Ready to Ride the Google Wave

I'm going to go out on a limb and say today may be the day that social media was changed forever.  I say this because today Google Wave is going live to the public (although it is via invitation ).  People are scrambling to get invites and the hype is continuing to grow.  Just search eBay for "Google Wave Invite" and check out what people are paying to get a first look at the service. So, why the hype?  Part of it is just the fact that Google has released something new.  They have a built a solid reputation over the years and have a pretty loyal group of fans.  Try doing a search for Google Wave online and you will see several articles and blog posts describing the service.  Many of the blogs have comments from people willing to pay money and do all sorts of odd favors to get someone to invite them.  I won't go too deep in the details (see my links below if you want to read more about Wave), but here is why I think this service is such a big deal:

1. The ability to create embeddable objects or "waves" that can be snapped into any website.
2. Drag and drop file sharing in the web browser.
3. Wave playback.  Watch how a discussion unfolded over time by rewinding it and playing it back.

A couple of the better developer previews, I have read, can be found here:

• Google First Look
• Google Wave: A complete guide.

As of 8:30PM CST, the invites are either trickling out or haven't gone out at all, based on some Google searches and blog posts like this one: Google Wave Invites are still coming....in a few hours.  I'll be watching and hoping for my invite to show up for the next couple hours.  Hopefully I get one, if not I guess I'll have to wait for Google to expand the roll out.  Either way, I'll be sure to follow up with my thoughts on the service after I get to spend some time using it.

Stay tuned and good luck, if you are also waiting for an invite...

Matt (Technovation)