Comments on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog: If I Throw a Google Wave Party... And No One Shows...

Rita, I think you've hit upon something that ...

2009-11-30T11:53:52.340-06:00

Rita,

I think you've hit upon something that causes people to leave Wave after trying it for the first time. There is a balance in these types of online collaboration resources between "ease of use" and the "power of flexible development" of the product. Right now, I think Google Wave's fulcrum shifts the balance over to the developmental side. This is great if you're a big-time techie and are looking for ways to build resources to make Wave better. But, if you're a casual user, the "flexibility" of the Wave is overwhelming. Granted, this is still in Beta testing, so maybe as the developmental tools are created, then the fulcrum shifts more toward the middle making it a great tool for both the high-end user, as well as the casual user. I guess time will tell.

I have not gotten the hang of it yet, I must admit...

2009-11-30T11:37:17.081-06:00

I have not gotten the hang of it yet, I must admit. But it looks like it could be interesting - if I ever find the time to learn it better.

No, it is definitely not easy. I agree with you - ...

2009-11-16T20:30:14.607-06:00

No, it is definitely not easy. I agree with you - every time I use it, I figure out something new. Just another learning curve to traverse. I think it pays to get up to speed on this because I am betting at some point Google is going to move its entire messaging operation (Gmail, Chat, etc.) in this direction. And as an early user, you will be ready for that move.

Martha

Martha... whenever I test these projects with Lisa...

2009-11-16T17:19:32.434-06:00

Martha... whenever I test these projects with Lisa and Toby, we're usually the weakest links in the chain. ;-)

I'll look you up and test. Toby and Lisa and I have been jumping in and testing the gadgets and bots to see what the cool bells and whistles are in Wave. It is definitely something that the more you do... the more you learn.

For example... right now, Toby, Lisa and I are doing a conference call using the Ribbit gadget (free for a limited time.) There are a lot of things you can do... it just isn't nearly as easy as that 80 minute long video made it out.

Greg, sounds like you are barking up the wrong tre...

2009-11-16T16:19:22.331-06:00

Greg, sounds like you are barking up the wrong tree. Or waving on the wrong beach. You need to find people who are interested in it to engage with. We all know its beta and there are not enough users. Find someone other than the naysayers to talk to. Try me at startoestudio@googlewave.com and check out the public waves with the search " with:public " and join the conversation. It isn't a tool yet, its a toy. But it has a lot of promise that will open up as the service opens up.

Cheers,

Martha (@advocatesstudio)

I couldn't agree with you more I took one look...

2009-11-16T15:52:11.099-06:00

I couldn't agree with you more I took one look and thought it looks good but how do I do anything?! major barrier...also I only know about 4 people on there. I'm hardly going to make waves with that many contacts!

I'd guess that #1 and #6 are related--the reas...

2009-11-16T14:45:32.630-06:00

I'd guess that #1 and #6 are related--the reason they aren't opening up invitations is because it would slow down an already slow system.

It's obviously premature to sound a funeral for Wave. Until a large number of people have Wave accounts, it's impossible to say if it's effective. Wave may be better than twitter to follow a conference. But if no one has Wave and twitter is open to the entire internet, it becomes obvious how you should cover the conference.