Google Wave is the latest communication tool from search engine giant Google.  Think of Wave as a combination instant messenger and discussion forum.   Right from launch the application interface has a familiar feel.  There is an inbox, a list of contacts, and an area containing “waves”.  A “wave” is a discussion on a topic, hence the application name.  If you can use an email or blog editor, you can use Google Wave without any further instruction.

Setup: Currently you have to be invited to participate in the beta program.  All testers are given a limited number of invites to hand out.  I received mine from Ben Barden, developer of the Injader Content Management System and co-founder of the CMF Ads advertising network.  You click a link in the invitation email, sign in using your Google log in, and the application is downloaded and installed in your browser as an add-on.  In my case I used IE8 as my browser.  When I am logged in and access the Wave website, a Google Chrome frame is launched in the web browser and I am set to go.  Running windows Vista with IE8 I had no setup issues at all.

Getting Started: You can create your own wave or be added to one already in progress.  All members can see the entire history of the conversation.  Google provides some sample waves offering well produced video tips.  Drag and drop users or groups of users into any wave to add them to the discussion.  Add polls, maps, or other media into your waves.  Waves will update in real time as members add to the discussion.

Ok, so now that you get what it does, what is it good for? 

Pros: 

1. It keeps a record of who said what.  Instead of piecing together conversations from a scattered history or playing email tag, you can now read the entire discussion of a topic in one place.
2. Unlike most instant messaging, you don’t have to be online at the same time to hold a conversation. 
3. A simple interface with familiar editing tools make this an application you can jump right in and use.
4. Similar to a private forum, without having to visit multiple web sites to join multiple conversations.  No administrative server headaches or spam to deal with either.
5. Reasonably private.  You decide who to add to the discussion. Only those added can take part. 
6. Allows developers to create extensions.  I’ll certainly add a spell checker once available.
7. Launching Google Wave is as simple as visiting a URL you can save in your browser Favorites.

Cons:

1. Waves can’t be edited once posted.  Easy to look like an idiot if you have fat fingers and don’t usually proofread your instant messaging chat.  No built in spell checker.
2. Once you add someone, they can only remove themselves from the Wave.  You can’t remove them.  How embarrassing if you are discussing an upcoming party and say “Whatever you do, don’t invite Stan”.  Days later someone adds Stan to the wave and he can now read what you said earlier.
3. Members must have a Google account of some sort, either email or an adsense account to participate.
4. It’s just one more application to install and check daily.  I already have email, twitter, forums, RSS, Yahoo and Google messenger, MSN, and whatever social networking applications are out there.
5. There is nothing to remind you to check in, so if you don’t use it often, you might not notice a wave has updated.

Now for Ben Barden’s Google Wave likes and dislikes, taken from one of the first waves I created to discuss the application itself. 

Good:

1. Add people to an ongoing Wave
2. Remove yourself from a Wave (try doing that with Reply to All)
3. Collaborative editing (e.g. for documents and guidelines)
4. Splitting a Wave into a new Wave (great for long, off-topic convos)

 Bad:

1. No email integration
2. Yet another app to check for new messages
3. The scrollbars
4. It’s very cramped on a small screen
5. It’s a bit sluggish on a not-overly-high-spec PC
6. Too many people use it just for chatting
7. Watching what people type, as they type it

What are your opinions on the new Google Wave?  What situation is it best for: workplace, social situations, online collaboration, blog promotion, marketing?  If you’d like me to throw you an invite, request an invitation and I will send one to the email you used to comment.