Come on Everyone, It's Time to Do the Wave

I opened my inbox today to find what every techie dreams: an invitation from Google to try out a beta program it's getting ready to unleash. This time around it's Google Wave and I didn't even take time to have my first cup of coffee before accepting the invite and diving in.

Once I got into Wave, I had a note from Google that I have eight invites to dole out!:

"Google Wave is more fun when you have others to wave with, so please nominate people you would like to add. Keep in mind that this is a preview so it could be a bit rocky at times. Invitations will not be sent immediately. We have a lot of stamps to lick.

Happy waving!"

Then there was a short entertaining video with Dr. Wave who explained that Wave is a shared space where you can share with others. Wave is a collection of messages, which Google calls "blips," and people can "blip" to each other in real time, apparently. (OK, I couldn't try this yet, since I had no contacts to blip at 6:30 AM, but I promise I'll give an update on how it really works once I do have some people on my contact list.)

As Google explains, a wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using text, photos, videos, maps and more.

Then I watched an eight-minute video from product managers Stephanie and Greg who explained Wave was developed by the brains behind Google Maps.

Basically, Google Wave provides one place people can message using just that one message. Instead of sending an e-mail to 10 people and getting 10 separate responses, you send an e-mail through Wave and there is just one copy that people can respond to. You can create maps, drag and drop documents, and see any changes in highlighted text if you close off Wave and log back in. You can even offer up a weather update to those involved in a wave.

The uses are amazing. You can use Wave to crate a meeting agenda, and keep all note-taking in one place.

Phew, I have to admit to being a bit overwhelmed at treading the Wave without coffee or even a shower first thing in the day. So I recommend being on your toes and ready to surf when you hit this Google technology beachhead.

And, yes, I'm taking bribes for the Wave invites I can dole out. Seriously, I'll send some to a few friends who always get a kick out of beta testing, but I'm willing to share with anyone willing to do a random act of kindness today, so just send me a note here.

Image courtesy of Google