I understand that Wave cannot be implemented in organizations yet. But, I don’t even have a good feel for what it will be able to do when that time comes. I am just asking that they start to be a little more open with there plans for Wave. The secret part is over now…time to share.

Hi.,
I have precisely the same concerns when dealing with Wave and developing opportunity. It all boils down to when the tool is released. I would sure love to help organization implement Wave, but at the current state it does not make any sense because you cannot get wave for your domain, unless you are one of the beta customers on the tool.
On the other side wave cannot be implement in organization yet, it is still a preview version not suitable for everyday business users.
Daniel
.-= Daniel Graversen´s last blog ..Book review: Google Wave Preview Explained =-.

Hank, Thomas,

I agree with everything you both say. But I would really like to them to give system timeline. It makes me feel like I am talking about something tangible, even though it is future development and business will not be interested until it is released, I can still talk with some authority instead of constantly saying “I think”.

That fact that they haven’t worries me. Given this was released in May, they should by now have a project plan/use cases defined/major milestones defined. If they do have that, talk about it. If they don’t, they really need to get moving on this.

I know that it Rocks. Just sitting side by side with somebody and being able to work on something together in real-time is fantastic. You don’t need to be worlds away to see how great a collaborative tool this is.

By the way, Google Wave rocks even as is. My Girlfriend is using it to co-write a book with a friend. I’m in a organization that is using it for planing meetings and sharing ideas.
.-= Hank´s last blog ..Jason Garfield and the World Juggling Fedaration (WJF) =-.

It would be nice if Google provided some projection on future expectations/plans for Wave but it still wouldn’t mean much to businesses. It’s in preview (AKA pre-beta). Many businesses won’t using a product if it’s marked beta let alone if it’s marked “pre-beta”. It’s just a matter of time passing and Wave developing toward the real release.

P.S. The Google folks aren’t stupid. I’m sure if it’s feasible, it’ll at least be integrated with Google Docs in some way.

Collaborate using Microsoft Office? What does that mean? How (that isn’t already obvious by attaching documents and creating gadgets for editing MSO docs inline)? MS Office standalone or Live? Lots of questions there that will get better answered as time goes on.

I realize how excited everyone is about the possibilities of this tool. But I think if you look at the Google has acted in the past and think about the state that Google Wave is in, I think you’ll understand why Google is acting the way it is.

I think the Google folks have an idea of what they think Google Wave (GW) is all about. Also, while right now GW is sort of usable, I think as you have seen, it’s not ready for prime time. So Google had a couple of choices. They could go out and hire a whole ton of developers to bring it up to speed, or they could “give it away” to the community and see 1. What customers really want (instead of having to guess), and 2. let the huge community out there develop it into something that nobody might have imagined.

So now they’ve got free development staff, and they’re letting their potential customers tell them what they want. Seems like the perfect way to me to get a good product developed.

Given that GW probably won’t be ready for real production usage till maybe 2011, I’m sure over the course of 2010, you’ll get the answers you are looking for. Or GW will fade away as a really great idea whose time wasn’t quite ready yet. But I don’t believe that. I know if I had a small design project going I’d being using it right now.

Brett,

I hear exactly the same response. It is very difficult to talk in “ifs” and “buts” with business folks. They lose interest real quick.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by thefatgeek: Where is Google Wave Going? http://ff.im/-cTmVq...

It would be nice to get some clarity into the strategy and the vision Google is taking with Wave. I feel like they’ve sort of created a really cool almost foreign piece of technology and then have said, “Good luck figuring how this fits.” And again, I know that it is in preview and maybe my expectations are unrealistic, but I’ve talked to a lot of people who are still scratching their heads even after giving Google Wave a try.