you're listening, you are invited to my wedding.

I guess by “corporate world” I meant to say business community. For the purposes of business planning and long term projects it is a wonderful solution, but I do not often play in that space. For my purposes Wave does not seem very practical if I have to cajole my friends and family into using it.

One of the most interesting side benefits of working in Wave has been watching people think. There's no other communication medium I can think of where (if multiple people are in the Wave simultaneously) you can watch as people type…you can watch as the ideas come and go, as people self-edit, as people offer and respond.

It's a little harrowing, frankly, when you're the one typing. I'm so used to having what I “publish,” whether by blog post, email, or even text message and IM, be a complete–and edited!–thought, that having people see the contortions I often put my ideas through has been a fascinating experiment in vulnerability.

On a more macro level, Wave does the same thing as a group thinks collaboratively. You can watch the core ideas develop (and keep them clear, particularly when folks agree to and follow the “clean blip” approach you advocate)…as well as see the red herrings take things off track.

Since Wave's “replay” feature means no content is every truly lost, I think there's a lot of potential in being more aggressive about cleaning out chats once they've run their course….

I think wave is great to send messages through, works effective and fast

Thanks Chris

I've been wondering how to best use Google Wave. After reading this I'm now going to trial project collaboration first internally and then with external clients. I like the benefits of multiple party conversations and all the information being retained for future reference by all parties. This should certainly help ensure everyone is on the same page. Now just to get all the parties on the wave!

If this is the only thing you are using Wave for, is it really any better than a shared Google Doc?

I have to more fully get a handle on how I should use Google Wave. I still don't have a good flow going with it.